What Happens During Specialist Mentoring

In this blog post we cover what you can expect and what happens during specialist mentoring sessions. We would like to give a special thank you to Diversity And Ability (D&A), who helped facilitate this content.

What Is Specialist Mentoring?

Mentoring, in a nutshell, offers confidential one-to-one support to help you feel happier and more confident while you study. University life can bring with it a unique set of stressors and challenges. Mentoring will allow you to manage these, enabling you to become more independent, feel more confident with your work and have a better university experience.

“Prior to starting the sessions, I had no idea what to expect and have since been surprised just how truly helpful they are. The flexibility that fed into every part of the sessions really allowed me to build my confidence in considering and prioritising my wellbeing and voice. My mentor was really great at holding the space for me and I always felt safe, heard and valued. Having the time and space to talk through and reflect on things in a way I wouldn’t have been able to otherwise has been invaluable. I’m really grateful for all that I’ve learnt. “

Sophie, Second Year, Goldsmith, University of London

The Logistics Of Specialist Mentoring

Mentoring sessions typically last an hour and take place regularly throughout the academic year in a private, comfortable, and safe space.  All mentors are experienced practitioners, holding relevant qualifications in the field of mental health and membership of an appropriate professional body.

“My mentor was amazing! Very understanding, very helpful, he gave emotional support and was also very effective with planning and organising tasks, goal setting. It made everything easier and he was such a big help.”

 Sam, First Year, London South Bank University

How COVID-19 Has Affected Specialist Mentoring

Although face-to-face mentoring support has been put on hold for the time being, mentors are now fully equipped to provide sessions remotely through a variety of online platforms. As with face-to-face, online sessions will continue to support students in the following areas:

• Assistance with any pastoral matters which are causing anxiety or stress
• Support with motivation and morale
• Building confidence and self-esteem
• Emotional support with a focus on enabling the development of emotional awareness and wellbeing strategies

Furthermore, many practitioners are using inbuilt accessibility features, such as live captioning, to make online mentoring as inclusive and as effective as it’s ever been.

‘It was getting really tough to manage everything at once and having this support has helped in a lot of ways. I really like how the support is still made accessible online, and it doesn’t feel less beneficial than a face-to-face session. In the current situation, I’ve needed my sessions more than ever’

Shivani, First Year, King’s College London

 

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7 Tips For Making Friends In Freshers (updated for COVID-19)

We first posted this article on 7 tips for making friends in freshers back in June 2019, however with the current pandemic we thought it would be good to revisit this with some updated tips for this years freshers.

1) First of all remember that everyone is in the same boat. Everyone is new and will be feeling excited but also apprehensive and a little shy/ nervous. Some people just hide it better than others. Most people are living away from home for the first time and like you are trying to find their feet.

2) Before you go to Uni, there is probably the opportunity to meet future fellow students and flatmates online. Most universities will have forums for new students where you can discuss courses and accommodation. Be proactive and utilise this, get to know people on social media and possibly meet up beforehand or get together on arrival, you will have made a head start.

3) Be friendly….you don’t have to be an extrovert or the life and soul of the party but try to be welcoming and approachable with your new flat mates/fellow students. You are going to be together for a large chunk of your first year so make a particular effort this week. Even if you’re painfully shy, good advice is to smile, introduce yourself, try to remember names and show interest in the people you meet, ask a few questions but keep it light. Remember they are probably feeling the same.

In light of Covid-19 try to be more respectful of people’s personal space. You might feel comfortable with people in your space but it doesn’t mean that everyone feels this way.

4) Try to get to your new accommodation early and unpack asap, it’s going to be a busy week and it will help make life easier if your room is organised and everything is at hand. You will meet people as they arrive and it also leaves you more time to socialise and join in with the week’s events!

5) Resist the urge to hide away  in your room, if you are unpacking leave the door open so people can chat if they are passing. If new people arrive, introduce yourself, maybe offer to make them a drink.

6) Don’t overdo it but do try to join in with as many things as you can, be open to events on offer and join societies you are interested in. In fact, if someone asks you to join a society with them or try an activity that you hadn’t previously considered, give it a go, you may discover a new passion and at the very least meet new friends.

7) Try to enjoy the experience, you may not meet your lifelong friends in the first week but friendships will be forged. Stress not, you are probably there for at least three years and new friends and different friendship groups  will be established over time. Relax and the rest is easy.

 

Check out our full guide on Transitioning to university during COVID-19.

To find out more about us visit A2B Assessments

The post 7 Tips For Making Friends In Freshers (updated for COVID-19) appeared first on A2B Assessments DSA Needs Assessment Centre.