Hey everyone,

No matter if you’re a first, second or third year student facing dissertation drama, there’s no escaping stress! Many of you will have moved away from home, others will be finding your feet in a new country. So given all these changes, it’s no wonder so many students have trouble adjusting to life at university.

University counselling services are facing an annual rise in demand of about 10% which would suggest at least 115,000 students are seeking help! That’s a lot of you who are experiencing problems at university

This highlights to us that we should be doing more than ever to make your student life the best possible. Our mission is simple, to make student life better, so if you’re struggling with stress, dealing with debt or just trying to manage… everything, here’s some of the ways we can help:

I get by with a little help from my friends

The saying ‘a problem shared is a problem halved’ couldn’t be more apt here! We have a series of departments with staff dedicated to your wellbeing. For example, take the Advice Centre located in Student Central. They offer a sympathetic listening ear, information, support and guidance on a huge array of issues.

Believe it or not, most students experience feelings of emotional or financial distress at some point in their university life - you are by no means alone! Nothing you can say will shock them so you can approach with complete confidence that free, impartial and confidential advice will be given.

Oh, football ‘friends!’ 

There’s no end to the sports clubs and societies you can join through the Students’ Union. Not only will you be trying your hand at something new but you’ll make great friends in the process who will support you when times get tough. Win-win, right?

Well, that may be so if the financial burden of paying for membership didn’t come into play! We thought about that… our new scheme is set up to help those students facing serious financial trouble holding them back while at university. We’ll be awarding £15 vouchers to students in need of a little support at this time of year.

Could you be eligible? Drop in for a chat with one of our trained Advisors from the Advice Centre, Student Central, Floor 5.

If you have any questions at all, please drop me an email on su.activities@hud.ac.uk.

Best wishes,
Dilara.