Starting university is an exciting time and we hope you are looking forward to an incredible journey of development, learning and discovery with us. We are eager to welcome you to the University of Plymouth community but appreciate that you may be feeling a little nervous about what lies ahead. This is completely normal and university life can take a bit of getting used to, so we have developed our Head Start day to help you get to know us better while getting some tips and ideas to help you advance smoothly into university life.
Who is it for?
Head Start is for anyone, from any undergraduate degree programme, who feels they would benefit. However, priority for places will be given to:
- students from areas where fewer people go to university, more formally known as areas of “low participation in higher education”
- students who are Black, Asian, or from another minority ethnic groups such as Gypsy, Roma and Traveller groups
- mature students who are over 21 at the start of their undergraduate course
- disabled students, neurodiverse students and students with mental health and physical health conditions
- care-experienced students
- students who do not have parental support (estranged)
- young carers
- students who receive the
Sanctuary Scholarship .
What can I expect?
You can join us for as many activities as you like. Guided by talks from staff and small group discussion, you can expect to be:
- sharing hopes, fears, expectations and concerns with the people who understand them most – your fellow new starters and current students
- meeting the Library, Students' Union, Careers, Learning Support, Wellbeing, Counselling and Disability Support teams as you explore the campus
- figuring out university jargon, timetables and what you can expect day-to-day
- finding out how you can study effectively and get your career off the ground.
What the Head Start is not
This isn’t a formal induction (induction starts the following week) nor is it course-specific, so you will be meeting students from a range of subjects. This will be an informal and relaxed get-together with the opportunity for you to meet and potentially make friends with other students.
We look forward to meeting you!