Excited…? And nervous..?

Posted on: 3 September 2018 in Posts

Starting at university is an exciting time. Everything is fresh and new, you’re studying in new ways (and hopefully something that you’re really passionate about!), you’re surrounded by opportunities, and it feels as though your life is moving to the next stage.

But for many students, it’s also a step into the unknown: You’re probably in a new city – maybe even a new country – away from family and friends, having to cope on your own, perhaps among a group of strangers. So it’s not surprising that most new students feel a little nervous about what is to come: Will I fit in? Will anybody know who I am? Will I be able to cope with the work? Who do I turn to if I am struggling?

If this is how you feel, you’re not alone. Remember, the vast majority of other new students will be feeling exactly the same things (even if it seems that they’re better at hiding it than you!). Fortunately, all the staff that you meet in Communication and Media know that you will probably be feeling like this.  For one thing, we can all remember how we felt in our first days at university too! So we’ve arranged several things especially so that you can get to know us and other students, to help you fit in and feel welcome as quickly as possible. You should have received details of some of them in your Welcome Pack. They include:

• A welcome meeting introducing you to the department, its staff and your teaching. [This will be on Wednesday 19 September at 1pm]

• A meeting with your academic advisor. Every student is assigned to a member of staff whose role is to support them in their studies, but initially their role will also be to get to know you and to help you settle in. This means that there will always be somebody who is looking out for you and whom you can contact if there is anything you’re unsure about, however small it may seem. [A first meeting with your academic advisor will follow straight after the welcome meeting]

• A peer mentor. We put every new student in touch with an existing student who can help you to settle in, answer your questions about the university or the city and help you to feel at home. Who knows, maybe in a year or so you’ll feel able to support another group of new students by being their peer mentor. [You can meet your peer mentor at 12 noon on Friday 21 September]

• An easy start to teaching. Our first semester modules will start slowly, so you’re not pitched in at the deep end and have time to get used to being a university student. We hope you’ll find them fascinating, but not too challenging to begin with.

Of course, the Department of Communication and Media, the School of the Arts and the University have plenty of experience with new students. Teething problems do occur, and some people settle in quicker than others, but there is rarely a problem that we haven’t met before or can’t solve, so all you have to do is to be brave enough to ask. Should you need them, the School and the University also offer a wide range of professional support services, too, which we can easily put you in touch with.

The beginning of a new academic year is an exciting time for staff too. We always look forward to getting to know and working with our new students, in anticipation of the achievements that we know they will make with us over the next few years. Everybody brings something new to the Department and makes it what it is. Universities like ours are no longer ‘ivory towers’. So we hope you’ll like us, just as you hope we’ll like you!

As Admissions Lead, this goes for me as much as anybody. I have met, spoken to or corresponded with quite a lot of this year’s entrants, and been involved in decisions about many more, so I relish putting faces to names, getting to know you properly and supporting you through your studies. All of my colleagues are keen to help, but - especially if we have already met or spoken - you’re welcome to contact me in particular if there is anything you are unsure of.

Peter Goddard

Deputy Head of Communication and Media/ Undergraduate Director of Studies/ Admissions Lead (P.Goddard@liverpool.ac.uk)