A couple of weeks ago we blogged about our Student Advice drop-in to let you know what to expect from a drop-in appointment.

This week, I’d like to give you more of a flavour of the types of things students come to a Student Advice drop-in to talk about and the sort of advice and information we deliver. Please read on for Katy’s* story.

Katy is a first year student studying BSc Business Economics.

 

Katy’s situation

Katy explained she’s not happy at SHU for a number of reasons:

  • She isn’t enjoying her course because she has realised she doesn’t want to work in business in any more
  • She doesn’t enjoy the student lifestyle or living in halls
  • She is feeling very homesick

Katy said she’s tried to ‘stick it out’ for a semester and is still really missing home and unhappy on her course. She said she’d like to study something else at a university closer to home. She’s thinking about Law or Criminology but has no clear career plan.

What advice did Katy receive?

Katy had not heard of the Careers and Employment service at SHU so we talked about how she could access specific guidance from Careers and Employment to help inform her decision-making. Katy was able to book a careers appointment there and then for later the same week.

I explained the financial implications of leaving university; what would happen about her fees, the SFE funding rules and what her options would be around accommodation. I was able to provide Katy with the contact details for different services that could help, for example Accommodation Services.

We also talked about the student lifestlye and feeling homesick and I showed Katy how to find out about clubs and societies on the Student Union website. Sometimes students find it difficult bonding with people they share accommodation with – being housed together with a group of strangers is great for some people but it doesn’t always result in strong friendships. Sometimes students find closer friendships through shared hobbies. Katy wasn’t keen on joining any clubs, however, and felt that she’d made her mind up really that she wanted to leave Sheffield.

We discussed what Katy could do if she returned home. Katy had already looked at courses at a university closer to home and found that she meets the entry requirements for a Criminology course. I advised Katy to try and speak to course tutors and visit the university to get a better idea of what the course involves. Then she would need to apply for the course via UCAS before the deadline of 15th January (some courses have different deadlines). I gave Katy a printed handout with information about leaving university and advised her to contact her current Student Support Officer to discuss further and fill out the correct paperwork. As Katy wasn’t sure who her Student Support Officer is, I found this out for her and passed on their contact details. I also reminded Katy to contact Student Finance England to make sure she’s aware of all the financial implications of leaving uni and repeating her first year elsewhere. We also spoke about the support offered by the Student Wellbeing Service but Katy said she’s already aware of this service.

What next for Katy?

Katy left with a to-do list including:

  • Attend the appointment with the Careers Adviser to discuss her future career options
  • Ring Student Finance England about the financial implications of leaving university and studying again elsewhere
  • Contact the university closer to home to find out more about the Criminology course
  • Decide whether to apply for the course or not
  • Talk to Student Support Officer in the faculty about leaving SHU
  • Speak to Accommodation Services about advertising her room

We’re hoping that Katy now has enough information to be help her make a decision she’s happy with, whether that’s to go home and study Criminology, or whether she has a change of heart and decides to stay at SHU. Either way, Katy’s welcome to pop back and see us again should she wish to talk things through once more.

If you think you could benefit from talking things through with one of our Advisers, why not drop-in to Student Services? Up-to-date times of drop-in are available on shuspace.

 

 

*Katy’s name has been changed for confidentiality reasons and the photo used in this post is not Katy; it is taken from a photo library.