We offer a range of services that will support you while you study at Queen Mary, including, counselling and general wellbeing.
Starting a degree is a big change and it is perfectly normal to have ups and downs.
At the beginning, you can feel really excited to be in a new place with lots of interesting people and activities (Honeymoon Phase). But it is also perfectly normal to experience some down moments throughout your first year and beyond (Culture Shock and Mental Isolation). See this explanation of the W Curve to understand how and why the first year (and beyond) can often be a bit of a rollercoaster. Also remember that lots of other students will be feeling very similar, and you are not on your own.
The Advice and Counselling service provide a range of specialist, professional and confidential services to support you in your transition to university or whenever you feel the need to just need to talk to someone. They also have helpful guides on everything from budgeting, personal safety and students with children.
The Disability and Dyslexia service offer you support, e.g. reasonable adjustments and access to funding streams such as the Disabled Students’ Allowances (DSA) and can offer you appointments on n campus at Mile End or online via Microsoft Teams or Zoom.
Please see our guide Information for New Students to learn more about what support is available before you start and once you get here.
What can I do to improve my wellbeing?
There are a number of things you can try to lift the brain fog and improve your wellbeing, including:
What support is available to help me with this?
If you have tried some of the above strategies and feel that you are still struggling, you can also book an appointment with a Student Wellbeing Advisor for some more individually tailored support if you feel you need it. They can help you put together an action plan and provide lots of tangible and actionable strategies to help you manage the challenges you may be experiencing.
Our Student Wellbeing Advisors are within the Advice and Counselling Service, but they can meet with any student who is in need of some extra help managing university life, or just general day to day wellbeing.
You can also check out our new resource Your Mind Matters. It is an in-house resource series, created to support you in learning about, engaging with and improving your emotional and mental health.
The Residential Welfare Team ensures that student who stay on campus have a positive experience by providing reliable support and guidance for all those who need it. The service they provide includes a range of pastoral services through their work with other departments at Queen Mary and if need be, thy can also refer to other student support services.
They provide first response support for issues faced by students in accommodation and they understand that for many, shared accommodation is a new experience, and it is not always easy to adapt. Even if a lifelong friendship is not established, learning to tolerate each other’s differences can be a valuable part of your education. To assist with this, they can provide mediation meetings between flatmates, providing a safe and neutral space to discuss, negotiate and reach an understanding.