Why getting to know the people is important
Universities are very different types of institutions to schools. When you first arrive, it can take time to adjust to the size of the place and to figure out who does what. However, as as you begin to research which universities to apply to, it may be helpful to begin learning who is who at a university, and to hear from people who study and work there.
Whatever university you choose, you can rest assured that whatever your needs and wants, there will be people within the university who are there to help and support. For example, there are dedicated teams to support you with: academic studies; practical matters like housing or jobs; personal matters like physical and mental health; or sports and social activities.
To help you consider your options, here we are profiling two counties in the North West of England, Cumbria and Lancashire. These two counties are home to three universities:
- University of Cumbria, based in Carlisle
- University of Central Lancashire (UCLan), based in Preston
- Lancaster University, based in Lancaster
Meet undergraduates
If you would like to meet with students from your university of choice before applying, one of the best ways is to attend an open day (click here for more info). In the meantime, to read about the experiences of some of the undergraduates at your local universities, check out the links below:
Student Stories: University of Cumbria
Chat to Student Ambassadors: Lancaster University
Meet PhD researchers
As you can see in our who’s who guide, PhD researchers are an important part of university life, including as teachers of many undergraduate seminars. To find out more, you can read about the experiences of some of the PhD researchers at your local universities here.
To get a better understanding, you can also watch these videos by PhD researchers at Lancaster University, discussing what they studied and why they loved it:
Meet non-academic staff and support services
As well as the students and teachers in universities, you will also come across many non-academic staff who lead the institutions and support their day-to-day activities. You can learn more about these teams on the links below:
University of Cumbria: Widening Participation University of Cumbria: Student Support University of Cumbria Student Union
UCLAN: Widening Participation UCLAN: Student Support UCLAN: Student Union
Lancaster University: Widening Participation Lancaster University: Student Support Lancaster University Student Union