Skip to navigation | Skip to main content | Skip to footer
Menu
Search the Staffnet siteSearch StaffNet

Faculty of Humanities

Student life

Key to symbols

  • HB - handbook
  • F2F - face-2-face
  • web - -website
  • PG - peer group meeting
  • AA - Academic Adviser
  • IC - in class
  • BB - Blackboard
  • TC - targeted communication
  • CG - Crucial Guide

Campus maps and orientation

(Web, CG)

You may want to consider whether Manchester orientation tours or social welcome events would help your students to adjust to life in Manchester, particularly where you have a high proportion of international students.

Visit Manchester can provide guided walks and tours of Manchester which focus on history, science and nature, creativity and Manchester's buildings. You could also consider booking a coach tour of Manchester which a member of academic or administrative staff could guide.  The University's maps and travel web pages contain further information.

Peer mentoring

(Hb, F2F, Web)

It is important for students new to university to quickly form friendships for both social interaction and academic support. Peer Mentors can support this by preparing events for Welcome Week. 

Peer Mentors can help settle students in by being able to relate to their own experiences of the first weeks of University life and are a great resource to support the student transition into HE and help new students put things into perspective.

The activities in the Scheme should continue throughout the year and not just during Welcome Week. 

It is good practice to:

  • get Peer Mentors to develop alternative pre-arrival guides
  • use peer mentors to help students through the transition to HE
  • organise sessions for students to meet peer mentors during induction week

Rights and responsibilities of students

(Web)

The Crucial Guide live provides essential advice, information and guidance for students.

Social /discipline welcome events

(PG, F2F, Web, TC)

Students should be given an opportunity to meet their peers and teaching staff, whether in programme or discipline-specific groups.

It is good practice to:

  • Invite students along from higher years, in order that they can share their experience with first years
  • hold events for students who live at home, in order that they can identify those in a similar position and create friendship or study networks.

Funding for welcome events

The University of Manchester Students Union (UMSU) can provide a limited amount of funds towards welcome events for undergraduates. Contact the Communications Officer at UMSU on x52930 for further information. Alternatively, you could consider booking a venue such as the Manchester Business School or a local bar or restaurant for drinks and a buffet, depending on the funds available. You could host small events for all your new arrivals, or simply hold a lunch for new student representatives.

Icebreakers at welcome events

Icebreakers are the perfect opportunity to ease people through the discomfort that comes with getting to know strangers. They are used to help participants relax and ease into a meeting or training and to help participants learn each other's names and personal/professional information.

When choosing an icebreaker it’s important that your activity doesn’t make anyone feel uncomfortable.  No one should be forced to reveal extremely personal information or participate in a stressful environment. 

If the icebreaker’s sole purpose is to introduce participants to each other and get things moving along say so.

The secret of a successful icebreaking session is to keep it simple: Design the session with specific objectives in mind and make sure the session is appropriate and comfortable for everyone involved.

The Students as Partners Programme, based in the central Teaching and Learning Support Office, can provide you with examples of effective icebreakers that can be used for groups of up c. 1000 students.  Contact the Teaching & Learning Adviser, William Carey (william.carey@manchester.ac.uk)

Societies

(Hb, Web, TC)

There are a number of societies available to join, based on a wide variety of interests. 

Sport

(Web, CG)

The University has web pages dedicated to the different sports available, as well as scholarship/sponsorship.

Student Guidance Service (previously Academic Advisory Service) 

(Hb, Web, CG)

The Student Guidance Service is a student-centred confidential service open to all Undergraduates and Postgraduates from across the University. It is completely independent from schools and faculties.  They offer confidential advice on any matter relating to a student’s study.

Student representation (inform)

(Hb, Web)

Student representation and feedback are vital to the continued development of the provision offered by academic disciplines and by the School as a whole. 

The Principles and guidance for student representation states the following:

‘Students should first be made aware of the roles, responsibilities and resources of representatives along with information on the place and time of election. This information should not be given at the same time as when the election is to take place, and should ideally take the form of something written or a web-reference. Students should also be directed to www.umsu.manchester.ac.uk to find out about wider representation and minimum standards’.

Students' Union

(Hb, Web)

The University of Manchester Students' Union turned away from the use of the term "Fresher" in a move to become more inclusive. The connotations that come with the word are rarely positive and often represents the stereotypical 18-21-year-old.

Therefore postgraduate and mature students should feel more included in the first week of university celebrations, and international students that had been put off by the vagueness of the term will have a fuller understanding of what the union can do for them.

The Students’ Union also hopes that Schools will share their opinion and support them in their campaign to become more inclusive and rename any events or publications that were to include the word "fresher" to something more inclusive.