Transition to university life can prove challenging for many students, may it be academia, money management, jobs or mental health. However, a number of student support services are available at Brunel to help you make the most out of your time at university and can be accessed via the Brunel Help portal. Here is a brief overview of the services available to students;
1) Student Centre
Based in the Howell building, the student centre advisors and immigration team are the first point of contact for a wide range of administrative enquiries such as student ID cards, Biometric Residence Card (BRP), parking permits, registration, and enrolment etc.
2) Student Support & Welfare Team
The Student Support & Welfare team help with a range of personal, welfare, and financial issues. It comprises the Counselling and Mental Wellbeing service and the Disability and Specific Learning Differences service. Based in the Howell building, counsellors and mental health advisors can provide 1-2-1 support and counselling sessions for students with mental health difficulties that can help them work on immediate issues and learn healthy coping techniques. The Disability and Specific Learning Differences service team are based in the Bannerman centre and support students with a range of disabilities and specific learning differences, thus promoting inclusive learning and teaching at the university.
3) Academic Skills Team (ASK)
Based on the ground floor of the library, the Academic Skills team helps students from all disciplines in areas such as academic writing, numeracy, statistics, and referencing, etc. Moreover, schemes such as HeadStart and Peer Assisted Learning (PAL) are specifically designed to support mature students, care leavers, students with disabilities, estranged students, and first year undergraduate students.
4) Professional Development Centre (PDC)
Based in the Bannerman Centre, the Professional Development Centre has a dedicated team of placement advisors and careers consultants for who help with placement search, CV checks, interview preps, job applications, and general careers advice. Moreover, Brunel has its own jobs board online where placements, internships, part-time jobs, and graduate roles etc. are updated regularly and the best part is you can make use of the careers service at Brunel for up to three years after you graduate.
5) Meeting House
The Meeting House is a dedicated space on campus with a team of people that are happy to offer a listening ear, personal help and advice and spiritual support. It has prayer spaces, a quiet room, free tea, coffee, and biscuits alongside board games to play and books to read.