Thank you to everyone who sent in their questions in a couple of months ago. The changing situation has changed how we were hoping to answer these questions. If you have follow up questions, please ask them below and I will do my best to answer these – if there are many, we will look into answering more questions on Instagram.
What support is there for tier 4 Visa students?
The university is more than keen to see you succeed and come to Essex with no worries. On the university website, you will find plenty of information regarding the support they offer together with the responsibilities of Tier 4 visa students.
Below there are two links from the University webpage where you will find every bit of information you might need regarding tier 4 students and application for a tier 4 visa.
https://www1.essex.ac.uk/immigration/studies/responsibilities.aspx
https://www1.essex.ac.uk/immigration/apply_for_a_visa/tier4/
Finally, I would recommend taking a look on the UKCISA website. All your question regarding international travelling, visa, tier 4 and so on, will definitely be answered on there! It is really neat and well organised so definitely check it out!
Ill leave a link to them below!
https://www.ukcisa.org.uk/Information--Advice/Visas-and-Immigration/Tier-4-eligibility-and-requirements
What support will students receive for their next academic year?
Together with the university, we held a number of meeting out of which the outcome was to ensure enough support will be provided to our new and existing students. For those who will be unable to attend the library physically, they can access the University of Essex Library, where there is also plenty of information to be found, and also new articles/books being added continuously.
Students will also receive the support and training necessary in order to be able to interact with the activities and volunteering opportunities offered by the university and the Student’s Union. Your wellbeing is one of our top priorities, so any new opportunity to offer you support throughout the year, we will definitely seek to accommodate.
Difficulties interacting with friends as societies and nights out
Whilst we need to be aware that COVID-19 is still out there and we are not out of the woods yet, that those do not mean there will not be plenty of opportunities to engage with societies and make friends.
In practice, after you have quarantined for 2 weeks since your arrival, you and your flatmates will not have to avoid each other (you all are more than likely to become one social bubble anyway)
And that should apply to everyone! Of course, wear your mask, but other than that, you will be able to go out and about to explore the campus and make new friends!
There will be venues, which will fully function, adapted to the new regulations and rules, so plenty of space to go out with your friends.
It might look difficult at first, but trust in the process and you will see when you arrive that everything will be working like clockwork!
Will there be any physical events in the upcoming academic year?
The University and SU are also looking towards physical events, as we understand how difficult it can get to just be sitting in front of a screen. We do not want to have you isolated more than what is required from us by law. So, you should definitely be looking up for physical events, where all regulations and rules required by the government will also be in place, in order to facilitate your safety and wellbeing!
Index (Learn the Uni slang yo!)
GLA/GTA – Employed students working for their department of choice, who are tasked with helping students with their modules, courses, learning, etc!
GP – Known as a ‘Family Doc’ for most, GP will be a doctor which will be appointed as your personal contact for any health-related issues when you do your medical enrolment here at Essex
DUEL DELIVERY – Is the agreed definition for the delivery of courses and classes this year. It best describes a combination of both physical and online deliver of your module’s courses!
BLENDED LEARNING – Is the mix between online and face to face courses you will have in the next academic year
SILBERRAD – Is one of the buildings on campus, situated next to our library. Here you will be able to find study spaces, IT support, Financial support department, which is also the place where most of you are likely to pay your accommodation, and finally, the information centre, where you can pop in and come ask the university anything, and they will do their best to provide an answer!
UKCISA – Stands for United Kingdom Council for International Student Affairs. They have a great website which we recommend you check as they got plenty of information there that can help with your arrival, travel, visa and so on.
TIER 4 VISA – is a document issued to study in the UK. The visa is issued for a particular course at the institution. Remember that you need to apply for a tier 4 visa prior to travelling to the UK unless you are already in the UK holding a valid visa that permits you to make a further application for further leave to remain under tier 4.
Social – This is best explained as a gathering or night out, or time spent with your friends, enjoys some cool activities and bevs.
Module – A module is a unit of study that is typically taken over a period of 10 weeks. A module can be taken either as a stand-alone short course (for interest) or as part of a Certificate of Higher Education.
PhD – is short for Doctor of Philosophy. This is an academic or professional degree that, in most countries, qualifies the degree holder to teach their chosen subject at the university level or to work in a specialized position in their chosen field.
Socs – A student society, student association, university society or student organization is a society or an organization, operated by students at a university or a college institution, whose membership typically consists only of students or alumni.
Rebel – Student media is the voice of students, and Rebel is your platform to debate, educate, inform and entertain over 16,000 students at Essex; have an amazing time and gain valuable experience while doing so. Welcome to Rebel.
Vteam – VTeam is the volunteering branch of the Students’ Union. We are ambitious and we want to help every student achieve their full potential through volunteering.
Induction – Induction is the process of introducing a new employee to the company culture and processes with the aim of bringing them up to speed as quickly as possible as well as making them feel socially comfortable and aware of their professional responsibilities.
SU – A student union (SU), or association, or another name it may come under, is a student-run group that dedicates its time and resources to give the whole student community of the university, fairness, opportunities and a voice.
The Big Essex Award – The Big Essex Award is the University’s employability and skills ward. It aims to help identify the skills you've developed over your time at Essex so that you can show future employers why they should hire you.
Leap Essex – LEAP is our student-centred personalised engagement tool, that displays your engagement with Moodle, FASER, Listen Again, the Library, University computers and your attendance to mandatory lectures and seminars.
Blades – The blades, is the Essex blades out sports clubs on campus overseen by the SU
Essex Sport - Essex sport covers our focus and performance sports as well as facilities including the gym