BA SOCIAL SCIENCES (BASS) PEER MENTOR PRE-ARRIVAL GUIDE 2013
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WELCOME TO BA SOCIAL SCIENCES AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER! Congratulations on your place This guide has been created just for you by us - your peer mentors! We want you to get to know us a little bit before you arrive so that you know some faces and are not too overwhelmed by everything that you will face during your first few weeks of settling into university life. As your Peer Mentors we are here in order to make your time at your university a little easier. We can be the go to people if you have any worries that you think are too small or you are too afraid to tell the university straight away. We are here to give advice if you need help‌ but not do your essays! We also want to make you feel comfortable with first hand university experience. As students too, we have gone through the experience of the first year, with its ups and downs, and want to make sure that you can also manage these times so that you have the best experience possible whilst at the university. We look forward to meeting you in welcome week, but before we do, we would like you to get to know us a bit first!
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YOUR PEER MENTORS: Your Peer Mentor scheme is set up so that we, as higher year university students, can give support to you based upon our experience of BASS. So let’s get on with introducing ourselves! Hiya, I’m Milla, I’m a second year student studying Sociology on the BASS scheme. Why I am studying BASS? I originally came to the University of Manchester to study single honours Philosophy, unfortunately half way through the 1st semester, I discovered it wasn’t for me. The Social Sciences School were a fantastic help and gave me the choice to convert to a BASS degree. BASS offers diversity and I felt I had more freedom to study what I actually was interested in in the first year, and so I transferred from single Philosophy to Sociology and Philosophy on the BASS scheme. My favourite thing about university: The wide range of societies you can sign up to! There’s a wealth of groups you can get involved in; I signed up to the Ski and Snowboard Society, it was great way to meet other people outside of your halls building and to make friends. My favourite thing about Manchester: Isn’t it obvious..?! The nightlife! The fact that the University of Manchester is academically great is just an added bonus! My hint and tip for new BASS students based on my experience: Because of the fee increase, it’s really important that you take advantage of all the university has to offer, go to workshops and careers fairs; it’s up to you to get your money’s worth from your degree with all the fantastic advice and activities the university lays at your feet. 3
Hello, my name is Robert Varley. I am currently a full time student (Undergraduate) on the BASS Programme studying the combined honours in Sociology & Criminology. Why I am studying BASS? I am studying BASS for its flexibility and its ability to add to my opportunities in the future, be that working in the UK or worldwide. The degree allows me to choose modules from other disciplines than the ones I have chosen, enhancing on knowledge and also allowing me to see the similarities between subjects of social science, unlike other degree programmes, this gives you the freedom of choice, and the ability to know that the degree you are studying is the right one for you. My favourite thing about university: My favourite thing about University has to be torn between two things; both the Library and the support, the library at the University of Manchester in comparison to the one I had at my college, is, in short, overwhelming. It has over 4 million books, 41,000 journals and 24 hour openings during exam periods which allows me to achieve my very best when it comes to academics. As I mentioned, I am literally torn between the support and the library facility, the support at the University is amazing, on the BASS programme, alike any other degree comes with an academic advisor who will assist you all the way, you can also be assisted with finance for work experience and also have opportunities to speak with students who have experienced the same modules, and lecturers who aim to perfect the teaching of that module. My favourite thing about Manchester: My favourite thing about Manchester is that it is such a ‘go for it’ city, it’s always ‘buzzing’ with enthusiasm and everyone needs everything doing as soon as possible, it is close to shops and I feel very safe here. My hint and tip for new BASS students based on my experience: My most useful tip is to always follow opportunities and take everything seriously, the first year at University may not count towards your overall degree mark, but it sure makes for great practice, and with opportunities, always weigh up what you can manage and how useful it may become to you. 4
Hey my name’s Savannah Hodge I’m 19 and originally from London! Why I am studying BASS? I chose to study BASS because I wasn’t really sure what pathway I wanted to take and BASS gave me the flexibility to study all the social sciences and then make up my mind. I stuck with my originally choice of Politics and Philosophy but have loved learning about all the other disciplines. My favourite thing about Manchester: My favourite thing about the Manchester is that there’s so much to do especially if you like, cheap drinks, awesome music or going out and throwing some shapes on the D-floor. My hint and tip for new BASS students based on my experience: My handy tip would be to always do the required reading for your tutorials because it’s a really good foundation for starting revision. I think the most important thing (other than not failing) is just to enjoy yourself - first year goes ridiculously fast so make the most of it!
Hi! My name is Krystal Cole, I am from New York and I am a second year BASS student studying Philosophy and Criminology. Why I am studying BASS? The best part of studying BASS is the flexibility. I love the fact that I am not confined to my pathways and get to choose modules from a variety of subject areas. My favourite thing about Manchester: My favourite thing about Manchester is that there is so much to do! Whether you’re after a chilled out jazz night at a pub, a messy bar crawl or a full on rave – there is always something for everyone. My hint and tip for new BASS students based on my experience:
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The best piece of advice is: ‘Do not be afraid to ask questions!’ Despite what it looks like, there are loads of other people who are just as confused, scared and excited as you are! As well as us, you will also meet more great Mentors:
Koye Adesanya Peer Mentor
Zainab Ahmed Peer Mentor
Miranda Tuckett Peer Mentor
WHAT TO LOOK FORWARD TO: As part of a team of Mentors, we want to ensure that we have regular times when we meet together to socialise and share our experiences. There are various events throughout the year and we will be holding a couple of special ones just for you as BASS students during Welcome Week!
Monday 16th September, 12:30
Campus Tour with Peer Mentors Food, drink and pub quiz Tuesday 17th – Jabez Clegg September, 16:30 Make sure you get to the above events so we can get to know you, make sure you settle in well and have the right support during your 1st year! We will be holding lots of other exciting events too, so make sure that you check your university email, once you have it, and get involved!
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Before we finish REMEMBER – don’t be nervous; we were all in your shoes once! We look forward to seeing you in September! All the best, your Peer Mentors
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