First few weeks

There will be lot of new information to take in during welcome week.

What is welcome week?

Welcome Week runs at the start of September and is designed to help you ease into university life and to prepare you for your studies. There will be induction sessions for your programme, and you will need to complete your enrolment and collect your student card.

You can find more information about what to expect in your first few weeks on the Welcome Week webpages.

How might this affect me?

The first few weeks at university can be an exciting time but can also feel overwhelming. You will meet a lot of new people and be given new information about your programme and other support, activities and clubs available at the university.

During the first week you will be given access to your timetable, teaching venues, information about group and tutorial allocations, reading materials, and course deadlines. Processing this information all at once may feel challenging.

If you have been allocated an autism support worker, it can be helpful to meet with them to discuss strategies to manage your time and energy during these first few weeks.

Practical Tips and considerations

• Find information in relation to clubs and societies so that you have an idea of what you might like to be involved in.
• You can join clubs at any time during the year, don’t feel under pressure to commit during the first few weeks, you can take time to consider what would best fit in with your studies.

This can be a difficult part of university life. In this section we will talk about some strategies you can use to establish connections.

Starting university is a period of significant change and the social and routine-based aspects of Autism can make this more challenging. Making friends can be tricky for anyone at any time.

Living away from home

It may be that you are moving into Halls and living away from home for the first time. It can take some time to settle in and feel comfortable with your peers.

Your autism support worker can help you to settle into university life and provide practical advice and support to manage this.

We have a Residence Life (ResLife) Team who are live-in wardens. They are a friendly first point of contact who can help students with the transition into campus life. They can offer practical and emotional support and signpost you to the relevant services for further support.

ResLife are here to help students who:

• are having difficulty settling into halls or University life
• are facing conflicts with their flatmates, for example over cleanliness or noise
• require further support from the wellbeing or disability teams
• require support for mental health
• have any questions regarding campus life

Joining a club or society is a great way to meet people and connect with other students. You can find out what is available on the Clubs and Activities webpage.

Sports Union

If you are feeling anxious about attending a club or not sure which club to go to, you should contact the Sports Union to let them know what activity you are interested in. The Sports Union will get in touch with either a club committee or an ambassador to contact you and bring you along to a club session to help ease the process and welcome you to the club.

How might this affect me?

It can be tempting to avoid doing anything outside of your programme, but spending time with peers and taking part in activities outside your degree can help make university a positive experience.

It might be helpful to form study groups with peers who have similar interests.

Practical Tips

• You could try leaving your door open if you live in halls and spend some time in the communal areas.
• Joining groups and societies. Your autism support worker can help you to make the first steps if needed.