Turn A Frown Upside Down

Sydney Morning Herald

Thursday December 20, 2007

Yvette Nielsen

University support services help students look on the bright side of life. By Yvette Nielsen.

Going to university can be an emotional transition for students, presenting them with many new personal and academic challenges.

Living away from home, studying independently, managing a budget and living in a new environment can lead some students into sticky situations where they don't have parents or friends close at hand to help.

Despite the cutbacks in voluntary student unionism, all universities still offer counselling and support services.

Dr Jonathan Munro, head counsellor and the manager of student support services at Southern Cross University, says the most common reasons students drop out of university are personal and family problems (44 per cent), financial and employment hardship (44 per cent) or academic challenges (12 per cent).

A one-stop services shop on the Lismore campus - the OASIS (Office to Assist Student Involvement and Success) - offers financial and employment help, including student loans, equity scholarships and bursaries, careers advice, part-time work and housing for school leavers and mature-age students.

Students experiencing personal and family issues can access free counselling, health and disability services, and academic guidance. "Certainly, for first-year students, the adjustment is a big one. They're the most vulnerable and more likely to be affected," Munro says.

Peak times for students to seek assistance include orientation week at the beginning of the year, the "honeymoon" period until the first wave of assignments is due and at end-of-semester exam time.

Drugs and alcohol, mental health and family issues are among the focus areas for the university's support services. Online and phone counselling is provided for distance-education students or those who might not want to talk face-to-face.

To meet Generation Y's demand for 24/7 services, the university offers self-paced, self-help stress- and anxiety-management programs online and is considering SMS counselling.

The University of Western Sydney offers free professional services, programs and activities for students across its six campuses. Project officer Elizabeth Dlugon says the Student Learning Unit organises and runs courses and workshops to develop students' academic literacy, and mathematics and study skills.

One-on-one counselling and workshops are provided for those with personal and academic challenges, along with educational talks and lectures.

"So many students may not have had the exposure to the online environment that's expected these days," Dlugon says.

Workshops cover topics including sleeping soundly, time management, stress, exam preparation and public speaking. A career hub provides job boards, help on building a resume, career options and expos. A peer-to-peer support program helps students become familiar with the university environment, while welfare services cover accommodation, financial and emergency help.

Dlugon urges new students to attend orientation and become involved. "The first person you meet on campus can often become your buddy throughout your course of study," she says.

At the University of New England, Student Assist combines a range of free services for students under one roof, including student equity, disability and special-needs support, counselling, careers advice, financial assistance and sexual-harassment and peer-education support.

Kim Glover, senior counsellor at UNE, says services are tailored to meet the needs of on-campus students and the large number of people studying by distance education in remote areas or overseas.

Support is offered face-to-face, online and by phone or mail. The UNE website provides a wealth of resources, including useful links and drug and alcohol self-assessment online programs e-CHUG and e-TOKE.

Self-help DVDs, podcasts, workshops and fact sheets cover topics such as life stresses, meditation and relaxation, anxiety, sexual ethics, memory, motivation, self-esteem and thesis writing.

Glover says: "When people come in to see a counsellor it's usually because they have a particular issue with a relationship or some problem such as depression or anxiety, but our off-campus students are more likely to identify study-related problems, like trying to juggle work, family and study commitments while things are breaking apart."

The Student Services Unit at the University of Technology, Sydney has a range of free support services to help students juggle their study, work, home, finances and personal lives at all stages of their studies.

Psychologists and social workers at the counselling service provide confidential individual counselling to students on a range of challenges.

Counsellor Melissa Herdy says the most common issues are academic related, depression, anxiety and other mental health problems, stress and relationships. Staff present workshops on study-related issues and sometimes refer students to specialised support, such as drug and alcohol services or early intervention programs for psychosis.

The special-needs and financial-assistance staff specialise in supporting students with disabilities or chronic illness that affect their studies or students needing financial support. "Students are encouraged to access these services before the semester starts so that appropriate supports can be arranged," Herdy says.

THREE TIPS FOR NEW STUDENTS

1. Get connected Attend orientation week. Introduce yourself to other students in your course. Meet the faculty. Join clubs to meet people.

2. Be active Ask questions. Read everything the university sends you. Take the orientation tours. Familiarise yourself with the university resources. Set goals for your studies from the start.

3. Develop a tool kit for surviving university life No matter what your experience at school, you will face some stressful times during semester. Make a plan for how you will look after yourself during high-stress periods through, for example, exercise, talking to family and friends, using a weekly planner, starting assignments early or seeking help from a counsellor. It may take some time to adjust to the new rules and expectations at university and it's normal to feel overwhelmed sometimes.

© 2007 Sydney Morning Herald

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