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Top tips from current students

Here are some top tips from our mature students about how to get the most out of your time at York. 

Know who to ask for help

Everybody at some point needs to ask for help. Whether it’s just asking for directions or something more serious, knowing who to approach can save a lot of time and stress. Here are some helpful links to people who can help:

You can also always contact Nicola Browne, the University's dedicated contact for mature students, by emailing mature-students-info@york.ac.uk and Nicola will point you in the right direction. 

 

Dive right in

It’s not uncommon to feel isolated or stressed during your degree. One of the best ways to combat these feelings is to really engage with university life and the myriad of events and activities on offer. The University offers everything from mature student only events to societies and sports teams. You can also get involved in volunteering or get a part-time job while you study. Not only will you be able to socialise and meet new people, you will also have something valuable to add to your CV. Why not try something new?

Here’s a list of places to get started:

  • Come along to one of the mature students events
  • Join one of the university sports clubs, either as part of York Sport Union or college sport.
  • Become part of a society, or make your own. There's everything from bell ringing to swing dance so you're bound to find something you're interested in.
  • Get involved with student volunteering. There's so much to be involved with from creating edible gardens on campus with Edible Uni or teaching sex and relationships education in schools with Sexpression.
  • Your college can be a great way to get involved with university life. Find out more about what your college can do for you as a mature student.
  • Search for jobs using the Handshake.

Don’t go it alone

Of course, we all need time to ourselves. But there’s never any reason to be alone if you don’t want to be. New and existing mature students might feel anxious about socialising and making friends, but don’t worry. Here are some suggestions that could help:

Know your way around

Getting to know the university well may take a little time for new students, but we all sometimes need reminding of where the closest facilities are. To make your life easier, familiarise yourself with the location of the following:

If you need help finding a specific room and you have the room code (usually found on your timetable) you can use our room finder tool and the campus map to help. You can also download and print maps of Campus West and Campus East if you prefer. 

Campus West Map (PDF , 1,321kb)

Campus East Map (PDF , 1,289kb)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4hyZaCj8Vg