We’ve got a list of tips and resources to help you navigate your new year at UAL, and a reminder of what’s on offer at Arts SU.
Hi UAL students,
A warm welcome back from Arts SU and we hope you had a lovely Christmas break! And for the students starting in January, welcome to UAL! Whether you’ve stayed in London during the winter break or just returned from your travels, we’ve got a list of tips and resources to help you navigate your new year at UAL, and a reminder of what’s on offer at Arts SU.
Arts SU Advice
Firstly, to introduce ourselves, we are the Arts SU Advice Service. We are a free, impartial, confidential service that exists to support you. We can help you to navigate UAL processes during your time studying. These processes include but are not limited to:
If in doubt as to whether we can help you, get in touch, if we aren’t the right team to support you with your issue, we will do our best to signpost you to the most relevant people to help.
You can virtually meet the team and find our contact details at the bottom of our webpage here.
Buddy Up!
The premise is really simple - send us a few details and we match you up with a new friend at UAL!
We match UAL students in pairs, based on a few preferences that you provide us with when you sign up. We'll send you both an introduction email and after that, it’s up to you! You can email, video call, swap phone numbers or meet in person… whatever works best for you both.
Buddy Up also operates our Buddy Channels. Buddy Channels are a space for UAL students from different communities and backgrounds to make friends, share events, network, and generally chat.
Essentially, it is what you make of it, whether you exchange details with other members, want to meet in person or use it as a chat room, it’s yours!
Take a look at our FAQ below for some more details and sign up when you're ready!
SU Clubs & Societies
There’s an exciting range of clubs and societies that you can join as a UAL student and it’s a great opportunity to join the UAL student community and meet new people who share your interest, sport, culture, or religion! You can find the complete list on the SU website here. We’re sure we’ve got something for everyone.
Events
Lots of things are happening at Arts SU, so have a look at all the current and upcoming events so you don’t miss out! We have loads of fun events planned for the year ahead.
Here are just a few of the Arts SU events we’re excited for:
UAL
UAL is quite a big university, across many campuses all over the city, so it can feel hard to know where to start with maximising your time or where to find things. So, let’s start with the basics:
Campus locations: As a UAL student, you will be able to access all campuses with your Student ID card. Opening times and contact details for each campus can be found here. You might need these if you want to visit a different campus, plan a journey or if you have a question for the front desk.
Library: UAL has some magnificent libraries with great workspaces, catalogues and archives and plenty of books. You can find out about your campus library and how to access the resources available here.
Printing: As an Arts student, you may find that you need to print off bits of work or research. Libraries have printing and photocopying facilities. The costs of these as well as how to top up your account to pay for printing, can be found here.
Academic support: Beyond your lectures and seminars taking place on your course, Academic Support is available to all students. They can offer in person or online support with a range of topics like research and best practice for academic writing. Access the support through Academic Support Online.
Student Services: UAL Student Services offer a wealth of advice and support to students from funding, immigration and visas to health and mental health advice, disability and dyslexia support. Refer to their webpage to find out how to get in touch with any of these services.
Careers & Employment: UAL and Arts SU have a wealth of resources to support our students in academic, employment and wellbeing. Check out the SU page here for a list of wellbeing, technical creative and business skills. And find out more on Careers and Employment support from UAL here.
Officers: Get familiar with who your college’s Sabbatical Officer is: meet them all virtually here. These are elected individuals who work with the university and Union to affect change for students. If you have an idea for a campaign or a concern at your college, you can click on the relevant officer and the mailbox icon to get in touch with them.
Course Reps: Course Reps are student volunteers who work with staff and students to improve the academic experience of everyone studying on their course.
They represent the views of their fellow students on everything from teaching quality and curriculum content to facility access and a sense of community.
In your course induction, your tutors will share how to become a Course Rep. If your course leader or tutor hasn’t shared information on becoming a Course Rep within the first two weeks of your course, reach out to them or contact the Representation & Democracy Team at coursereps@su.arts.ac.uk.
Canteens/cafes at campuses: Just in case if you’re wondering where to get a good lunch or snack, check out the list of all canteens and cafes across UAL here.