Resources for students

Chat to our students 

Speak to current students and staff at the University of Essex to find out more about a course you're interested in, accommodation, university applications, student life and more. 

Blogs/Vlogs

Lockdown Logic is a our series of educational and informative blogs and vlogs. Written by current University of Essex students, they provide a unique opportunity to explore what our students wish they had been told before coming to University.

• Beating writer's block, by Lewis (.pdf)
• Looking after yourself, by Sabina (.pdf)
• Navigating your first year, by Ece (.pdf)
• Self-motivation, by Yoana (.pdf)
• Managing money, by Lizeta (.pdf)

Our popular podcast helps Year 12 and 13 students, and their parents, guardians, carers and teachers, understand all of the ins and outs of University.

Alongside special guests, including parents of students at college/sixth form and current University of Essex students and staff, we discuss a range of topics including:

• how to cope with stressful and challenging situations
• the benefits of going to University
• student support
• student life
• how to decide on a course
• student finance
• how university really is affordable

Understanding University: The Ultimate Uni Podcast is available on Spotify, Apple and Google. Whether you're out and about, or have 30 minutes to relax with a hot drink, tune in and discover the answers to all your questions about university.

To make sure you never miss out on an episode, sign up via the online form to receive updates and audio links directly to your inbox.

Downloadable guides

Need help deciding what to do in the future? Our downloadable guides will help inform your next steps and prepare you for life after school or college.

• Higher Education guidance (.pdf) - Everything you need to know about higher education.
• Essex prospectus - Find out what it's like to live and learn at Essex. Download or order a printed copy.

External resources

• Prospects offer an online quiz to match your skills, motivations and desires to find a pathway that suits you.
• Student Mind's 'Know Before You Go' (.pdf) - helping you to prepare for university life. 

Downloadable guides

These resources provide information about the university application process, such as personal statements and student finance which will guide you through the process.

• Decision making guide (.pdf) - Guidance on deciding which university to attend.
• Personal statement writing guidance - It can be difficult know where to start when it comes to writing a personal statement. Check out our top tips to help you create something that will stand out from the crowd.
• Guide to University study in the UK (.pdf) - Find out more about university and higher education in the UK.

These innovative workshops - which you can complete on your own - will improve your study skills through a variety of techniques and theories, including Metacognition, Life Design and Growth Mind-set.

Watch the video and use the accompanying workbook to complete the tasks and activities. 

If you think these workshops would be useful for your classmates, we also offer teacher-led versions which can be completed in your school or college. 

Metacognition workshop

Learning about Metacognition will help to develop your independent learning skills.

This workshop encourages you to think about the way you learn and assess your strategies. With interactive activities and a murder case that needs help solving, this resource will provide you with skills to learn independently whilst staying motivated. 

Accompanying workbooks:

• Pre-16 Student-led workbook (.pdf)
• Pre-16 Student-led workbook (.docx)
• Post-16 Student-led workbook (.pdf)
• Post-16 Student-led workbook (.docx)

Life Design workshop

This workshop will teach you about the process of Life Design and the theory behind it.

Through a series of activities, you'll identify your key wants and needs in life and develop strategies to reach them. What's more, you can apply this way of thinking to solve problems that don't have an obvious solution. 

Accompanying workbooks:

• Pre-16 Student-led workbook (.pdf)
• Pre-16 Student-led workbook (.docx)
• Post-16 Student-led workbook (.pdf)
• Post-16 Student-led workbook (.docx)

Growth Mindset workshop

What is a growth mindset? And how does it differ from a fixed mindset?

This workshop will help you to understand what a growth mindset is, whilst identifying and exploring the benefits. Above all, you'll learn how shifting your mindset could open up doors you never knew were there.

Accompanying workbooks:

• Pre-16 Student-led workbook (.pdf)
• Pre-16 Student led workbook (.docx)
• Post-16 Student-led workbook (.pdf)
• Post-16 Student-led workbook (.docx)

Independent study and self-motivation 

Do you struggle to stay motivated with your studies?

Matteo, Senior Student Ambassador and Outreach Mentor, shares some of his top tips to stay focused. 

Managing your emails 

As schools, colleges, universities and most jobs rely increasingly on the internet, it's important to know how to manage your emails effectively.

This resource covers a wide range of skills from composing a professional and formal email to discovering time-saving tips and tricks to help you organise your emails and work more efficiently.

The Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) is a valuable qualification for students to undertake in preparation for study at university. The following resources are designed to introduce you to the key skills needed for writing your first research project.

You'll find a variety of downloadable guides to support your writing below. If you think you'd benefit from an EPQ support session, please ask your teacher to get in contact with outreach@essex.ac.uk or make an enquiry via our talks, visits and tasters page.

• How to write a research project (.pdf) - A guide to some of the most important aspects of research projects.
• How to improve your academic writing (.pdf) - Tips for academic writing success.
• Plagiarism and how to avoid it (.pdf) - Guidance on authorship and plagiarism.

Develop a variety of skills including note-taking, developing a research question and more by using the following videos and accompanying workbooks. Develop these skills to support your learning now and as you progress through higher education. 

Research skills

• Student workbook (.docx)

Referencing

• Student workbook (.docx)

Discovering a research question

• Student workbook (.docx)

Academic writing

• Student workbook (.docx)

Skimming, scanning and note-taking

• Student workbook (.docx)

Independent study

• Student workbook (.docx)

Mental health and well-being support at the University of Essex, Emma Burgess

This useful video covers the support available at the University of Essex for students experiencing mental health challenges.

UCAS administers all of the applications to higher education courses in the UK.

The UCAS website offers guidance and advice on higher education courses for students, careers advisers, parents and carers. Use the course search to browse and filter courses at universities across the country.

• Visit the University of Essex pages to find out all about Essex fees and the funding options available to you.
• Gov.uk gives detailed information about all aspects of student finance and is also the site through which finance applications are made. The finance calculator tool is also really helpful for getting an idea of how much money you might be entitled to for living costs whilst at university
• Money Saving Expert has a whole section on the student finance system from the perspective of an independent financial adviser.
• The Student Loan Repayment website explains how students' loans are repaid after university
• Students thinking of studying an NHS funded or social work course will also need to look at the NHS website.

• DiscoverUni is a detailed website that allows students to search and compare universities and their courses across the UK.
• The Complete University Guide collates a range of different league tables and allows comparison of universities based on a number of factors.

• Opendays.com lets you know when universities across the country are having open events, helping you find the right place to study.

• Uni taster days is a one-stop source of university and higher education taster events, workshops and open days for students, as well as teachers and careers advisers.

• Prospects offers excellent graduate job and careers advice. University can dramatically improve your career prospects by increasing your average salary and offering you more choice and variety of jobs.

Seven higher education institutions have developed exciting short online courses suitable for college students, teachers and advisers. The free AccessHE online courses range from specific subject introductions to understanding how the university application cycle works.