University is different for us distance-learning students out there. Sometimes you can be grateful for the opportunity or the blessing of avoiding London rent prices, other times you can feel lonely and like you aren’t getting the university experience. So here are my seven top tips for smashing your course and getting the most out of your time at UCL.
If you’re in the UK, get your SCONUL access
SCONUL allows students to access different academic libraries all over the UK. It is the perfect way to overcome the barriers not being able to get to UCL libraries can bring. It can feel like a bit of an identity crisis - when you are snuggled up in University of Warwick’s libraries stressing over your UCL essay - but with a whole new arena of books and coffee shops to explore, it’s a win-win!
Note: For the majority of the year, UCL SCONUL is for PhD and MPhil students, as well as IOE Masters Students. Over the summer, there is greater access. For information on libraries, you can access for free, look here, or contact your local university library for access options.
Make friends with others in the same situation
Making a Skype/Zoom/Teams group with other people doing online modules is the perfect way to start to forge friendships and partnerships, often an easy side effect of face-to-face courses. Remember to ask about people’s lives outside of university too!
Draw on your out of university life
Not living in the university bubble can bring unique benefits to your work. Try to bring in elements of your life to your assignments – it will help score the creativity marks and make your life feel more integrated.
Don’t forget to have some downtime
University courses can end up as a type of hobby when you aren’t in the bubble, but you need time to relax too! This might include emailing the President of a society to see if you can get involved from a distance or spending times with your friends and family at home, or trying out a hobby in your home town. Just find some time to rest amongst the madness.
Be honest with your home friends and block off time for your course
When you aren’t in the university bubble, it can be difficult to get those closest to you to understand the pressure of deadlines. My top tip is to be honest with your friends, and yourself! Getting behind on your course will not help, so block off time every week for your course, be willing to cancel plans and when it is near assignment time keep life simple. Your family and friends will understand, and be proud of you working for a new qualification! You can always celebrate with them after the deadline.
Remember UCL offers far more than just your course
If you are a commutable distance from London, why not pop down for a talk once a term or watch some of the speakers online. Many departments run talks alongside your course so keep checking your emails, and check out all of the UCL Minds events here.
Top tip – if you wanted to ask the speaker a specific question, you can always contact the organiser beforehand and ask them to ask the question for you! If you want to get involved in organising the talks or more generally involved in the society, why not pop the President an email to see if you can get involved from a distance, or ask the organisers if you can help out on the night. UCL is for everyone, including you!
Be honest with your tutors
Tutors often recognise the extra pressures distance learning can bring, and often are able to relate. They might have studied while working, or be balancing family and professional life. Subsequently, they are often willing to offer extra support, or just be more flexible on tutorial arrangements for you. So be honest and say what is best for you, they might be able to compromise. Whether that is online tutorials, email feedback, or making a tutorial fit in with off-peak trains, they can’t help if they don’t know.
While your personal and academic tutors are your main port of call as a distance learning student – all university support services are open to you too, so do get in contact by email or organise a Teams session if you feel like you need support. Examples include your Union academic reps or sabbatical officers, Student Wellbeing Services, the Disability Support Centre and for IOE students – their own Disability Support Centre and the Academic Writing Service – who organise specific sessions for distance learning students too.
Good luck with your studies!
Written by Eleanor Booth, Department of Education, Practise and Society