Monday 17 August 2015

So what’s next?

Lucy
Although results has now passed (congratulations to everyone who received their results) don’t start to panic!! Clearing is still open and we do still have programmes open. So if you are looking to come to the University of Greenwich, give us a call and we will help you out with making an application. We’re now back to normal opening hours (I’m grateful for no more early mornings) 9am-5pm, Monday to Friday, and remember you can speak to us on LiveChat or by popping into our Enquiry Unit desk at the Maritime Greenwich campus.

What’s Now?

CONGRATULATIONS!! – If you have a place with us, well done! I hope that you all celebrated this massive achievement! Now you’ve got to next stage, panicking about what you need to do next.
In the next few weeks you’re going to receive a lot of information, don’t let it worry you. Most importantly make sure you’ve accepted our offer on UCAS Track, once this is done you are a confirmed student of the university.

Next you’re going to receive a welcome pack and information about registration. Registration doesn’t open until the end of August, so take your time and ensure you have everything ready. You will need to come into the university for part of your registration but for more details take a look at our website - http://www.gre.ac.uk/reg

I’ve had a lot of people asking where they can find timetables. Slow down…..they haven’t been confirmed yet. However you can guarantee that we will inform when they are available. I understand how eager you are to find out. You can also download the new Greenwich Mobile app where you'll be able to access your timetables in a phone friendly format when they have been published.

Finally

Last of all (now I’ve mentioned all the boring stuff) make the most out of your first few weeks of university. Meet as many new people as you can, join a society or get involved in events at the students union. Just have fun!!!! You’ll never get to experience your first weeks again so enjoy them and we look forward to seeing you in September.

Lucy :)

Thursday 13 August 2015

RESULTS DAY IS FINALLY HERE!

Stacey
First of all, a huge congratulations to those of you that have received their results today! It is a huge achievement. Over the last month or so it’s been the build up to Results Day and now it’s finally here! Today our lines (and chat service) have been open from 7am this morning (Yup, THAT early!) until 8pm tonight. Feel free to call us at any point today if you want to put through a clearing application!

Some useful information for you:

  • If you want to find out more information about the university, you are welcome to come to our open day on Saturday (August 15th) from 10am to 3pm for an opportunity to talk with our academics and people from departments like student finance, student union and you can talk to our disability officers as well.
  • Our open day is across all three of our campus’ (Greenwich, Avery Hill and Medway).
  • You can view further information regarding our open days here: http://www.gre.ac.uk/opendays 

And of course some tips for Clearing and getting your results in general:

  • STAY CALM and DON’T PANIC – One of our colleagues will be on hand to help you with your application.
  • You can view all of the vacancies we offer here: http://www2.gre.ac.uk/study/clearing/applying/ug
  • If you want to make an application for a course with us, you must make sure that you aren’t holding an offer with any other universities.

Alternatives:

  • If you didn’t get the course you wanted, we offer tons of other courses which may be of interest to you. Foundation courses are a great way of getting a degree if you have achieved a lower amount of UCAS points than you thought you were going to get. You can view all of our Foundation courses here: http://www2.gre.ac.uk/study/courses/fd2 

If you are looking for a reason to come to the University of Greenwich, we offer amazing opportunities for our students! If you don’t believe me, you can view the blogs which our students write: http://www.suug.co.uk/aboutus/studentblogs/ and if you want to join a sports team or a society we offer tons! Again, you can view them on our student union website. Societies: http://www.suug.co.uk/societies/ - Sports Teams: http://www.suug.co.uk/sports/

So, please DON’T STRESS! Just remember that there are thousands of students in the same position as you so there is no need to be afraid! If you want to go to The University of Greenwich you can call us on 020 8331 9000 or you can chat to us online.

Good luck with your applications and hopefully we shall see you starting here at the university in September!

Wednesday 12 August 2015

Are you ready?

Sade
Clearing is very much upon us with less than 24 hours away to A level results! For those of you that are nervous for results day I would urge you to keep calm and relax. My colleague Ann previously wrote that taking time to enjoy hobbies, socialising and enjoying the lovely UK weather we have recently been blessed with having is a good way of passing time before results day; I must say I agree with her.

Here are a few tips for to prepare you for clearing:

Do your research

If there is a course that you want to apply for, then it may be beneficial to also look for alternative courses that may also lead on to your chosen career path. Some Courses may be closed or unable to offer you a place based on your application. So it is always a good idea to be aware of other courses that may be of interest to you.
You can check clearing course place via http://clearing.telegraph.co.uk/
Or the universities clearing website http://www2.gre.ac.uk/study/clearing.

Keep calm and remain focused

There will be those of you that are elated, happy, and ecstatic that you have achieved great results. However, there will also be those of you whom are disappointed, sad and tearful that have not done as well as anticipated. We all know emotions will be running high on results day. We have all been there: receiving bad news throwing ourselves into bed promising to never leave our rooms again as the world has ended!

  • Please note that there are chat and phone staff that are all current university of Greenwich students, that can relate to the frustration and upset that can be caused by results day.
  • Remember it is ok to be upset, cry but don’t be discouraged. Gather yourself and call us, we are happy to help.

Be prepared

Be ready with your UCAS ID number and be ready to confirm personal details. It is ok for parents to be there for moral support, whilst you are on the phone with us.  However, we are unable to give out details on applications to friends, parents, uncles, siblings etc. unless they are the nominated person listed on your UCAS application, we may ask to speak with you to confirm that this is ok.

Documentation

Once you have made a clearing application be mindful that we may send you a transcript request via email. Here we will ask you to submit certificates or/and transcripts papers to support your application. Please pay close attention to what is requested and which email to send your transcripts to. Mistakes may prolong the application process.

I would like to congratulate you on making it this far; well done the best is yet to come! :)

Sade.xx

Tuesday 11 August 2015

Packing

Carney
So, you’re coming to university. Great! But you’re worried about what to bring with you? Well, here are a few general tips and hints:

  • Aim to travel light. You're moving into a small room with very limited cupboard space - and you'll be moving out again in June. One large suitcase of clothes, a couple of boxes of other stuff and a bin liner of bedding is about the right level.
  • Don't splash out on expensive stuff. You'll find perfectly decent duvet covers, kettles and stationery at the likes of Ikea, Argos and the big supermarkets. Most stuff won't survive your first year so there's no point spending tons of cash on it.
  • Before you go out and buy anything, make sure you've checked what the uni will be providing. You don't want to turn up with a lot of stuff that's already been laid on.

You can see a full and extensive list of what to bring with you to university here on save the student: http://www.savethestudent.org/accommodation/what-to-take-to-university.html

But if you’re staying at home, then your life is somewhat easier! You don’t need to go out and buy a ridiculous amount of stuff to personalise your new flat. But then, you do have to consider expenses. Expenses such as travelling to and from university, bills and other expenses that might occur when living at home. You also have to be more willing to try and put yourself out there when living at home. You have to be careful not to become too complacent as you may miss out a lot!

Either way, regardless of whether you are living in halls or at home, stay calm, write up a list of everything you need to do and buy, that way you will be properly prepared for this new adventure in your life.

If you have any other questions or need help with anything at all, you can give us a call on 020 8331 9000 or use the Live Chat service on our website. Both services are staffed and operated by current students, who will be able to empathise with what you’re going through and help the best they can.

Good luck with your applications.

Carney

Monday 10 August 2015

Distraction Technique

Ann
For many applicants to university, you will be waiting for results or a decision on your application. I thought that I would write a diary entry about things you can do to pass the time while you wait. 

I started by doing a survey about hobbies within the Clearing team. This revealed that we all have a really wide range of diverse interests, which was no surprise really. Our hobbies range from cricket to crochet, gardening to gaming and Pom dancing to paintball. 

Obviously, hobbies are a great way to pass time and have fun doing something that you love. They can also be a good way to make new friends when you first arrive at Uni. We have many clubs and societies across all three of our campuses. During your induction week, groups at our Freshers' Fair will be enthusiastically signing people up to join sports teams, interest groups and societies. 

The current categories for societies are:
Academic, Activities and Games, Campaigning Awareness & Support, Cultural, Religious & Beliefs and Music, Performance & Media

Information about all the societies and sports teams we run can be found at suug.co.uk/activities/ and gkunions.co.uk/activities/.

Alternatively, you can start your very own society. The first step is to find five other students that have the same interest, and follow the instructions on the Student Union website here suug.co.uk/activities/new/ and gkunions.co.uk/activities/execresources/.

So while you are waiting for those all-important results, why not pass the time by relaxing with your favourite hobby? If you find yourself with time on your hands, why not try practising cooking some meals before you come to Uni? I’ve included a recipe below from the BBC Good Food website for you to make your own Pot Noodle. It’s very easy and much tastier than any supermarket version.
 
The recipe is for Smoky Bacon Pot Noodle, but I have cooked this as a vegetarian meal, and substituted Quorn pieces for bacon. You can use any vegetables you have in the fridge if you don’t have the exact ingredients. 

You can find the recipe here: bit.ly/1lmT22Q

We would love to see photos of your prepared meals, so why not post them on our Twitter page using #UoGuniprep? We're @uniofgreenwich and you can find us here: twitter.com/uniofgreenwich

Bye for now and good luck with your results! 

Ann

Wednesday 5 August 2015

Accommodation - You can still apply!

Melissa
After all the initial excitement of applying and accepting your place at the University of Greenwich, you may also need to apply for accommodation.

At Greenwich, we have three campuses; Greenwich, Avery Hill and Medway, with accommodation at all 3.  There is also a great inter-campus bus service, which runs regularly, so you don’t need to worry if you are offered accommodation at a different campus – I lived at Avery Hill and studied at the Greenwich campus for the duration of my course.

There are many room types available including en-suite and shared facility rooms, as well as disabled access and studio apartments.

Although the initial deadline for accommodation applications has passed, if you accept a place through Clearing, you will still be able to make an application for accommodation, but it is recommended that you do this as soon as you have received your login details for our student portal (portal.gre.ac.uk).

Accommodation is not assigned on a first come, first served basis, but is subject to availability. The accommodation office will do all they can to provide you with a room in halls, or university approved accommodation, although they cannot guarantee you will get your first choice of campus, halls or room type.

For more information on each of the campuses, including a price list, facilities and more photos of the different room types, you can check out our clearing guide to accommodation here:

Good luck with your clearing applications and enjoy your experience at the University of Greenwich!
Lots of love,

Melissa

Xoxo
Left to right: an en-suite room at Cutty Sark halls, Avery Hill student village, and an en-suite bathroom at Avery Hill