Moving the dial - prioritising student wellbeing as a new academic year begins

Over the next few weeks, a new generation of students step foot onto university campuses across the country, ready for their next chapter as undergraduates. Excited, yet nervous in anticipation of what this new chapter will bring, the 'fresher' has many different faces.

In the traditional sense, first-year students are fresh out of school, moving away from home for the first time, or an international student moving to the UK and embracing a different culture. Many are mature students with caring responsibilities having to now juggle school runs for the kids while attending classes. Every experience of starting university is unique, but regardless of background and experience, most new students will be sharing a feeling of eager anticipation and nervousness at how they will cope with the transition to university.

At Solent, many students tell us that they are nervous about making friends and finding a part-time job to support funding their studies in the current cost-of-living crisis. We also know that, in the 2022 Student Minds survey, 57% of respondents declared a self-reported mental health issue while 27% reported a diagnosed, current mental health issue. The most common causes of stress cited were performing well in studies, managing money and juggling part-time work and studies. These are real issues that incoming and existing students are facing, at every institution throughout the country, and it's our duty to address these challenges so that each student, whatever their circumstance, can thrive during their studies.

We know that more students than ever come to university having already accessed NHS services during school. Of children aged 11 to 16, 23.3% reported having accessed support at school for mental health and wellbeing (NHS survey, 2023). The share of young full-time students with a common mental health disorder has increased at a far faster rate than that of working or out-of-work young people (up to 37%, compared to 15% and 23% respectively - Resolution Foundation, 2024). This trend has been exacerbated by the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic; an entire generation of students became used to learning from home, resulting in increased social anxiety. Those students now have to get used to in-person lectures and assessments again.

So, what can we do to support our new students in this context to have a successful start to university? Any change can be unsettling, but it is about how students develop the confidence and self-efficacy to manage that change. If we want to move the dial we need a change in mindset about support - for students, for staff and for institutions.

At Solent, we start start by re-framing the way we position support for students. Instead of being a lifeline in a crisis, we emphasise gathering what you need to be a success. We wouldn't expect an elite athlete to manage without a coach, nutritionist or psychologist. The same principle applies to students. In this way it becomes a positive resource for a student to build around themself, not a last resort that they reach for when there is nowhere else to turn.

It's also about broadening the definition of what it means to get support, considering the informal as well as the formal. This re-framing of the conversation creates a sense of self-efficacy that empowers students to inform what their own support looks like. Students are more likely to ask for help and support when they have this autonomy.

At Solent University, we have been working with Grit for three years to start re-framing these conversations about help and support with students and staff. In November, we will be running our 'Make Waves, Your Success' programme with Grit, a two-day leadership programme specifically supporting students of colour in developing confidence, self-efficacy, and a sense of belonging.

We are also enhancing our proactive support model; our Mental Health and Wellbeing team now deliver a series of workshops throughout term for students at all levels, focused on building resilience and accessing support throughout their studies.

Along with delivering traditional blocks of counselling, we have moved to include a Single Session Therapy model to ensure we provide students with timely and relevant support. This enables us to see students within five working days of making the initial contact and means we don't have to operate a waiting list anymore. As part of this approach, our counsellors work closely with Mental Health Advisors to enable effective triaging and ensure support is tailored to student needs.

All of this starts from day one of Welcome Week to ensure our new students can overcome the challenges and nervousness they may be experiencing; help them make connections with peers and course teams; and build a sense of belonging to the university community so they know that whatever they have to navigate over the course of their degree, they are not alone in experiencing it and the right support is always available.