Coming from College - Newsletter One
Congratulations on your offer of a place to study at QMU.
If you are coming to QMU having completed a college course we hope you will find this page useful. Keep checking back as we will be updating it regularly with copies of our Coming from College newsletter, and as we progress through the online induction, we will upload recordings of the various academic skills or student support services presentations and accompanying seminars in the tabs below. Plus, we’ll add other useful links about things you need to know as a student at QMU for you to refer to at your leisure.
We hope you find it a useful resource and look forward to seeing you at QMU soon!
Newsletter One
In this issue:
- Your results
- What can you expect when you arrive in September 2021?
- Coming from College Induction
- Important dates
- Useful contacts & links
- Congratulations! You are holding an offer for a place at QMU.
Welcome to Issue #1 of QMU's Coming from College Newsletter.
We understand that making the journey from college to a degree course at university can be a challenge, but it's a route that thousands of students in Scotland take every year. Around 30% of students who come to QMU use college qualifications to gain entry. We also know that the better prepared you are, the easier your successful transition to university will be.
This Coming from College Newsletter is designed to let you know a little more about what studying at QMU will be like, keep you informed of events taking place to help you prepare for university and help you find answers to some of the questions you might have about coming to QMU.
Your Results
In order for us to confirm your place, it's really important that we see a copy of your results.
If you completed an HNC/HND, then we need to see the certificate. Once you have it, please email in a scanned copy, send a photocopy or take a picture and email it to admissions@qmu.ac.uk.
If you completed a SWAP Access route, we will be sent your results by SWAP so you do not need to do anything.
The sooner you do this, the sooner we can update your offer! As our Admissions Team are currently working from their homes, please do not bring any documentation to QMU.
What can you expect when you arrive in September 2021?
No doubt, you have many questions about what your university experience will look like in the next academic year. Planning is very much underway for the new year at QMU and we are working hard to ensure that your learning and teaching, and your student experience, is the best it can possibly be as we emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The easiest way to keep up-to-date with our plans is to check the COVID-19 information page on our website where you will find our weekly updates to students. Your Coming from College Newsletters will continue to give you the most up-to-date information as we get closer to the start of term.
Our planning continues to be dictated by the relaxation of restrictions as set out by the Scottish Government and based on this, it is necessary to plan for the teaching next semester to include a flexible blend of digital learning and safe on-campus provision. This will be delivered in line with our published academic calendar.
We know that everyone will be very keen to return to a normal way of living and working as soon as possible so you can make progress on your studies, and in your work and personal lives. We anticipate that we will be able to offer a fulfilling student experience from September, while ensuring that appropriate social distancing and broader health protection measures are in place.
Coming from College Induction Programme
Students coming from college usually have many questions about studying at university, such as:
- What are the main differences between college and university study?
- What is expected when you write an essay or report?
- Who can help with personal or study issues?
In order to answer these questions and give you the best start to your studies, we run a bespoke Coming from College induction programme. The programme is facilitated by staff and students. Our students are there to give you advice and support during your transition to QMU.
Like last year, we have adapted our crucial transition and support programme so that it can be completed online. We will space the activities out over a longer period so you can take your time getting to know QMU, and digest all the information gradually. Each week will be themed around a certain aspect of starting at QMU and will contain both staff-led and student-led sessions, some recorded and some live. Don't worry, if you can't attend the "live" sessions, all information will be contained on a Coming from College webpage too.
Your bespoke programme of events commences on Monday 26th July and runs until the start of term on Monday 13th September.
Each week, there will be:
- A recorded lecture delivered by key academic and support staff will be uploaded to the webpage every Monday. These will focus on the academic skills you will need to succeed at university.
- Every Tuesday at 10am there will be a live seminar to follow up on the lecture. This will replicate a university seminar (sometimes known as a tutorial), but will be run by our trained student facilitators. They will follow up on the theme or topic introduced in Monday's session, in a fun informal way, sharing their best hints and tips with you, and telling you how they not only succeed in their studies, but how they have managed the move to a more socially-distanced style of learning recently.
- For the final 4 weeks of induction, on Thursdays at 10am there will be an informal drop-in and chat session with a variety of students and the Students' Union. Come and ask them what you want to know about all the other aspects of life as a student at QMU. There's more to uni than just studying!
- Every Friday we will upload a couple of new podcasts to the Coming from College webpage. These short podcasts are recorded by our trained student facilitators and cover key aspects of being a student at QMU from both an academic and non-academic point of view.
You are strongly urged by academic members of staff to take part in this induction, as it will benefit you once teaching starts. There will be a chance to meet your Programme Leader in the final week of Induction, before teaching starts the following week.
Next Week:
| Date and Time | Session | Link to join live event | Link to access recordings |
| Monday 26th July | Recorded Session: Remote Learning Skills for Success | Coming from College Induction Webpage | |
| Tuesday 27th July at 10am | Live Seminar at 10am Remote Learning Skills for Success |
Link to join event | |
| Friday 30th July |
PALS Podcast PALS - who we are, what we do and why you need to know! Remote Learning hints and tips IT Systems at QMU |
Important Dates
- April 2021: SAAS opened for funding applications for students studying at QMU in 2021/22
- 30th June: You must have submitted your SAAS application by this date if you want your funding to be in place for the start of the academic year
- Throughout summer: send us a copy of your HN qualification as soon as you receive it
- Apply now if you would like to live on campus next year! More info on accommodation
Useful Contacts & Links
Accommodation: accommodation@qmu.ac.uk or visit our website to apply
Admissions: admissions@qmu.ac.uk
Student Services: studentservices@qmu.ac.uk
Student Funding: studentfunding@qmu.ac.uk
Disability Service: disabilityadvisers@qmu.ac.uk
Effective Learning Service: ELS@qmu.ac.uk
Academic Calendar
Student Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS)
What Next?
Keep an eye on this page for regular updates - there's a helpful page on plans for the new academic year.
Look out for Newsletter #2, coming soon!
- There will be more information on the induction schedule, starting on Monday 26th July
- Plus useful hints and tips from students who came from college in previous years
