An open letter from me to you, from someone who was in your shoes this time last year.

Dear Fresher,

You’ll probably be reading this nervous, excited and a little overwhelmed with the sheer quantity of opportunities and services that the University has to offer you.  Don’t panic – it’s totally normal to feel a little stunned, I was in the same boat last year!

But fear not – I am here to guide you through the choppy waters through the vessel of Partners in Learning! Hopefully you’ll reach dry land with a new sense of empowerment and understanding.

Partners in Learning is an initiative where working in partnership with staff is at the heart of what we do, inspiring students to generate amazing ideas that can truly make a difference.

It’s all about building a community where we can celebrate and share our achievements; hopefully building friendships along the way. Through my involvement on a project this past year, I’ve made some great friends who I perhaps would have never met otherwise, but will undoubtedly remain in contact with long after the project has ended; including a student from Broadstairs, an international student and a mature student.

Through Partners in Learning you can suggest your very own project, you can be part of something already existing or you can purely offer your student expertise on opinion panels and focus groups with staff. You may even go on to lead projects within your school or faculty.  Your level of involvement is totally down to you…whether you’ve got a couple of hours spare a week, or 30 mins free scattered through the year, we’ll try our best to find something that suits you.

When I decided to do my degree, one of the main thoughts going through my head was “Will this make me any more attractive to employers?” – which I think is a fairly common worry amongst students before and during University!! But if I could give you one tip, from my experience, it would be to get involved with something outside of your programme of study (Partners in Learning perhaps *cough*) –it is often said that employers love to see that little something extra. It demonstrates that you are proactive and able to juggle different commitments. Involvement with Partners in Learning in particular would demonstrate an ability to achieve a set objective, to work in a team and a drive to develop yourself and what’s around you. Basically, it will make your CV look really fancy.

That is all for now. Now you’ve dipped your feet into Partners in Learning, feel free to nosedive straight in and contact us at partnersinlearning@canterbury.ac.uk , to express an interest. Or perhaps you’d like to paddle around a little more by exploring the rest of our blogs here.

All the best, hopefully see you in Sept,

Georgia (Horsley)