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Things to know this week - 16 January 2023

Posted on 16 January 2023

Welcome to your undergraduate student news summary of key things happening this week.

UoY community update

Graduation and new Chancellor Inauguration
This is an exciting week for the University. We’re welcoming back graduating students for ceremonies taking place between Wednesday 18 and Saturday 21 January. You may notice some changes to catering on campus during this time and Car Park South and Car Park West will both be closed. Please use other means of transport or other campus car parks, and avoid parking in local residential areas.

We welcome new Chancellor, Dr Heather Melville OBE, for her inauguration ceremony on Wednesday 18 January. Students are welcome to attend - reserve your place at our Inauguration Day.

1. Don’t let Blue Monday get you down

This time of year can be difficult at the best of times. The NHS estimates that the winter blues, or seasonal affective disorder (SAD), affects around two million people in the UK - so you’re not alone if you’re feeling down at the moment. Read our five tips for beating winter depression.

2. Kickstart Spring Term

There’s lots going on to help motivate yourself and develop your academic skills this term. We are running a series of workshops on academic writing - what it is and how to do it, how to take notes, and how to structure essays - as well as general sessions on communication and having confidence to speak up. Kickstart your term by taking a look at forthcoming Academic Skills Community workshops.

3. Support with accommodation

Last week the campus accommodation booking system opened for current students and saw unprecedented demand for the service. Unfortunately, due to this demand the system had to be closed quite quickly to any further bookings. Students who had either applied before the system closed, or who had reserved a room but not yet checked out their request, will be notified if they have a room today (Monday 16 January).   

For students worried about the cost of living off campus next year, we are looking to enhance the student financial support we have in place for September 2023. Full details are being finalised and we will share this as soon as we can. 

In the meantime, the Student Hub and the colleges are holding a series of events this week to help you with private sector accommodation. If you have questions about house hunting, contracts, disputes or anything else housing-related, then come to our drop-in housing events with our Student Housing Adviser. The colleges are also organising ‘find a housemate’ events. Find out more about our housing advice drop-in events.

4. York Award and scholarships

Now is a great time to carry out activities to develop your career plans: 

  • First years: look out for current scholarship opportunities, including Laidlaw Scholarship funding to undertake a research project and the Santander Universities Scholars Programme providing £30,000 funding to students most likely to face challenges when attending university. Deadlines for both are very soon.
  • Middle and final years: Apply for the York Award, a formal award of the University that recognises your personal and professional development and demonstrates to employers that you have taken a proactive approach to life at university.

5. What will you do this summer?

Get forward planning for 2023 and register for the Summer Opportunities Fair on Wednesday 25 January. Find out more about Summer Schools, International Study Centres and travel awards as well as work experience, internship and volunteering opportunities abroad. Where will you go?

Offers, competitions and paid opportunities

Log on to Handshake, our careers platform, for jobs and opportunities.

Student news

Things to know this week is produced and distributed by the University's Internal Communications Team. Please email any feedback to university-internal-comms@york.ac.uk.