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Getting Ready to Study

You’ll receive lots of important info about becoming a student at Warwick but here are some pointers to help you get going in the Centre for Lifelong Learning.

After your application

Read the Student Funding and Finance pages

The Student Funding pages have lots of helpful information on how you can support your studies financially, including bursaries, hardship funds, and scholarships, along with highlighting potential discounts you may be entitled to, such as council tax, and how to manage your money.

Student Finance pages show you how and when to pay your tuition fees along with paying out any maintenance loans/grants you may be entitled to.

Read the Centre for Lifelong Learning (CLL) blogs

Get to know some of our current students through our blogs. Find out what challenges they faced when they joined Warwick and how they overcame them, as well as getting hints and tips for making the most of your time here.

Plan where you are going to study

It’s important you have a space – whether it is at home, in a coffee shop, at the University, or wherever you feel comfortable – that you can go to and study. Spend some time thinking about how you study best. Do you like complete silence or prefer a bit of bustle? Will you need access to a computer and the internet? Check out Maura’s blog, a current CLL student, for some useful hints and tips.

Join the CLL Students' Facebook group

If you would like to chat to some current CLL students and get to know some of your new course mates join the Centre for Lifelong Learning Student Facebook group. As well as chatting with your new peers you can also find out more about what is going on in the Centre and the University.

Month before your first term

Visit campus and explore the surrounding areas

You can use the interactive campus map to help guide you around the University. Use this time to have a think about how you’re going to get to the University – if you are going to drive make sure you are aware of the car parking charges, if you’re using public transport find the bus stops and work out how far they are from your classes.

The University is situated next to Canon Park where there’s a number of shops and cafes you can easily access during the day.

Plan your time

How is studying going to fit in with your lifestyle? Use this timetable to think how you currently use your time and where you will build study time into your week. Think about what commitments you cannot change, how long things such as travelling to class will take, and where you could use your time more efficiently.

Remember alongside your classes you will need to do a number of hours of self-guided study so don’t forget to factor this in.

Visit the library website
Academic Libraries are much larger than public or school libraries, so you’ll need to use the search function to find out where your books are shelved. You may even find that some of your material is available as an eBook or online journal.At University of Warwick Library as well as access to material, you also have an Academic Librarian to help support your study, a variety of study spaces, and the Study Happy team who run workshops and relaxation sessions to help you get the most out of your time at Warwick.
Investigate the University and Centre student support services

Elaine Moore is the Welfare Rep for the Centre for Lifelong Learning. You can book appointments with her to discuss personal and academic issues, she is able to provide guidance as well as signpost you to other areas of support.

The University has a wealth of support services to help you manage your wellbeing whilst you are with us. This includes practical support with finances and accommodation, emotional support, including counselling services, and guidance of how to stay safe.

As a student at Warwick you are automatically a member of the Students’ Union, which includes access to the Students’ Union Advice Centre, who can provide you with a range of impartial support for academic, personal, and emotional issues.

Start reading

If you know what modules you'll be taking, start reading around those subjects - it doesn't need to be academic texts but look out for relevant news items or articles.

You may be able to access your reading lists. Before you buy any text books check out what is available in the library and chat with current students on Facebook in case they have any they are selling second hand.

Your first term

Get in contact with your personal tutor

Every CLL student has a personal tutor who we encourage you to contact at least once a term. Your personal tutor is an academic member of staff who can give you support and guidance is your academic development and personal wellbeing.

Explore Moodle

Moodle is the University’s online learning environment where you will be able to access a lot of your course resources, included information about your seminars and lectures, key readings for classes, and information about assessments.

You should have been sent links to your course Moodle pages and the CLL Academic Induction course, and you can join the Student Support Moodle to get up to date information on IT, careers, study skills, and wellbeing.

Alongside CLL resources, you will also find many other modules you can access that will complement and enhance your learning including referencing, plagiarism, and academic writing.

Go to the library

Once you have been issued with your student card you will be able to access the library building. In order to make the best use of the library it is helpful to take a tour of the building. During the October induction period, tours run throughout the day, however, if you cannot get to one of these tours you can do a self-guided tour at any time.

When you have your University login details (U1XXXXXX + password) you can get started with using the online resources and access your library account.

Research study skills support that’s available in the Centre

Along with talking with your personal tutor and course tutors about study skills support that may be useful to you, you can also investigate the online resources that the Centre offers.

On the Student Support Moodle you will find a section on study skills including access to a package of specially toolkit covering academic writing, academic reading, critical thinking, language and listening skills.

Alongside this you can meet with Elaine, our Welfare rep, or Anil Awesti, the Senior Tutor, who can provide you with study skills training.

Visit the careers pages and find out who the CLL careers rep is

It’s never too early to start thinking about how you might use your degree to build your career. The Student Careers centre offers one to one appointments, advice on improving your CV, work experience, and volunteering opportunities.

They also promote part time and vacation work opportunities to help you build skills whilst earning.

Find out who the Digital Skills Mentors are and how they can help you

If you need help with any aspect of using technology including basic computer skills, searching for information, producing a presentation or using word processing software etc. then help is only a click away. We have a small number of part-time Student Digital Skills Mentors who are available to help. These mentors are based both on the University campus and in colleges. You can find more information and how to book an appointment on our Student Support Moodle.