In school, most students believe that achieving good grades and having a circle of friends is a sign of ‘doing well’. But as teenagers make the transition to university life, they have to face a wider range of circumstances that can be unsettling and lead to them feeling unsure of themselves.
From adjusting to living away from home and the responsibilities of living independently, to the big decisions about careers and life goals; in many cases students feel lost as they cope with these new challenges.
However, these challenges can be managed if there is greater awareness about support resources available on campus and a deeper understanding about the elements of a fulfilling student experience. To highlight this often overlooked area of campus life, a special session was organised to explore the elements of Student Wellbeing.
Speaking at the event, Interim Dean of Students and Chair of the Department of Psychiatry Dr Ayesha Mian highlighted a flawed view that university students were ‘doing well’ if they were just getting good grades.
“There is a tendency to emphasise the link between academic performance and student wellbeing and to view other important activities such as sport, participation in student societies and the pursuit of hobbies as being ‘distractions’. Research shows that these co-curricular activities are integral to a wholesome student experience. In fact, students do better academically if systems to support their wellbeing and their skill development are in place.
“Today’s students crave diversity and have a greater need to feel connected to their peers. Everyone needs to listen when students speak about their expectations and pressures as that enables us to create an environment where they can realise their full potential,” Dr Ayesha added.
Dr Ayesha also encouraged faculty to appreciate that students of the different programmes at AKU had different needs. She mentioned that many postgraduate and doctoral candidates had young families and so steps to enhance their experience would need to revolve around work-life balance and incorporating flexibility in the teaching schedule.
Others speakers at the event spoke about how campus activities such as the Dean’s Trophy, the Work Study programme, the availability of counsellors and psychiatrists for students, as well as student groups such as Synergy, a peer-mentoring group, were creating a supportive environment for all.
Hamza Sohail, MBBS '17 and convener of the Synergy society at AKU, spoke about how students, who were used to topping their classes at school, become anxious if they didn’t excel in their initial assessments at University. He added that students from all years also regularly needed counselling or support in case of financial or personal problems.
Hamza Sohail said: “University is an exciting phase of life that happens to be full of uncertainty. Students are often hesitant to speak to staff about their concerns and so Synergy brings together students from all years to support one another. Who can understand the pressures that younger students face better than their peers who recently went through the same experience?
“By pairing up students with mentors and tutors we aim to assist those who are adjusting with the different academic environment at university. Moreover, by organising social events and icebreaking sessions for everyone we also aim to strengthen bonds between students,” he added.
The event was jointly organised by the Department for Educational Development and the Department of Continuing Professional Education.