Category: Student Life

The second year dip?

The second year dip – it seems to be a well-known phenomenon at Imperial. The excitement of arriving at university has worn off but the end is not yet in sight. Mid-way through their degree program, many students seem to find the 2nd year of study a bit of a slog.

No doubt opinions on the matter will vary. And it is certainly true that the Biochemists and Biologists have rather different curricula in the 2nd year – the biologists, for example, have more choices.

But the dip is by no means confined to Imperial, as this interesting article in the Guardian makes plain.

Welcome to a new academic year

Welcome and welcome back to all our students!

I hope you had a restful/enjoyable/stimulating/remunerative/challenging* summer and are now looking forward to the academic year. For those of you who are having their first taste of university, it can all be rather daunting. So many new people and places and expectations to cope with. I hope the older hands will make themselves available to first years to pass on a few words of wisdom or reassurance about life at university.

It is very important to try to make the most of your time at university — I recommend that you work hard and play hard.

Welcome and Welcome Back

Welcome to all the first year students arriving for their first taste of life at university. We hope that you are about to embark on some of the best years of your life. There is plenty of hard work ahead but also a great opportunity to grow, both in terms of scientific understanding and personal development.

Welcome also to all our returning students — we hope you enjoyed and profited from the long summer break and are looking forward to getting back into the swing of life on campus.

Students celebrating the results of their finals in July 2012

First years are perhaps most likely to be regarding the year ahead a little apprehensively, but please don’t worry.

The controversial importance of failure

There is a very interesting article in the Times Higher Education magazine today on the knotty subject of failure — something that anyone who wishes to succeed will inevitably encounter.

To quote just one small snippet:

“It’s entirely understandable; parents want their children to succeed. Unfortunately, they may be ensuring just the opposite. As Tough notes, protecting students from experiencing failure also prevents them from gaining the self-confidence that comes from overcoming it. There are no safe routes to success. If we want to prepare our students for life’s inevitable slings and arrows, then, for their own sake, we must let them fail.”

Guest post: It’s Welfare Week!

Guest post from Roddy Pracana:

Hi everyone! I’m Roddy, and I’m the Biosoc’s Welfare officer. I’m writing this because it’s RCSU Welfare Week!

As you know from the email sent by the RCSU’s president Luke (if you bothered to read it), this week is packed full of exciting events! I would definitely not miss Wednesday’s cycling tour at lunchtime and Ice skating at the Natural History Museum in the evening (for £6 only!). If you are looking for more a more relaxing activity, there will be a free Yoga taster class on Thursday.

On a more serious note, it’s important everyone is aware of the welfare services provided by Imperial.