A parent's guide to university

29 October 2021

With over 50,000 undergraduate courses in the UK at more than 395 providers, it is more important than ever for prospective students to make informed decisions about higher education.

As a parent, you are likely to be one of the most important and trusted sources of information for your child as they begin to explore their options. This guide is designed to help you think about the other key areas of university life apart from just finding the right degree course.  

Whilst going to university is primarily about getting a higher-level qualification, the university experience offers so much more than that. Your child will learn to live independently, create professional relationships, develop lifelong friendships, find or continue existing hobbies and interests and learn to be self-reliant and resourceful.

Support services

Flying the nest will be more appealing to some than others, and this is an important factor to consider for your child. Starting university will most likely be the first time your child has lived away from home. For some this will be the start of an exciting new chapter in their lives, however, for others it may be more challenging. Therefore it’s important to look at the support services that will be available while they are at university.

At the University of Warwick we have the following support services available on campus:

  • The Wellbeing Support Services Team provide a range of practical and emotional support to help students navigate the challenge and opportunities of student life.
  • The Disability Team provide tailored support and can put in place reasonable individual adjustments to ensure students can successfully complete their degree and make the most of life at Warwick.
  • The Counselling and Psychology Interventions Team provide a range of therapeutic interventions for students experiencing emotional or psychological issues.
  • The Residential Life Team consists of staff and postgraduate students who live alongside students in our campus residences providing a first point of contact for students who are struggling to adjust to living away from home.
  • Togetherall provides a safe online community for mental health support available to both students and staff to gain 24/7 access to trained professionals.

Extra-curricular opportunities

It’s important for your child to strike a healthy balance between their academic studies and social life, and extra-curricular activities provide a pivotal role in that from improving self-esteem to acquiring practical life skills. Employers also look for students who have a range of abilities, personal qualities, and experience, and extra-curricular activities are a great way to demonstrate this.

At the University of Warwick, our extra-curricular opportunities fall into three main categories:

  • Societies - Warwick Student Union has over 250 societies covering a wide range of student interests where students can meet like-minded people and discover what they are passionate about.
  • Sports clubs – with over 60 sports clubs available and a state-of-the-art Sports and Wellness Hub students can choose to play competitively, or just for fun.
  • Volunteering – volunteering opportunities allow students to boost their CV with real work/life experience whilst giving something back.

Find out about the extra-curricular activities Cassylda has been involved with during her time at WBS. 

Careers services

Whether your child knows exactly what they would like to do once they graduate, or if they are still considering their options it is important to look at the careers services that will be available to them both before, during, and after their undergraduate course.

Tailored careers services at Warwick Business School include:

  • WBS CareersPlus - a dedicated team providing specialised careers services solely for WBS students including; 1-2-1 careers coaching appointments, job application workshops, employer-led presentations and skills sessions, placement year preparation, and much more. 
  • WBS CareersPlus employer events – our CareersPlus team organise bespoke employer events with companies such as Accenture, Aldi, E.ON, EY, L’Oréal, Royal Bank of Scotland, Rolls-Royce, and Unilever providing great networking opportunities and links to top local, national and international brands.
  • WBS Alumni Careers Team – after completing an undergraduate course students will have lifelong careers and professional support with access to online careers resources, webinars, online events, and career coaching appointments.

In addition to this students also have access to the wider university careers services which include:

  • Student Opportunity Team – supporting students to engage with a rich and varied range of experience and opportunities such as large careers fairs to explore future career possibilities.

We hope this guide helps you support your child when taking their next steps into higher education.

To discover more about WBS, why not book onto one of our Open Days which are happening both online and on-campus. You can also contact our Undergraduate Recruitment Team with any questions you or your child may have to help put your mind at ease.

You can also download our Undergraduate brochure to find out more about the courses we offer at WBS.