Freshers to get help to cope with pressures of university

FIRST-YEAR students are to be offered training to overcome the “overwhelming” pressures of starting university, the Government has announced.

Freshers will be told how to deal with social media and the stress of “perfectionism”, under plans developed by a task force on mental health.

They will also learn about how to manage finances, how to have realistic expectations of student life and how to make friends.

Damian Hinds, the Education Secretary, said moving away from home to start university could be “daunting”.

“Juggling challenges like independent studying or managing finances can be hard enough, but with the added element of being in a new place, surrounded by new people, it can for some be overwhelming,” he said.

“We need to make sure students have the support they need to thrive at university and help these really be the best days of their life.

“Our universities are world-leading in so many areas and I want them to be the best for mental health support too.”

The task force, called the Education Transitions Network, will include representatives of Universities UK, Ucas and the National Union of Students. It is part of a drive by the Department for Education to address the rise in the number of students who report mental health issues. Data released earlier this month showed that the number of students declaring mental health problems had surged.

Figures obtained via Freedom of Information requests showed a 73 per

‘We need to make sure students have the support they need to help these really be the best days of their life’

cent rise between 2014-15 and 2017-18 in the number of students stating that they had a condition such as depression or anxiety before starting courses.

Meanwhile, a survey of 37,654 students by The Insight Network, a private healthcare provider, suggested 44.7 per cent used alcohol and recreational drugs to cope with problems.

Last night, Bristol University confirmed that one of its students had died, becoming the university’s 13th student death in the past three academic years. Police said the death was not suspicious.

A spokesman for the university said: “We are offering support to his family, and we ask that their privacy is respected at this very difficult time.”