Supporting you

Many students may find themselves feeling a bit anxious during their first weeks at Oxford Brookes. Whether or not you're moving away from home for the first time, simply starting something new can be scary. That’s why we make sure we have plenty of support in place - from helping you access your induction events to arranging appointments with our specialist services.

If you would like to talk to someone before you start at Oxford Brookes, you can contact us at induction@brookes.ac.uk. There are also really useful resources for starting university on the Student Minds website.

Once you are here, there are various teams offering you support to settle in. From a casual chat with a hall warden to appointments with University support services, we are happy to guide you to someone to talk to.

Everyone is looking to make friends at university - you won’t be the only person concerned about this! If you’re shy or feeling nervous, remember that most people will be friendly and you may just need to push yourself a little at the start.

Here are our top tips for meeting new people:

• Join the Facebook group for your hall of residence
• When you move in, knock on your neighbour’s door and introduce yourself
• Join a new society or two with the Brookes Union
• Join a TEAMBrookes Sports Club - most clubs are inclusive, regardless of ability
• Say yes to an invitation to try something new
• Ask a student rep or warden in your hall what worked well for them
• Take a look at our events calendar and find an event to join
• Join a event run by the International Students Advice Team (ISAT)

Remember that it takes time; most people don’t meet their best friends on the first day. For the first few weeks, just keep an open mind and make sure to give yourself plenty of opportunities to talk to someone new.

Loneliness is not something that students generally like to talk about but it is surprisingly common. 

It can be easy to spend most of your time in your room, but we encourage you to both make connections with new people and keep good connections you may already have with friends and family at home.

Why not:

• Invite a flatmate to socialise, even in a small way like having a drink together?
• Get to know your coursemates during your course induction?
• Spend some time talking with friends or family from home?
• Join a society, especially one with an activity that encourages conversation?
• Use Student Connect to get matched with someone who shares your interests
• Join one of the Multifaith Chaplaincy’s community events?

You are always welcome to contact the Student Induction Team if you are feeling lonely. Many of our team are students who understand some of what you are experiencing. If needed, you can also talk to a member of our welfare team.

If you are moving to Oxford to study, the independence you will suddenly have might feel a bit overwhelming. You will be free to do whatever you want to do - there’s no asking your parents or carers, you just do it. With this new freedom comes new responsibilities to your flatmates and the Oxford Brookes community - which may feel like a complicated balancing act.

Although we want all our students to enjoy the freedom university life brings and go through their own journey, there will of course be University rules and regulations to follow. We are also committed to a community where respect is an integral part of our daily lives - we will expect you to understand this.

If you need advice on the practical aspects of being an independent adult, we suggest reading the advice on this page about staying healthy, money management and personal safety - important aspects of adult life that not everyone has thought about before. It's also worth learning some basic food preparation skills and trying some recipes - why not take a look at the Student Food Project?

If you have any concerns or queries about independent life at university, you can contact us at induction@brookes.ac.uk.

The Multifaith Chaplaincy is here to offer companionship and spiritual care to all members of the University. You don’t have to be religious to join their events. Why not join them for a walk in the park, some meditation or a crafting session? 

We understand that coming to University can bring different benefits and challenges depending on who you are and how you identify. While everyone's experience is unique, many students like to meet others from similar backgrounds or who may have had similar experiences. 

The Brookes Union runs student networks for Black and BIPOC students, disabled students, LGBTQ+ students, mature students and more.

We also have dedicated support within the University for:

• Mature students
• Estranged students
• Care experienced students
• Young adult carers
• LGBTQ+ students and any requiring support around their gender identity

We want everyone to have the freedom to be themselves and explore their personal identities within a supportive environment, so please do speak to us if you are struggling.

Staying healthy while at university is absolutely essential for maintaining your physical and mental wellbeing to help you finish your degree and make the most of your studies.  

Brookes Active is a collection of initiatives, events, and campaigns, aimed at getting the Oxford Brookes community more active, more often, and enjoy a healthy lifestyle at Oxford Brookes. Find out about walking and cycling routes to campus.

Wellness Wednesdays offers students free gym use on Wednesdays, plus there will be free gym confidence classes on Wednesday afternoons. Find out more about free gym use on Wellness Wednesdays.

Brookes Sport also offers a wide range of clubs, classes, and initiatives with high-quality facilities. They can support you at every level from casual use to competitive training.

As well as looking after your physical health, we encourage you to look after your mental health. That might be as simple as remembering to go outside and stretch your legs in busy periods, or connecting with friends, but you can always contact us for more advice.

Looking for more options?

• Go Active Outdoors
• Local Walks App

It’s not unusual to be thinking about safety in a new environment, especially if you are moving away from home. Oxford generally ranks high on the list of safe university cities, but it’s still good to know about the things you can do to keep yourself safe, plus who can help you if you need it.

Calling for help

Here are the security contact details - please add them as contacts.

• For non-urgent incidents and general enquiries: call +44 (0) 1865 48 3060 or email security@brookes.ac.uk (24 hours a day, 7 days a week)
• In an emergency: dial 999 to speak to emergency services first, then contact Brookes security on +44 (0) 1865 60 3060

Students in halls of residence

Each hall has an on-site residence manager and hall supervisors. There is support on-site through the night too, and our hall staff are experienced at making new students feel at home. Your hall team can give you the right contact numbers to call if you need help out of office hours - these may be on display in your kitchen or hallway, or available in the hall office. Make sure to save them as contacts in case you need them any time.

All students

A new initiative launched recently to help people feel safe in Oxford at night.  Find out more about the Nightsafe Oxford Network and the interventions that have been put in place. 

We also have a University-wide security team. They offer plenty of useful information including a short video about personal security and advice on how to stay safe during nights out.

Sexual consent

Oxford Brookes is an inclusive, safe and respectful university. There’s no place for sexual violence or abuse here. We expect all Oxford Brookes students to play their part in building an inclusive, safe and respectful campus by engaging with our sexual consent education course. The course is mandatory, but you can opt out if the content may prove challenging or upsetting to you. We encourage you to take a look at the information and support available if possible.

In some ways, transition to University life may be easier as a local or commuter student than it is for students who opt to live on campus, as your home life will change less significantly. You may also benefit from having an established network of support around you. However, there can be some unique challenges associated with being a local or commuter student so here’s some tips from commuting students.

Travel and transport

• Remember that driving to Oxford Brookes will be difficult as you can’t park when you get here (unless you have an exemption) and parking fines are expensive. Find out more about other travel options in Oxford.
• Get a Young Persons Railcard, 26-30 Railcard or any other railcard you are eligible for.

For more tailored advice, you can visit the Oxford Bus Company helpdesk during Welcome Weekend at the Fair in the Forum:

• Friday 24 January, 12:00pm - 3:00pm
• The Forum, John Henry Brookes Building

You can also contact the Oxford Brookes transport team at transport@brookes.ac.uk.

Study

• Make sure you can access all the online resources you might need like the Library, study skills help and student support services.
• You may want to use your journey to read, think and write. However, if you are having difficulty reading, thinking, writing and working on the train/bus/etc, don't. Close the book and put it away. Better to either focus on it properly or get some rest rather than not understanding what you are reading.

Getting involved

All our students are invited to be part of the Oxford Brookes student community, whether or not they live on-site. If you would like to get involved in societies and networks, join events and use on-campus facilities, please do! As a good starting point, why not take a look at the induction events calendar?

You’ll find plenty of useful resources available for students on budgeting and money management. View our guide to making your money go further. On this page you’ll also find links to other handy guides such as Money Saving Expert and Save the Student.

The University also offers Financial Aid to students who find that their financial situation changes part way through their degree, meaning they are no longer able to afford university as easily as before. Should you find yourself in this situation, please see our Financial Aid information.

During Induction Week there will be part-time jobs workshops running to help get you started. There are often specific workshops for international students looking for part-time jobs too. Find out more on the events calendar.

You can also visit the Oxford Brookes Careers website to find out what help is available. Take a look at the Brookes Job Shop.

We want to make sure student carers get the most out of their time at Oxford Brookes and have full access to all our support services. We have a dedicated student welfare adviser who works with student carers to agree the best support plan for you. We also offer a bursary for young carers. You can read more about the services offered and find out about the eligibility criteria for the bursary on our student carers webpage.

We understand that you may require some extra support if you are coming to university from care, or if you are estranged from your parent/s or guardian/s. We have a dedicated student welfare adviser who can work with you to agree the most appropriate support plan. There are also practical services we can offer, such as bursaries (subject to eligibility) and guaranteed 52-week accommodation.

For more information, please see the appropriate page:

• Care experienced students
• Estranged students

We have a dedicated Student Induction Team of current students and staff members ready to support your transition to Oxford Brookes. If you'd like to talk to us about a topic not covered here, please contact induction@brookes.ac.uk

If you are an international student, you can also contact the International Student Advice Team (ISAT).