Welcome Life Sciences students!

Dear First Years,

Just to wish you all a very warm welcome to the University, to Life Sciences and to the new academic year. There’s a lot going on to help you settle in to your first term at University and we very much look forward to meeting you in the next couple of weeks.

We hope you have been familiarising yourself with the University's Welcome website, for information on how you can prepare to start University, what to do when you arrive in Liverpool and how to quickly settle in and find your feet. 

Professor Susanne Voelkel, Dean of the School of Life Sciences

Welcome and Orientation Week 

There are a number of events and activities taking place over Welcome and Induction Week which will run from September 18-22. Some events and activities are designed to introduce you to University life and to help you get to know the campus. Others will introduce you to the School of Life Sciences and to the University as a whole, and will provide you with a foundation to ensure you gain maximum benefit from your time at Liverpool.

Please make sure you download the My Liverpool App to get information on all the events scheduled! You can download this from the App Store or Google Play. The SoLS Welcome Week Timetable 2023 is now available, either click on the link or view on the MyLiverpool App.

Reading List 

Before you join us you should make use of the Year 1 Reading List that has been put together by our Life Sciences staff featuring their favourite popular science books. Most of them will be of interest regardless of which of our Programmes you will be joining. However, where they will be of particular interest to students starting on specific Programmes, that has been noted. You can access the list here: Reading list for first years. 

Student Support Services 

Your first few days at university can be quite confusing and it may take time for you to settle into your new surroundings and life as a student. It may also be your first time away from home.  The University has lots of support on offer for you to access.

Please visit  http://www.liverpool.ac.uk/studentsupport/. 

The School also has various avenues of support:

Your Learning and Teaching Support Officer 

Our LTSO Dr Tom Winfield holds an in-person Drop-in on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays 10.00 – 12.00. No appointment is necessary – just visit the LTSO office on the mezzanine in the Life Sciences building.  You can also contact Tom on Microsoft Teams during the Online Drop-in hours of 10.00 – 12.00 every weekday during term-time and non-term-time: just search for ‘Tom Winfield’ on Teams (or click this link) and start a voice/video call.  During drop-in, appointments are not necessary.  Your LTSO can offer pastoral support for students with personal or academic problems that could affect your studies.  

If you would like to meet with Tom then you can arrange an online appointment by clicking here, an in-person appointment by clicking here or email ltsosls@liverpool.ac.uk and we can make an appointment for you.

Your Academic Advisor 

Students are assigned an Academic Advisor who can offer advice, help, and support relating to academic and pastoral matters. For complex queries you can contact your programme director or the Senior Academic Advisor team using saasols@liverpool.ac.uk.

Disability Support 

If you have a disability and did not inform the University of this when applying to study with us, you can still register with the Disability Advice and Guidance team now. A variety of support is available to students who have disabilities – the purpose of which is to minimise any unfair disadvantage that you might experience when engaged in your studies. Further information is available at https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/studentsupport/disabled-students/. 

Undergraduate Student Experience Team 

If you have any other questions you wish to ask before you start term you can contact our Student Experience Team at biosci@liverpool.ac.uk.  Please include your name, programme you will be studying and student ID number in the email. 

Chat with a student 

If you’ve got any questions about what it’s like to study in Liverpool, don’t forget that our current students are here to help. Why not head over to our “chat to a student” page to start a conversation. 

Unibuddy

Starting University is one of the most exciting times of your life, but it can also be incredibly daunting. One of the biggest worries for any young person on the cusp of this journey is making new friends; something which is easily done during Welcome Week activities, while moving into your new accommodation or making small talk outside of lecture theatres with classmates

But what if you could get a head-start on socialising by getting to know your peers before you arrive in Liverpool? That’s where our new Unibuddy Community app comes in!

The Unibuddy Community platform provides a safe, official space for you to meet and get to know other new undergraduate students before you arrive at the University of Liverpool.

Unibuddy Community allows you to:

• Start connecting with other incoming students
• Join a subject group to get to know other students on your course
• Ask our current students questions about all things life at Liverpool

If it’s your first time using the Unibuddy Community platform, before making an account you’ll need to download the Unibuddy Community app from the App Store or Google Play.

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