Every Monday, firstpoint publishes five points about a topic related to life at university. This week we’re welcoming our new students studying at the Three Counties Medical School! Your faculty have been working hard to prepare a fantastic programme of learning opportunities for you. Here are five points to help you prepare for your course…
POINT ONE: GET TO KNOW THE UNIVERSITY…
Familiarise yourself with the University of Worcester Welcome Festival. You can use the University’s Welcome to Worcester 2024 webpage to find advice, guidance and links to support services. You can also chat to current students.
Why not take a virtual tour of the campuses, or find out more about campus facilities?
Don’t forget, if you have any questions, you can always ask firstpoint. If you’re not sure who to speak with, or don’t know where to go for guidance, we’re a good place to start. Have a look at our firstpoint webpages to find out more about us… we’re here to help!
POINT TWO: PLAN HOW YOU WILL ENJOY THE SURROUNDINGS…
Before you start, it’s a good idea to orientate yourself not only to the University campus but also to the city of Worcester and its surrounding countryside; perhaps plan a trip to the cathedral, try a Heritage Walk or get in the mood by listening to some Elgar.
Also, take a look at the other two counties that make up the Three Counties Medical School, Herefordshire and Gloucestershire. Whilst virtually exploring the area, why not take a look at the websites of our linked hospitals Worcester Royal Hospital (WRH), Gloucester Royal Hospital (GH) and Hereford County Hospital (HC).
POINT THREE: GET TO KNOW YOUR FACULTY…
The team at the Three Counties Medical School are looking forward to getting to know you, so why not have a look through the TCMS staff pages and get to know them as well!
POINT FOUR: THIS IS A DON’T! DON’T OVER PREPARE…
Your faculty will provide you with all the learning opportunities that you need. They are certainly not expecting you to come with an encyclopaedic book of knowledge about Medicine. All you need is to arrive with an open mind and a desire to learn.
It would perhaps be useful to get familiar with our Virtual Learning Environment, Blackboard. Blackboard is the University’s online learning platform which provides access to all the online information and activities for the course, as well as access to a range of other tools and activities to support learning and teaching. You can find information about content, delivery, links to reading lists and a whole host of other information, including assessment. It’s more than a repository but also an important tool for communication about key activities. There will be a full orientation to Blackboard in the induction period.
You can find Blackboard through your student portal, also called MyDay, and full access should be available 24 hours after you have registered online with the University and selected your modules.
POINT FIVE: FINALLY, RELAX…
We understand that you might be feeling anxious about starting on the Medicine programme. Please do not worry. Both your course team and firstpoint are here to help and support you as much as we can and we look forward to welcoming you to your studies. See you soon!
We’d also like to welcome international students who are joining their international induction sessions this week. Take a look at our blog post welcoming new international students for some helpful information on settling in.
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