No images? Click here Welcome! We're looking forward to meeting you soon.In today’s message, we’ll be covering what you can expect for your first week(s) here at York. If you haven’t already, be sure to check out our lists of Things to Do First that we shared with you last week. A warm welcome from your college teamHi, my name is Georgina Heath and I manage the Vanbrugh College Team. Alongside Larry Healy (Deputy College Manager) and Georgette Pooley (College Life Coordinator), we work together to make sure that every student in Vanbrugh is welcomed to their new community and is able to make the most of their time at University. We’re delighted you’ll be joining us. As your College Team, we are your first point of call for support with whatever issues you may be facing. During your time at University, if you need to contact the Team, send us an email at vanbrugh@york.ac.uk. So that we can get to know our new students, we have put together a pre-arrival survey, which we strongly encourage you to complete as far in advance of your arrival as possible. We will shortly be inviting you to join our Google Classrooms for your accommodation block, or for our non-resident Freshers. This will assist you in meeting other Vanbrugh students before you arrive. Please look for an invite email in your University email account; by accepting this invite you are agreeing to your email address being shared with other students. About your collegeThe University has eleven colleges and you are a member of Vanbrugh. You may be living on campus in Vanbrugh, or off campus and you chose, or were assigned to, Vanbrugh based on your academic department. Whatever the reason, we are very happy to welcome you. Your first week at York - Student Castle Vanbrugh studentsWelcome activitiesFrom joining our Vanbrugh Student Association’s first karaoke of the year in Vanbrugh Arms, to Vanbrugh Jazz, boardgame events, cooking events, garden games, sports tasters and music jams, your Vanbrugh College Team and Student Association will offer many opportunities to meet people and to get to know your college. On Saturday 23 September, we will have an arrival stand at Student Castle to help welcome you to your accommodation. On Sunday 24 September, we'll be putting on your official welcome at 1pm at the Spring Lane Building next to Vanbrugh College, where you can get your college welcome bag, meet the college team and find out more about what being a member of Vanbrugh College is all about. Be sure to also look out for YUSU's official ticketed events, such as their movie night and Viking Raid, which will continue into the week after your arrival. As mentioned in our first message, unfortunately, a number of fake pages and social media accounts attempt to target incoming students each year, so please note that the only University-endorsed events are those offered by the College and our Student’s Unions (YUSU and the GSA). Make sure to also bookmark our student events page to stay on top of all upcoming events throughout the semester. Right to Study ChecksUK studentsDuring your online enrolment, you will have been asked to submit a piece of evidence that confirms you have the right to study here at the University, in the UK. If you have not yet submitted your evidence via e:Vision (eg a UK passport) please make sure you do this before your course starts. More information on accepted forms of evidence can be found in your enrolment email. International studentsIf you are an international student, in addition to submitting evidence online, you will also need to attend an in-person registration event during your first few weeks, where your immigration status will be verified. Please make sure to check all dates and deadlines carefully in the emails sent to you separately about these events, and to pack your documentation with you as the original document will need to be checked at these events. Still packing and not sure what else to bring? Check out our guidance. Download and check your timetableAll students at York are provided with a personalised timetable for your studies and activities, which can be viewed on your laptop, phone or printed out. This year, your teaching timetables will be released on Wednesday 13 September 2023. Family and Supporter TalkOn Thursday 7 September 2023 at 7pm BST and Tuesday 12 September 2023 at 5pm BST we will be hosting an online welcome talk to allow all the people who care about you to ask questions and meet college staff. Please share the zoom link below with your parent, guardian, carer or supporters. For GDPR and protection issues, if a parent, guardian or carer contacts us on your behalf, we won’t be able to speak to them about you until we’ve received written permission from you first. Meet your student committeeIn the lead up to Freshers week, keep an eye on our social media pages to hear from members of our student committee via their Instagram Live. You can meet the team who have planned and delivered your College Freshers Week programme, find out about the role of the Committee in College life and most importantly, how you can get involved! In case you missed itOn Friday, 25 August 2023, we sent you an essential to-do list for you to complete before you arrive, including essential documentation. If you haven’t had a chance to do this yet, please complete it urgently. Next StepsWe will be in touch again this Friday for our final message about what to expect from student life and support at York throughout your one, two, three (or more!) years with us. Georgina Heath |