The Counselling Service may contact tutors if [originaltext]So the counselling s

So the counselling services we offer deal with any problems arising from your studies, or in your life outside the university. Let’s take academic counselling. If you’re confused about subjects or how to combine them in your degree, then we can advise you and discuss the career you are aiming for, so that you can see it all in context. We can also chase up your tutor if you’re not getting proper feedback on how you are getting on in your subject.
    Besides help with academic problems, you may also need personal counselling: if you think you’re already under stress, well, just wait till classes begin next week. You’ll have to start adjusting to teaching and learning methods that may be unfamiliar to you, as well as the mounting pressure as the deadline for that first assignment creeps up on you. And of course, you have to cope with all this without your usual social network - you know, the social contacts, family and friends you could normally rely on for help. All of this causes anxiety. Studying overseas can trigger a personal crisis - you may have left a lot of what you might call ’unfinished business’ back in your own country, or you may have interrupted personal relationships or even sometimes have broken them off to come overseas, and so the student often feels lonely, unhappy, unmotivated and unable to concentrate on studying. Or there may be other things bothering you. Our resident chaplain can offer you spiritual guidance if that’s what you want, or we can put you in touch with community groups that can provide you with social contacts and friendship.
    What about exam stress? It affects nearly everyone to some extent, but especially overseas students like yourselves. There may be a huge amount of family pressure on you to succeed, and if you fail a subject or drop out of a course because it’s too difficult then your self-esteem can suffer. But it’s not the end of the world if you don’t pass an exam - I had to resit First Year Anthropology, so I can certainly offer you a sympathetic ear! Anyway, exam failure can lead to worrying changes in the way you normally behave. You may also be off your food, or you may have dietary problems because the local food is not to your liking and upsets you, and this can affect your health and studies. Glenda Roberts is our dietician in the Health Service and we can put you on to her.
    And we all have money problems, don’t we? But remember, full-time students can get a low-interest loan of up to six hundred dollars to buy books and for similar study-related expenses. That’s right, and you can get double that amount if you can’t afford an item of equipment you need for your course - a musical instrument, for example. And it doesn’t stop there. When you move into a flat, starting-up expenses, including furniture for it, can be covered by a loan through the Welfare Service - see Jill Freeman for details.
    Can we help you? Well, last academic year, in spite of staff cuts, we counselled two hundred and forty international students for a total of twenty-six hundred hours counselling, and, finally we won all but just one of the twelve appeals that we launched on behalf of students. Not too bad for an understaffed service, don’t you think? That’s all from me. Thank you.