Month: August 2025

Practical tips for saving money as a student

Author Student Communications | Posted on

If you’re feeling nervous about budgeting while you’re at uni – don’t panic! Here are some simple things you can do to save money while still making the most of everything that UWE Bristol has to offer.

1. Start with a budget

A basic budget can help you figure out where your money is going and where you might be able to save. Download the Blackbullion app (free for UWE students) for tools to help you track spending, set goals and boost your financial confidence on the go. Or check out Savethestudent’s free money cheat sheet if you prefer a quick guide to get started.

2. Use your student discounts

Student discounts can save you loads over time. A TOTUM card gives you money off food, travel, fashion, and more. You can also sign up to platforms like UNiDAYS and Student Beans for extra discounts online. It’s worth checking before you buy, lots of places offer savings just for students.

3. Cook at home

Ordering food or eating out can be fun, but it quickly adds up. Cooking at home even a few times a week can save you money. Try planning your meals, making a shopping list, and sticking to it. Cooking in bulk or sharing food shops with friends can help too. Mob Kitchen’s student recipes are a great place to find easy, affordable ideas.

4. Travel for less

Public transport is usually cheaper than using taxis and Ubers. As a UWE student, you can get discounted bus fares through the First Bus app. If you’re heading further afield, National Express and FlixBus coaches stop right at Frenchay Campus and run to places like London. If you travel by train, a 16–25 or 26–30 Railcard gives you a third off fares and it often pays for itself in just a couple of journeys.

5. Buy second-hand

Before buying something new, check out second-hand options. You might find what you need for a lot less. UWE’s library has textbooks you can borrow for free, and websites like Biblio or AbeBooks and eBay are good for buying used books. For things like kitchen gear, furniture or clothes, try Facebook Marketplace, charity shops or the Sustainability Hub at Frenchay.

6. Limit subscription services

It’s easy to forget how many subscriptions you’ve signed up for. Music, streaming and gaming services can all add up. Take a look at what you actually use and think about cancelling the ones you don’t. You can also split accounts with friends to cut the cost, and many services have student prices if you haven’t signed up with your uni email yet.

7. Make the most of free or low cost events

There’s loads going on at UWE that won’t cost you anything. From workshops and socials to creative sessions and wellbeing events, there’s always something happening. Check the Student Life webpages, the UWE SU website and the UWE events page to see what’s coming up.

If you’re exploring the city, keep an eye out for student offers at local museums, galleries and cultural venues too. Many of them are free or discounted with your student card.

Switching your mindset

Author Student Communications | Posted on

The move from school or college to university can feel a little overwhelming. Perhaps for the first time, you’re going to have to take responsibility for many aspects of your life – your education, your wellbeing, your finances.

Although it can seem intimidating at first, there’s so much support available to you to make sure you’ve got the help you need every step of the way. But you’ll need to reach out and access this support for yourself.

Switch your mindset now and start thinking about the ways you are going to need to be more independent. This new attitude will help you develop and grow, and ultimately allow you to have the best possible start to uni life!

  • You will be responsible for your own time – get organised. You’re likely to have competing demands on your time. You’ll have lectures to attend, projects to finish, friends to message and social plans to arrange. Add to that paid work, exercise, food and sleep, and it all starts to look a bit busy. Nobody is going to tell you how to stay on top of all this, time management needs to be your priority! If you think you need extra support with this, you might want to book an appointment with one of our Student Experience Coaches.
  • Things won’t get done if you don’t do them. Putting off an assessment, ignoring that looming deadline, forgetting to reply to that email from your lecturer. The only person that can do the things that you need to get done as part of your course is you. Bite the bullet, eat the frog – however you want to phrase it – stop procrastinating and tick off that To Do list to stay on top of your studies. Why not brush up on your study skills if this is something you struggle with.
  • You get out what you put in. There is SO much to love about university life and so many opportunities out there for you to make the most of. But these things aren’t just handed to you on a plate. If you want good marks in your assessments, you need to attend lectures and do the work. If you want to set yourself up for successful career when you graduate, then you need to go out and find internships and work placements so your CV is polished. If you want to travel abroad as part of your studies, then you need to do the research and work out how to make it happen.
  • Get to know who you are and what makes you happy. University is an opportunity to meet new people, take up new hobbies and learn new skills. While this is incredibly exciting and exhilarating, it’s also important that you know when to say no. Getting the balance right between pushing yourself out of your comfort zone while still knowing and enforcing your boundaries, is a tricky thing to learn.
  • Look after yourself. It sounds so basic, but nobody is going to remind you to drink enough water, eat nutritious meals, get an early night every now and again. But they are so vital if you want to stay healthy. You are now responsible for your own health and wellbeing so give it the attention it deserves.
  • Don’t be afraid to lean on old support systems and create new ones. Just because you’re here at uni doesn’t mean all your friends and family back home disappear. Make sure you keep in contact with them, especially if you’re finding things difficult. Also, work on building those support systems here at university as well, so that you feel like you have people to turn to when you need to.
  • Ask for help if you need it. Remember, although it’s down to you to manage your own university experience, you can access so much support here at UWE Bristol. Academic staff are available to answer your questions, the Student Money Service can help with budgeting, our Wellbeing services can support you when times feel tough. But you need to be the one to reach out and access all these services. If you’re going through a tricky patch, find the help that you need and make the most of it.

Be prepared: IT checklist

Author Student Communications | Posted on

We know it can feel overwhelming having to do so many different things to get ready for your new life at uni. Getting your laptop sorted probably sounds like one of the most boring items on your to-do list, but you don’t want to be the one chatting to the IT helpdesk while everyone else is out exploring Bristol.

To help you out, we’ve pulled together this checklist, so you can tick off everything you need to do to ensure you’re ready to hit the ground running and smash your studies when you get here:

  • Kit and equipment – make sure you know what you need to have with you when you arrive on campus to start your course. We’ve pulled together some guidance so you can make the right choices. As we know how expensive tech can be, there’s also info on scholarships and financial support.
  • Accessing your account and keeping it secure – you’ll be provided with a Microsoft account for access to your UWE email account via Outlook and other Microsoft 365 apps. You’ll need to use this to log in and access, well, pretty much everything. Once you have registered online and before you change your initial temporary password, you’ll need to set up your Microsoft security info. This includes setting up multi-factor authentication (MFA) which allows you to confirm your identity and access your account. Most UWE Bristol systems will ask you for verification every three days or when using a personal device, so take some time to set it up, don’t forget to change your initial temporary password and ask if you need help.
  • Software – you may need to use specific software for your studies either on your own device or using computers on campus. Check out the software page for more info which also includes a link to installing and using Microsoft 365 apps.
  • MyUWE – you’ll already be familiar with myUWE as this is where you registered, though now you can use it as a hub to access other things like your email account, personal details and Blackboard.
  • Blackboard – now Blackboard is where it’s at! This is where you’ll find everything you need for your course such as your timetable, modules, assignments and updates from your programme team. You’re also likely to be using MS Teams and we have a blog written already to run through all that with you as well.
  • Get clued up – it’s worth familiarising yourself with the digital tools you’ll be using here, to start confidently and feel prepared. The Digital Learning Course is a short course which introduces you to some of the technologies you will come across at UWE. It will help give you the confidence to use the best digital tools for your subject and help you prepare for study. Also, our JISC Discovery Tool allows you to assess your current digital capability and work out how to improve.

Taking control of your inbox

Author Student Communications | Posted on

Ping!…. Ping!….. Ping, ping, ping!

An overflowing inbox, with new emails coming in faster than you can delete the old ones, can feel like a lot. We get it. And we know you don’t want to be inundated with irrelevant information or unnecessary updates. Which is why we’re working hard to make sure that we are only sending you stuff that you need or want to know about.

However, email is still going to be one of your main communication channels as a student and it’s so important that you’re keeping on top of the different info that’s going to be sent your way. Life as a uni student means taking on new challenges, and one of those might be having to manage a busy inbox for the first time.

So, we’re here to help! The tips below will help you embrace good habits and become a pro at managing your emails:

  • Organisation – create folders within your inbox, so you can file emails into the appropriate place and easily find things at a later date. Specific modules. Society updates. Correspondence with your landlord. If everything has its place then your inbox will feel neat and tidy rather than overflowing and overwhelming.
  • Unsubscribe – you have the power to stop (some) unwanted emails reaching you. All corporate emails will have an unsubscribe option, so if you feel you’re being spammed then take two minutes to get yourself off that mailing list. Just don’t unsubscribe from Student Communications – our emails are useful and interesting, promise! Also, you’d miss out on really important information around term dates, health and wellbeing support, changes to academic regulations, IT shutdowns etc.
  • Don’t ignore – five unread emails can quickly become 50 if you just turn a blind eye and pretend they’re not there. So, the best thing to do is to deal with emails quickly. For every email that you open do one of the following: Delete, Take Action or File it. Don’t be afraid to delete stuff that you don’t need. Just don’t leave it sitting unread.
  • Set boundaries – accessing your emails on your phone is a great way to make sure you stay connected while on the go, and the point above highlights the benefit of regularly reading and actioning emails. But, 24/7 access to emails is not always a positive thing, so try to set your own boundaries to make sure you don’t start feeling overwhelmed. Perhaps limit inbox checks to certain times of the day, so you’re not constantly distracted by the notifications.
  • Consider other ways of communicating – not everything has to be said via email. You could try to keep your emails for academic purposes, and move personal or social conversations somewhere else, such as WhatsApp or Teams. Also, if you find yourself in a lengthy email exchange with your lecturer, perhaps its worth speaking to them in-person instead.
  • Get some training – there are some great resources out there to make sure you’re using your email system to its full potential. Unlock that knowledge by doing some research and finding tutorials for programmes such as Outlook and Gmail.
  • Ask for help – hopefully these tips will help you navigate your uni inbox, but remember, if you get stuck, make sure you check out our UWE Email webpage.

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