University is often billed as a place where you pay extortionate fees to get your degree and not much more. However, if you do some research, you'll find that universities offer plenty of additional services beyond lectures, seminars and that weekly hangover.
Here’s our list of four things that you (probably) didn’t know you could get from University:
Money
We’re not talking about grants and scholarships - although they’re a great source of extra income for those who need a top-up alongside their maintenance loan.
Plenty of universities offer students’ jobs which work around studying and classes. These university jobs can take many forms:
The most common of which is being a student ambassador - which can take two forms:
General student ambassador - you'll show visitors around the campus and carry out some other administrative bits and bobs
Outreach student ambassador - you'll carry out outreach projects in schools, colleges and the local community to raise awareness and inspire those to apply to university
Working at your student union - Getting a paid job at your SU can take many different forms. Bar staff, working in shops and outdoor activity instructor are just a few roles which your student union could offer. There's usually a wide range of part-time jobs - simply search for opportunities at your university and apply!
Paid to write - Sometimes you can bag an opportunity to write about your time at University! This could come in the form of writing about your experiences or give advice to new students heading to university. One uni in the UK recently posted an opportunity where students got paid a whopping £7.50 an hour to blog about their experiences.
Uni facilities
You can often get some nice discounted rates on sport and academic facilities at university. Not only do you get free access to thousands of books, documents and information from your library to help with essays, you'll also have the opportunity to use activity studios, gyms, classes, study spaces, computer rooms and much much more at your university.
Access to the gym usually comes at a discounted price. However, it’s usually much cheaper than a public gym and has more up to date equipment. Also, you’ll usually get a few extra perks to incentivise you to purchase a gym membership - free hiring of a sports hall or AstroTurf to play sports with your friends. It's always worth checking with the sports centre on your university campus to see what you can get.
Free courses
Universities offer much more than just a degree - you’ll usually be able to find a variety of supplementary courses which can boost your CV and increase your employability.
A lot of the time such courses are free and relatively enjoyable, particularly if you do them with friends. Admittedly some courses aren’t free but you may be able to get them at a cheaper rate than you would elsewhere.
Mentoring
Universities offer a range of mentoring services to provide advice and guidance for students at university. These mentoring service can range anywhere between dealing with stress, all the way to life coaching.
Most universities offer free counselling services too, which can be a great support. Feeling a bit homesick and need some extra support with your studies? Plenty of universities offer free mentoring and support which will help you deal with all of the issues you are struggling with.