Wellbeing Fest: UniWell

Start Date: 31 January 2024 12:00 pm

End Date: 31 January 2024 2:00 pm

Location: Small Hall, Exton Park

Join us for our UniWell event as part of CSU’s Wellbeing Fest.

At this event you’ll get the chance to meet health and wellbeing charities and organisations, along with local GPs and some teams from within the University.

Stall holders include:

Local GP/Doctors practices
The NHS Living Well bus
Meningitis Now
NHS Tuberculosis Awareness and Testing
Sport and Active Lifestyle
Body Positive (sexual health).
Grounds and Gardens team – selling herbs

This is a great chance to sign up to a local Doctors/GP practice, and find out more about how to live healthily in 2024.

Posted in EventsTagged Health, Wellbeing

Inaugural lecture: Professor Bin Yang: Measuring the Invisible: from Electromagnetic Measurement to Real-World Impact

Start Date: 8 February 2024 6:00 pm

End Date: 8 February 2024 8:00 pm

Location: Anna Sutton 017, Exton Park

Book Now

Join us for the inaugural lecture of Professor Bin Yang from the School of Computing and Engineering Sciences.

This lecture marks Bin’s first public lecture since being appointed as a Professor at the University.

Bin will discuss how in the vast realm of science and technology, there exists an invisible force that surrounds us, governs our world and shapes the future. This force is electromagnetism and its measurement lies at the heart of our understanding and mastery of the natural world.

Bin will unravel the mysteries of electromagnetic waves, from their fundamental principles to advanced measurement techniques. Through examples and insights, the audience will discover how these invisible waves are harnessed and quantified to drive innovation and progress across various industries, from telecommunications to healthcare, from material microstructure to energy storage, from industrial quality-inspection to space exploration. With each precise measurement, new possibilities are unlocked that impact the real world in profound ways.

Bin graduated from Beijing University in Posts and Telecommunications, China, in 2001. He received MSc and PhD degrees in Electronic Engineering in 2004 and 2008 respectively, from the Antenna and Electromagnetics Group of the Department of Electronic Engineering, Queen Mary University of London. After the PhD, Dr Yang remained in the Antenna and Electromagnetics Group of QMUL as a Postdoctoral Researcher. In September 2013, he moved to the University of Bolton as a Lecturer and joined the University of Chester as a Senior Lecturer in September 2015. He was then promoted to Associate Professor in Terahertz Engineering and Professor of Electromagnetics and Measurements.

Places are free and can be booked for in person attendance or to watch online. Visit here to reserve a place.

Book your place in-person or online.

Posted in EventsTagged inaugural, inaugural lecture

Student Finance: Check you’re means tested!

9 January 2024

Did you send any evidence when you applied for Student Finance? If not, you might be missing out on thousands of pounds a year in maintenance loans because you’ve not been means tested.

So what is it?

Means testing is where Student Finance use your parent’s, partners, or your own household income to work out how much loan you’re entitled to. Which income they use depends on your age and individual circumstances.

Why is it important?

If you didn’t send any evidence to Student Finance, you’ll get your tuition fee loan and the non-means tested part of the maintenance loan, which is £4651 for students living away from home, and £3698 for students living at home.

When you send evidence, they assess how much extra you’re entitled to based on your household income. This is the means tested element. The maximum maintenance loan is £9978, so if your household income is less than £25,000 and you’re not means tested, you could be missing out on over £5000!

As the household income goes up, the amount of maintenance loan goes down. Most students will receive more than the minimum loan if they’re means tested.

How do I know if I’ve been means tested?

To check if you’ve been means tested, simply log in to your Student Finance account and start a live chat. If haven’t been means tested, it’s a straightforward process that could make a big difference to how much you get

What if I’m with a different Student Finance company?

The information above is based on Student Finance England. All Student Finance companies operate differently, but all have a means tested element. Student Finance Scotland offer certain bursaries based on household income, and in Wales it dictates how much of your loan you pay back. In Northern Ireland, 25% of the maintenance loan is means tested.

Posted in News/FeaturesTagged Cost of living, Finance, Money

New academic structure for the University of Chester

9 January 2024

The University of Chester is pleased to bring in a new organisational structure model consisting of schools and divisions. Reorganisation of the faculties and new structures will facilitate greater collaboration between subjects and disciplines.

By combining related disciplines we are better placed to be more agile and responsive, to grow student numbers, to continue to improve the quality of the student experience, and to continue to develop our portfolio of courses.

Current programmes will run as normal and there should be little or no impact on students as a result of the new management infrastructure. If you have any queries, please reach out to your PAT or your academic Division.

Please see below the new Faculty structures effective from January 2024.

Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences

School	Division
Chester School of Education	Childhood, Education and Professional Development Initial Teacher Education
School for the Creative Industries	Art, Design and Innovation Communications, Screen and Performance
School of Humanities and Social Sciences	Humanities, Cultures and Environment Social and Political Sciences Centre for Student Exchange and Language Development
School of Law and Social Justice	Institute of Policing Law

Faculty of Health, Medicine and Society

School	Division
Chester Medical School	Applied Medicine Medical Sciences
School of Nursing and Midwifery	Nursing and Healthcare Education Midwifery
School of Allied and Public Health	Allied Health Public Health, Sport and Wellbeing
School of Society	Psychology Social Work
Cross-faculty Division	Practice Education and Simulated Learning

Faculty of Science, Business and Enterprise

School	Division
Chester Business School	Accounting and Finance Management Marketing, Tourism and Destinations PARE
School of Natural Sciences	There are no sub-divisions within the School
School of Computing and Engineering Sciences	There are no sub-divisions within the School

Posted in News/FeaturesTagged academic, structure

Cost of Living: Balancing work and studies

5 January 2024

Working while studying is a great option for many reasons – it boosts your bank balance, adds a spark to your CV and helps you develop valuable skills that will impress future employers.

But we know it can be a tricky juggling act – and we know lots of you are concerned about this. Nearly 30% of you told us you were worried about balancing your studies with other commitments in our latest All-student Survey.

To help, we’ve rounded up our top tips to help you stay in control and balance your work and lectures effectively:

Prioritise your studies

When you’re looking for work, focus on what days you’ll be working, how long the shifts are, and how it fits around your lectures.

While it might be tempting to grab as many hours as possible, aim to work for 15 hours or less each week. This ensures you earn some extra cash without compromising the standard of your work.

Budget, budget, budget!

Budgeting is the key to understanding if you have a surplus or a shortfall each month. Download our budget planner here to get started.

If you find yourself with a surplus, you have the freedom to spend (or better yet, save!). If you have a shortfall, you can use this as a guide to how many hours you need to work to balance your books.

If you’re still short after working your 15 hours, head to our Portal page here to learn more about the support we can offer, including tips on managing your money, and information about our Student Support Fund.

Talk to your employer

Having open communication with your employer is vital to striking a good balance between work and study.

If you have looming essay deadlines or worse still, exams, let them know well in advance that you need to reduce or change your working hours. This way, they can plan ahead and try to accommodate your request.

Take care of yourself

Balancing work and study can take a while to get right, so it’s important to look after yourself. Make sure you get enough sleep, eat nutritious meals, and regularly exercise.

Avoid overloading your schedule and know your limits. Maintaining your mental and physical wellbeing is essential for productivity and long-term success.

Be sure to check out the support our Careers and Employability team can offer here, and for any money queries or budgeting advice, contact money@chester.ac.uk.

Posted in Support and OpportunitiesTagged Cost of living, support

Quiz

Start Date: 11 January 2024 7:30 pm

End Date: 11 January 2024 11:00 pm

Location: Union Bar, Exton Park

Join us for our first quiz of the year with Lady Wanda Why.

Posted in EventsTagged socialise, Union Bar

LGBTQ+ Student Support Network: New Year Social

Start Date: 11 January 2024 2:00 pm

End Date: 11 January 2024 3:00 pm

Location: Community Hub, Exton Park

We’d like to welcome you back and start off the new term with a relaxed social. We would be delighted if you could join us to meet up and get to know peers in the network over some hot drinks and snacks!

Our LGBTQ+ Student Support Network is live on Teams – click here to join or email studentservices@chester.ac.uk for more information.

Posted in EventsTagged LGBTQ+, Student support, support

Budgeting your Student Finance

3 January 2024

Many of you have just received your second maintenance loan payment of the year, so it’s time to work out your spending for the next few months.

Budgeting has never been more important, and it doesn’t have to be difficult. If you’re a little unsure, our Your Money team are here to help you create a budget that works for you.

Why should I budget?

Creating a budget means you can manage your money better by understanding what’s coming in and going out of your bank account. It doesn’t mean you have to stop doing everything you enjoy. Sure, you might have to cut back on a few things, but you can still eat out, grab a coffee now and again, and spend time with friends.

How do I create my budget?

1. Download our budget planner.

2. Input the money you’ve got coming in:

Divide your student loan by four to get a monthly figure.
Add in any monthly income (work, benefits)
Add in any other regular money you get (from parents or partners)

3. Input the money you’ve got going out:

Go through your statements and add up the monthly cost of everything you regularly pay. This will include things such as:

Rent
Travel costs
Food shops
Debt repayments

This bit can be tough, but you’ll thank yourself later when you can afford that extra treat!

4. Subtract the outgoings from the incomings to get your monthly budget. If you want a weekly budget, just divide it by four.

How do I use my budget?

If you’ve got money left over, this is yours to spend (or save!). Saving just £5 a week is £260 per year.

If you’re spending more than you’ve got coming in, you’re going to have to do a bit more work to balance the books. You could think about:

Contacting Careers and Employability to get some advice about working whilst you’re studying?
Reviewing your spending to find out where you can make savings. Have you got subscriptions you don’t use, or get takeaway frequently?
Making sure you’re means tested by Student Finance and accessing all the funding you’re entitled to.

Posted in Support and OpportunitiesTagged Finance, Money, Your Money