F.A.Q.
Coming to University can be a massive change - we’ve got your back the whole way. Below are some tips and tricks to settling in and some answers to some of the most frequently asked questions.

 before you arrive when you arrive settling in competitions glossary 
 

 

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Whilst many find the idea of moving away exciting, for some it can be a big worry.

 
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Global Greenwich is here to support all of our students arriving to the United Kingdom for study.

 
So, you're coming to Greenwich. What now?
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Congratulations are in order, you've secure a place at Greenwich and that means you'll get the benefits of being part of Greenwich Students' Union. But what to do first? We've got some tips for new students.

 
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Find out what Greenwich Students' Union is!

 
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If you have a passion for sport or want to become part of something a bit different then joining a Society or Sport club is a simple and easy way to heighten your overall university experience.

 
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As your new life begins at Greenwich, we want to tell you about our favourite little hotspots that you and your university friends can enjoy.

 
 
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If we’ve missed something out never fear, get in touch! You can email us at greenwichsu@greenwich.ac.uk.
 

Before you arrive

Welcome Week starts on 11th September. You can find out about your Faculty induction and GREFest, our festival of learning and skills on the University Welcome pages. Once your personal timetable is ready, you’ll be able to view it by going to the timetable page.

Yes! Click on each event in the Events Timetable to see what tickets are on sale, many of them are free.

We receive your data from the University once you've registered. Online Registration with the University has begun. To use our website before we get your details, you need to create a New Student Account.

To set up a New Student account, go to greenwichsu.co.uk/login and choose New Student Account. Once you've completed registration, your account will be converted into a Current Student account. Any problems, just email greenwichsu@greenwich.ac.uk.

Course information will be sent to you from the University. This is likely to come in the next few weeks (after your place has been confirmed). Just make sure to check your University emails regularly before coming to Greenwich.

A confirmation of acceptance is needed to support Visa applications and applies to International Students. The University will only send you this once you have met the requirements for it to be issued. This includes accepting your offer to study and paying any applicable deposit. For further information and support, email casrequests@gre.ac.uk.

Don’t be scared! University is a great new independent start and a chance for you to make new friends. Be open-minded and chat with other students - some people will end up becoming your best friends and others will be completely different from you. If everyone were alike the world would be a very boring place. GSU Welcome is all about making new friends.

Check out your Students’ Union’s events and activities, get along to all your course meetings and socials, and don't worry. You’ll know your way around and will have settled in no time! If you need someone to talk to, the Student’s Union offers a free Advice Service and you can pop in and visit one of our friendly Advisers.

We are also running Student Check-ins to make sure you're okay.

Make sure you’ve paid the deposit! Accommodation not secured until it’s been paid. It is always best to check with your relevant Accommodation Office to see what is already provided for you before you compile a list of things.

You can also read our article on essentials to bring to University here.

Yes! We recommend signing up to your local Freecycle groups. They are full of local residents giving away quality goods which they no longer need! You can find all sorts of things on the site, including free TV’s and bicycles!

 

When you arrive

Part one of registration is done online before you arrive, using login details that the University will email to you. The University has more information about this at https://www.gre.ac.uk/welcome/registration.

Part two of registration is done in person. Make sure you book your slot in advance to collect your ID card and complete registration. You can upload a photo for your student card during Part one registration, but usually you’ll have your photo take during Part two – so be prepared for how you look that day to be on your card for the duration of your course! Registration Part two includes a Wellbeing Check run by us, to make sure you’re doing alright. We can’t wait to say #hellogreenwich

The University will have more details available on their registration webpage closer to the time, and there are Welcome Ambassadors and signs on campus to help you when you arrive! If you have any queries about registration visit the Digital Student Centre or email welcometeam@gre.ac.uk.

Yes! Click on each event in the Events Timetable to see what tickets are on sale.

We receive your data from the University once you've registered. To use our website before we get your details, you need to create a New Student Account.

To set up a New Student account, go to greenwichsu.co.uk/login and choose New Student Account. Once you've completed registration, your account will be converted into a Current Student account. Any problems, just email greenwichsu@greenwich.ac.uk.

Greenwich Students' Union has three main Receptions; one in the student hub in Dreadnought in Greenwich; and one in Avery Hill in The Dome; and in The Hub in Medway. Full addresses, directions and telephone numbers are listed here.

The University operates a frequent inter-campus bus service for students and staff to use which travels between Greenwich, Avery Hill and Medway campuses.

Prices: the Greenwich to Avery Hill bus service is free to use, however, there is a small fee for services to and from Medway.

Tickets for the Medway service must be purchased before travelling, and you can purchase these online. The full University bus service timetable for the academic year can be viewed here.

Of course! All University of Greenwich students are welcome to take part in any of the activities and events at any of our campuses. Travel between the campuses by bus or coach.

Firstly, you should make an appointment to meet a member of the Disability Support Team. They will ask you to provide evidence, which may include teachers’ reports and/or Educational Psychologists' reports. With your consent, the Disability Support Team will then be able to put some support in place. They may advise you to apply for an up-to-date Educational Psychological Assessment. A new assessment can be arranged via DST.

 

Settling in

Use our Events Timetable to make sure you don’t miss the things you really want to see and do. We’re hosting loads of events, trips, and activities throughout Welcome, so get involved!

Alternatively, visit our main website. You can also like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter and Instagram to receive regular updates from us! Our Full-time Student Officers also have facebook and twitter accounts for regular updates on what they are doing for you.

Want to escape from work, play sports or socialise over something you’re passionate about? Why not join one of our student groups? Or if there’s something you’re interested in but no student group covers it yet, then you can start your own!

Student groups are a great way to meet people, try new things, and settle into Uni life! Our Sports clubs and Societies will be holding meet and greets, trials, taster sessions, meetings and events all year, so even if you miss out on the Welcome events then you can still easily get involved with any of our groups. Societies are based around your interests – whether related to your course, music, media, culture, religion, faith, campaigning, support, hobbies, or just an area of interest, there’s loads to get involved in!

Sports clubs will be holding their trials for their teams shortly after Welcome (September/early October) don’t think that you can’t play just because you aren’t at a top level! Sports clubs are a great way of meeting new people and keeping fit, so give them a try, and don’t worry too much about what team you get in to – sports are more than just taking part in the match. If you're joining in January then please get in touch with the teams directly to see if they are accepting new players.

Just head over to our events tab in the top menu and check our daytime events. We run our Welcome Fairs in September's Welcome programme.

Find out more the Totum card here. It's the new discount card run by NUS Extra. You can order the physical card to your home or use the digital membership card.

Make a weekly budget and more importantly - stick to it! Try to limit your expenditure when you go out during the day and at night. Take into account the large one-off payments and deduct from your overall budget, to leave aside what you’re living on from week to week. Don’t forget to budget for things like using your Oyster card to travel, phone bills, toiletries and stuff to clean your home, and programme related things like books, notepads and pens!

Only withdraw the amount that you have budgeted for. If you only take a small amount of money out with you, you will find that you will only spend that, and only take your bank card with you in case of emergencies - otherwise you’ll be tempted to go over your budget. If you have a smartphone, we’d suggest downloading your bank’s online banking app so you can keep track of your outgoings with ease, and if you can’t do this, then make sure you check your account statements regularly.

The University Student Finance department also have lots of advice for new and continuing students from their trained staff. You can also check out the money section in our Advice Handbook.

If you don’t already have a bank account, go to your local branch and open one. Most banks give good freebies when you open or switch to a student account, such as railcards or music downloads – these are great, but don’t be swayed just by these! Think carefully about what you need, especially your overdraft, and where the nearest branches are. SavetheStudent.org has good in-depth information, and we’ve pulled together information on local banks online here.

The University has provided a list of local medical centres or you can check on the NHS website by entering your postcode.

If you’re taking anything expensive with you, like bikes, laptops, jewellery or other electronics, then definitely get insurance! Endsleigh have special student insurance deals that are tailored for whether you’re living in halls, shared accommodation or at home.

If you’re taking a TV with you and plan to watch live TV (not a catch-up service, but directly watching the channels) then you will need to purchase a TV license – don’t count on not having a visit from the TV License people, they especially look out for students! For more information or to buy at TV license visit www.tvlicensing.co.uk.

If you’re struggling get in touch with our Advice Service greenwichsu.co.uk/advice

Competitions

The competitions for GSU Welcome are open to University of Greenwich Students.

There is no entry fee to enter this competition.

Entrants must be following the Greenwich Students' Union social media account on the platform by which they are entering the competition.

By entering this competition, an entrant is indicating their agreement to be bound by these terms and conditions.

The promoter reserves the right to cancel or amend the competition and these terms and conditions without notice in the event of a catastrophe, war, civil or military disturbance, act of God or any actual or anticipated breach of any applicable law or regulation or any other event outside of the promoter’s control. Any changes to the competition will be notified to entrants as soon as possible by the promoter.

No responsibility can be accepted for entries not received for whatever reason.

The rules of the competitions are stated above.

The prize is as stated and no cash or other alternatives will be offered.The prizes are not transferable. Prizes are subject to availability and we reserve the right to substitute any prize with another of equivalent value without giving notice.

Winners will be chosen by Greenwich Students' Union at random from all entrants who meet the criteria of the competition.

The winners will be notified by DM on social media within 28 days of the closing date. If the winner cannot be contacted or do not clame the prize within 14 days of notification, we reserve the right to withdraw the prize from the winner and pick a replacement winner.

The promoter will notify the winner when and where the prize can be collected / is delivered.

By entering this competition, an entrant is indicating his/her agreement to be bound by these terms and conditions.

The competition and these terms and conditions will be governed by [English] law and any disputes will be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of [England].

The winner agrees to the use of their name and image in any publicity material, as well as their entry. Any personal data relating to the winner or any other entrants will be used solely in accordance with current [UK] data protection legislation and will not be disclosed to a third party without the entrant’s prior consent.

Entry into the competition will be deemed as acceptance of these terms and conditions.

This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook, Twitter or any other Social Network.

 

Glossary

There are lots of acronyms here and short words that we and the University use - here's what they mean.

Team Greenwich and Team Medway – the name for all of our Sports clubs
GIAG - Give it a Go (one off activities)
UoG - University of Greenwich
GSU – Greenwich Students’ Union

University ID

You will be given a University ID which is a ten-digit number. This is also known as your Application number.

You will be asked for your Student ID number whenever you make an enquiry. You will usually be asked for 9 digits, but you will need all ten for the Library. It will usually look something like this: 000123789-4

Buildings and Rooms

Room Numbers

Each room number stars with one or two letters. The letters tell you the building and the numbers tell you’re the actual room number with the first number telling you the floor. So, 301 would be on the third floor, 401 would be the fourth and 001 would be the ground floor. e.g.  K W 3 0 1

Here are all the building abbreviations you will come across:

Avery Hill (visit our find us page)
B - Bronte Building
DF - David Fussey
F - Fry
G - Grey
L - Library Health Science
S - Mary Seacole
Science Lab
SF - Sparrow’s Farm
W - Wren

Greenwich (visit our find us page)
D - Dreadnought
KW - King William
OB - Old Baths (Woolwich)
QA - Queen Anne
QM - Queen Mary
SL - Stephen Lawrence
10 or 11 - Stockwell Street

Medway (visit our find us page)
A - Anson Building
B - Blake Building
DA - Drill Hall Library
G - Grenville Building
H - Hawke Building
J - Jellicoe Building
N - Nelson Building
P - Pembroke Building
PK - Pilkington Building
The Hub - Student Hub at Medway including The Deep End

Academic and University References

Seminar - A study group smaller than a lecture.
Faculty – An academic division of the University, there are four of these detailed below.
FLAS – Faculty of Liberal Arts and Sciences
GBS - Greenwich Business School
FES – Faculty of Engineering and Science
FEHHS – Faculty of Education, Health and Human Sciences
VLE – Virtual Learning Environment, a web-based platform where you can find learning resources, Moodle is a VLE.
ILS – Information and Library Services
SAS – Student Academic Services
RA – Resident Assistants
Portal – The University website that is personalised for students to find useful information.
PAB – Progression and Awards Board, they examine the individual assessment profiles for each student to determine their award and progression. They also deal with the consideration of personal extenuating circumstances.

 
 
 
 
 
 

Events

About Greenwich Students' Union

Freshers

Welcome to Medway with The Hub

 


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