Student Support Welcome Day 2020

The Student Support team at the RCA would like to invite you to our Welcome Day. Throughout Wednesday 23rd September we will be running a series of sessions to introduce our services and how we can help you. We would love you to come to all the sessions but you are very welcome to pick and choose the events most relevant to you - we particularly recommend the first and last session for a good general overview. 

All sessions will be run via Zoom (links to follow shortly) and so please note that any questions you ask will be seen or heard by other attendees - if you have anything you’d like to clarify on a confidential basis please email [email protected] or log onto the Student Support Moodle page to book a 1-1 appointment with an Advisor or attend one of our drop-in sessions. 

We look forward to meeting you and best of luck with your enrolment and start of term!

10:00 - 10:45 BST: Welcome to Student Support

A short session to introduce you to members of the Student Support team and what we do. You will get an overview of the things that we can help you with, such as visas, housing, and mental health, and you will also get a short introduction to our partner services within the Student Services department. 

Zoom link
Meeting ID: 917 9908 7732
Passcode: 529270

11:00 - 11:45 BST: Housing in London

An introductory session covering the do’s and don’t of finding accommodation in London. We will cover the rental process and we will try and explain all of the related housing jargon you may come across; tenancy agreements, deposits, inventories etc. We will also look at the types of housing available in London and how to find them. There will be an opportunity to ask questions to Tom Fisher, our Student Advisor. 

Zoom link
Meeting ID: 928 6661 8080
Passcode: 191702

12:00 - 12:45 BST: Managing Your Tier 4 Visa

In this session we will explain the basics of managing your Tier 4 visa. We will look at police registrations, what to do if you lose your visa (please don’t!), what the rules are regarding part-time work and volunteering, and what to do if you spot an error on your BRP card. This will be led by Monica Kumwenda, our Student Advisor - International and Finance who will also be able to answer questions at the end. Please note that Student Support are not involved in the issuing of CAS numbers and so we will not be able to help with those queries (please contact [email protected]). 

Zoom link
Meeting ID: 939 3603 9367
Passcode: 204083

13:00 - 13:45 BST: Wellbeing and Healthcare at the RCA and London

We will introduce you to some of the key people who support student wellbeing at the RCA, including Jennifer Springham, our Mental Health Coordinator, Shaalinie Sivalingham, our Disability Advisor, and Tom Fisher, our Student Advisor. They will explain how you can access our various support services and introduce the resources the College provides. We will also spend  time looking at opportunities to volunteer for community work whilst in London. Finally, we will explain the basics of the NHS and how you can access healthcare services outside of the College. 

Zoom link
Meeting ID: 984 9972 9733
Passcode: 103072

14:00 - 14:30 BST: Scholarship Welcome (invitation only)

Incoming scholarship students will be invited to attend this introductory meeting so that you can meet the key people you will be in contact with during your time at the College. We will also go through your scholarship agreement and explain the various reporting duties that you will be responsible for during your course. 

14:00 - 14:45 BST: Additional Student Support - An Overview

In this session you will be given an overview of the wider support services available at the College, including English for Academic Purposes, Dyslexia Support, Chaplaincy, Counselling, and Fuel RCA. It will be a great opportunity to familiarise yourself with the help and support available to you as a student at the Royal College of Art. 

Zoom link
Meeting ID: 984 1976 5010
Passcode: 082645

15:00 - 15:30: BST Studying at the RCA - A Brief Introduction

Our colleague from the Academic Development team will talk about what it’s like to study at the College and explain some of the methods of teaching and assessment we use. It will be a really useful introduction if you’ve not studied in an art school before or if you’ve spent some time away from education. We highly recommend this session if you are nervous about starting your studies but it will be useful for all. 

Zoom link
Meeting ID: 938 2471 8891
Passcode: 305925

16:00 - 17:00 BST: What You Really Need to Know 

We will have a panel from Student Support and elsewhere to answer any questions you may have. Before the Q&A begins each member of the panel will share some pearls of wisdom they have picked up as part of the RCA Community and will give you their top bit of advice as you start your journey. No question is too small or insignificant so ask us anything that’s been on your mind!

Zoom link
Meeting ID: 981 6646 2028
Passcode: 039035