3 ways you can shape UCL, right now

Whether you are in your first year or your last, doing your first degree or your third, you are surrounded by opportunities to take hold of your everyday educational experience and forge the way forward.

You can already see a number of ways in which students like you have Shaped UCL.

Here are three ways you can make a difference during your time at university through your degree and beyond.

Work with your academic rep to make your voice heard

Did you know that there are over 1,600 elected Student Academic Representatives across UCL? You elected yours at the start of Term 1.

Your Academic Reps are there to make sure your opinions are heard upon the campus’ stage. Academic Reps work with staff and students alike to actively shape your learning experience and your degree as a whole.
 
Multiple Academic Reps represent you at the levels of: 

• Your programme
• Your department
• Your faculty

If you’re not an Academic Representative, of course, you have a huge part to play!

Your job is to speak up, give your suggestions, and look out for what your Academic Rep is doing. They speak for you, so it’s your voice and the ones of those around you that make the world (or at least your academic experience) go around. If you want to stay on top of what’s going on between your Reps and your Department, why not ask to get a hold of a copy of the Student Staff Consultative Committee (SSCC) minutes and find out what’s being discussed?

From interacting with your course pages on Moodle to attending events hosted by your department, always be on the lookout to see how you can engage directly with those who can directly pass your thoughts on and improve your experience.

Want to learn more about Academic Reps? Check out studentsunionucl.org/rep/what-you-can-do
 

Work with staff as a Student Quality Reviewer

How would you like to be a consultant and get a behind the scenes look at what makes UCL tick? As a Student Quality Reviewer, you get to do just that – and earn £150 while you’re at it.

Whether it’s your first few months in London or you’re a couple of years into your degree, you can make your university experience better by working alongside senior UCL staff in a number of ways, including:

• Improving the quality of course material
• Reshaping teaching practices
• Designing new programmes

Through providing detailed feedback and analysis from a student perspective, you get to develop your expertise, your CV and your university by exploring what you’re most interested in. No matter your workload, there’s a Student Quality Reviewer role to suit your timetable.

Want to learn more? Check out studentsunionucl.org/sqr

Shape student life: join the Student Experience Panel

How would you like to bring your personal perspectives, creativity and expertise to the table to shape what it means to be at UCL – and even earn a free lunch or an Amazon voucher while you’re at it?

Get aboard the Student Experience Panel, and you can have your say on current issues to make UCL’s offerings even more enticing. You have a number of collaborative one-off opportunities available to you, including:

• Engaging focus groups
• Taking part in student-staff initiatives
• Creative website user testing

More study spaces with more laptop loans, better mental health practices, and new, student-tailored facilities are just a few things that we’ve accomplished thanks to the Student Experience Panel. The next step is in your hands!
Want to learn more? Check out ucl.ac.uk/you-shape-ucl/student-experience-panel 

What are you waiting for?

Try a new role at UCL! Take up one of the many opportunities in your reach, and see how your experience of your degree and your university will expand. 

Hungry for more? Check out the UCL Student Opportunities Guide for your roadmap to shaping UCL.

Robert Vilkelis