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Barbara Strong

Scroll down for more information about events and to learn about me.

Barbara Strong

What I do

Hi, I’m Barbara. I am the Student Adviser for Psychology and Human Development and the Social Research Institute (IOE, UCL’s Faculty of Education and Society) and I am here for you as a key point of contact during the first year of your undergraduate studies. I am available to discuss any wellbeing, support, and student experience matters. 

Contact me via askUCL

Book an appointment

Events

Working within the Student Support and Wellbeing team, I will be hosting a range of events and activities during term time to support your Social bonding, Skills for life and Wellbeing at university. Explore the workshops and activities you can join throughout the academic year listed below.

Term 1: September 25th - December 15th 2023
Your guide to Thrive - Time Management and Looking after your wellbeing - 20th November @ 15:00.

Online collaborative session between transition mentors at the IOE and Student Adviser Barbara Strong, where top tips will be shared regarding how to manage your time, workload and wellbeing as a year 1 student. Make sure to check your moodle page nearer the time as the link is going to be shared directly. 

Term 2: January 8th - March 22nd 2024
BEAT THE JANUARY BLUES - OVERCOMING IMPOSTER SYNDROME - 31ST JANUARY AT 14:00

Sign up here – registration is required for this event and attendance automatically enters you into a raffle for a prize! 

Have you ever battled feelings of perfectionism, struggled with language barriers, or struggled to manage your time well? Join the IOE Peer Mentors for a panel discussion and Q&A, where they share their experiences of overcoming barriers and feelings of imposter syndrome during their time as a student. IOE Student Advisers will also be on hand to talk a bit about what Imposter Syndrome is, how it can impact your mental health and wellbeing and support available at UCL. There will also be the opportunity to connect with other students through discussion and games, refreshments will be provided and there will be some prizes up for grabs! 

EXAM SEASON TOOLKIT - Approaching Written Assignments - 20th and 21st March

This webinar will be run jointly by the IOE Academic Writing Centre (AWC) and Student Support and Wellbeing (SSW) to support students in approaching written assignments. It will discuss challenges, addressing assignment instructions and criteria, as well as planning and structuring assignments. The final part of the session will outline key wellbeing and time management tips, support available to students during the assessment period and information about SoRAs. 

Before attending, please access your assignment instructions and marking criteria, as well as any example assignments (from your course Moodle). During the session, it may be useful to refer to these and make notes. The webinar will be run twice, and you can register through the links below: 

Approaching Written Assignments – Wednesday 20th March – 18:00-19:15 
Approaching Written Assignments – Thursday 21st March – 12:00-13:15 

A Zoom link will be sent out to you via email before the session.  

Term 3: April 22nd - June 7th 2024

More information coming soon.

Who am I?

About Barbara

What was your experience of further or higher education like?

It was a bit of a mixed bag! I had a negative experience during my undergraduate degree – I felt very lost, unsupported, didn’t understand the teaching and learning framework and barely engaged with the academic staff. In contrast, I had the opposite experience during my postgraduate degree at the IOE, and it was one of the best years of my life – I learnt so much, the support and feedback from our tutors was excellent and I challenged myself with my art practice, academic writing and my feelings of imposter syndrome. 

Who or what made the biggest positive impact on you when you were studying? And how did they support you?

When I was studying at the IOE I was based in the Art, Design and Museology studios – being in this space and engaging with my course peers and the programme team on a daily basis was a really wonderful experience and enabled me to immerse myself in my studies. Our programme and module leaders had such a breadth of knowledge and experience - they always provided detailed feedback, challenged my thinking and taught me to really question things.  I also spent many an hour in the IOE library which has such a plethora of books, dissertations and archive materials to delve into and is a great space to study in.  

What working achievements or initiatives are you most proud of?

Anytime that I have been working with children or young adults in an educational setting, I have learnt so much from them and the process of engaging with them, through both dialogue and art practice. I’m also proud to have worked as part of front of house teams in museums and galleries – my colleagues and the exhibitions were amazing and there were some very difficult customers and experiences that we sometimes had to deal with! It taught me a lot about resilience and how to always treat people with respect. I am also proud of my MA dissertation and the accompanying exhibition that my cohort and I created.  

If you could tell your younger self one thing, what would it be?

If something doesn’t feel right, then always question it. And don’t be so critical of yourself – believe in yourself and your capabilities.  

What would it surprise people to know about you?

I’m not really a fan of surprises.