Coming to University is a great adventure that many of us think about for years. But our confidence can really be affected by the sudden change in the way we study happens. Suddenly we are asked to organise our work, research all kinds of things, use all kinds of software or tools, and structure academic work in ways we have never done before.

This can cause significant stress,  distress and upset for students and sometimes significantly impact on our moods.

If you are finding your academic work to be a source of stress please speak to your personal tutor, they are here to support you.

The transition to Higher Education studies can be difficult, and we can be expected to learn and understand lots of new ways of learning and studying very quickly.

To help you out the University of Bolton has really helpful LEAP Modules MY ACADEMIC DEVELOPMENT, which covers lots of academic skills including research skills, academic writing and different assessment methods.

There is also a section to help you increase your digital skills MY DIGITAL LITERACY, this section covers many areas of IT you will need to get through your time here like TURNITIN, MOODLE, Emails and much more.

If you feel like you need a little more assistance in developing academic skills the library has created a really helpful Study Skills area.

UCAS also has some useful guides to common academic skills required at University, for example, how to present an argument in academic writing, and understanding exam questions.

Many of our students talk about Perfectionism as being a big problem for them and impacting on their mood, wellbeing, mental health and overall enjoyment of University life.

But what is perfectionism?

The Government of Western Australia's Centre for Clinical Investigations states that it broadly follows these rules:-

• Firstly, the relentless striving for extremely high standards for yourself and/or others that are personally demanding.
• Secondly, judging your self-worth based largely on your ability to strive for and achieve such unrelenting standards.
• Thirdly, experiencing negative consequences of setting such demanding standards, yet continuing to go for them despite the huge cost to you.

If this makes sense to you, and you recognise this has become problematic we recommend that you access The Government of Western Australia's Centre for Clinical Investigations page for a helpful workbook and worksheets to help you address the problem and ease the stresses it causes.

Procrastination

Procrastination is our avoidance of doing something, putting 'it' off and sometimes doing other things instead! It is another big problem for many of us, particularly if we are perfectionists.

Check out this page and find information, workbooks and worksheets to help you manage procrastination so it no longer impacts on your studies and your wellbeing.