University Students’ Mental Wellbeing

What’s on offer?

Thinking about going to university next year, or maybe you have just started? Have you thought about your mental wellbeing? Have you thought about how your university environment (e.g. the university size, amount of academic support available, availability of sports, etc.) might affect your mental wellbeing? Have you thought about how your social identities (i.e. your gender, social class, sexuality, ethnicity, etc.) may also contribute to your mental wellbeing at University? Researchers from the Surrey Institute of Education are exploring these questions in their 'Student Wellbeing and Life Outcomes Project' (#StudentWellLives), which has been funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). In this event, they will explore these questions with you to try and reach some conclusions about how best to support all students' mental wellbeing at University. 

What’s it about?

This is an interactive event about the possible reasons why different students experience mental health issues, and how they can get better support during their time at university. We will provide the audience with short videos/snapshots of our research and discuss interventions that could help different students enhance their wellbeing. In one of the activities at the event, participants will be given the beginnings to hypothetical stories of young people entering university. They will then have the opportunity to shape these hypothetical journeys of mental wellbeing as part of a story chain. We will collectively reflect on how these students' lives might be enhanced through making different decisions as they progress through university.

We have also launched an online image and caption competition to help raise awareness about student mental health and wellbeing. To enter, please post a photo/image with a brief caption on Instagram or Twitter based around the following question: “what does wellbeing mean for you at university?”. There will be a prize for the best image! Competition terms and conditions can be found here: https://studentwelllives.com/events

Who’s leading the event?

Dr Kieran Balloo, Research Fellow in the Surrey Institute of Education at the University of Surrey and Co-Investigator of the Student Wellbeing and Life Outcomes Project

Dr Anesa Hosein, Senior Lecturer in the Surrey Institute of Education at the University of Surrey and Principal Investigator of the Student Wellbeing and Life Outcomes Project

We also hope to have postgraduate students present with us.

Open to

Adults and Young People

Of particular interest to

Of particular interest to young people who are thinking of attending university or have just started and their parents or guardians. This event will also be of interest to higher education organisations and the national media, in light of the Covid-19 pandemic.