Which universities are great at supporting emotional wellbeing of students?

[DelinquentSnails]

DD is looking at studying economics or data science. She has good predicted grades (A*, AA.) and a decent applicant profile. She is autistic, dyslexic and has had some difficulties around her metal health that mean finding a university that is best for her emotional well-being will be much more important than finding the ‘best’ university for her predicted grades. At the moment, she does not want to travel too far from our hometown (Cambridge, she says up to 3 hours away) but would like to try living away in halls (maybe halls for all three years?) She enjoys several hobbies- choral singing, martial arts and is a Christian and would like to keep these up through clubs, Christian union etc. Knowing her, I strongly suspect these activities will provide her social outlet, rather than structured social mingling, at least at first.

I would love to hear about any universities that have been great at supporting young people’s emotional well-being and neurodivergence, either through formal support or just how the university is structured. And also anything else we might need to consider in supporting her or that she might want to think about.

Kent is good and you can apply for “quiet” halls which may suit her better?

@gototogo agree about Warwick. We’ve got another DD doing MORSE there. She’s the most robust kid I know and even she finds it a bit much at times.

@idril That’s good to know. She’s really keen to visit Southampton. I wondered if she’d find it a bit big, but we will definitely go along. Everyone I know who had been there loved it.

It might be too close to home, but UEA might be worth a look. My DD has found student support to be good, and she was able to contact the disability team well before she started there (not ND though).
It is a uni which seems to attract the 'quirky', and has always been welcoming and friendly.

There is a Facebook group for parents with ND students. They could probably give specific advice
https://www.facebook.com/groups/wiwikauneurodivergent/?ref=share

Agree with @idril. I have a DD there and she’s had good support from the beginning.
DSA, providing her good equipment and a better chair, help to bring up heavy post, a ground floor pre-chosen room at halls, exam access arrangements, extensions for assignments which were due to health to name a few. We were in the same boat where we wanted a kind uni which was less than 2 hours away. She struggles even with the 1hour 45min travel once a month so we end up dropping her by car.
3 hours would be difficult for her.

if you talk to the relevant teams when you visit you will know more (Southampton did a separate talk on this when we visited)

@Seeline Not too close at all. We’ve not visited but UEA looks perfect on paper and we have family in the city.

@PlainSkyr I think the fact that they did a separate talk is a really good indication. That’s not something I’ve come across at an open day before, with any of our children.

This is absolutely the impression I've got from all the open days I've been to over the last year or so. Agree with the point mentioned about choosing somewhere that's easy travel distance from you so she can have that MH break of visiting home if/when she needs it.

I’ve also just completed a degree as a mature student at Nottingham Trent. And I completely agree about the amount of support. There is loads of stuff going on. I was very impressed by it. And the campus was nice. The food at Clifton is really good.

My DD graduated from Reading last summer and found them very supportive. Even though she was only on the waiting list for an autism assessment (for her entire 3 years there) she was allocated a disability advisor, and as she was under the team she was able to return to halls every year.

Most wellbeing services will signpost to DSA funding for a study skills tutor or mentor:

https://www.gov.uk/disabled-students-allowance-dsa

In fairness, it is the young adult who should be learning to be proactive.

I agree.

UEA could be a great option. And it's an easy train journey from there to Cambridge.

DD2 considered UEA when looking at CS and that department was very impressive. They ran the best offer holders day we went to.

Looks like they do an interesting BSc in Economics, behaviour and data science.

Really useful posts above.

FWIW I have always thought highly of Bath. I also note no one has mentioned Sheffield. I have known some successful SEN doctoral students who were well served as UGs there.

I am partly writing to echo PP’s warning about the cold, harsh world of admissions to Economics in the top programmes. Stated entry requirements are often minimums, and every year this Board contains several sad threads from understandably distraught mums of candidates with PGs of three or four A stars - far in excess of entry requirements - who got no offers.

Of course these applicants could have included a more grounded Insurance choice. This is something to keep in mind.

Data Science can be competitive, but not to nearly the same extent.

DD might want to join the online forum The Student Room. She can ask whatever she likes, including questions about SEN provision, applications to Economics, Data Science and other degree programmes, of current undergraduates. Responses are generally very thoughtful.

To be fair - Southampton did this talk at an offer holders’ event rather than open event. Maybe other unis do similar so you might not see it on an open day.

Loughborough would be worth considering. Students can apply to live in halls for all three years and there is strong pastoral support within the halls (Warden, Sub Wardens as well as the Hall Managers). There is also support available via Student Services and there is a dedicated Chaplaincy based on campus. It’s a friendly campus within a market town that has good transport links to larger cities (Leicester, Nottingham etc) both locally and further afield (under 2 hours to London by train).

I have recently visited load of unis with my child and out of all the ones we looked at, UEA came across, to me, as the most 'kind' and ND friendly, which you'd think would also indicate positive support for MH concerns. A family member graduated from there recently and agrees. My own child didn't like it and didn't apply as did not like the 60s brutalist architecture, but if they can get past that it might be a good option.

Perhaps surprisingly, the one that also made multiple references to mental health support, getting support, N
importance of MH at uni etc and took us to a dedicated student wellbeing centre was Exeter Uni.

Bath and Loughborough both seemed generally friendly and supportive. Bath had a very good pre application extenuating circumstances process which asked about mental health (my child that applied there this year has a physical health issue but used same form).

I have a child at Southampton and whilst he is very independent and would never ask for support, even if he needed it, I know one of his course leaders is autistic and is very pro positive support for ND students, so again, might indicate positive MH support.

As I say though, the only one that explicitly signposted mental health support and initiatives and desire to support students MH was Exeter.

Sheffield has an excellent reputation for student wellbeing and has the advantage of being very close to the m1 making access easy, as well as good rail links

UCL! It's fantastic for economics too. I'm a woman with autism (though didnt know it at the time), but while there I had some mental health issues and they were fantastic. Not with formal support structures or that kind of thing, but the faculty were incredibly kind and understanding, let me have time out without it affecting my grades, just generally very kind. Also stayed in halls there for year 1 and had a lovely time!

Bath - my Dd has a physical health issue and support has been very good.

Southampton has been really great and supportive for a couple of people we know

Niece studied joint Economics & Maths at Liverpool & found both academic & pastoral support very lacking. Suggest she avoids.

Those people saying Sheffield, do you mean Sheffield University or Sheffield Hallam? Nephew is looking at Sheffied Hallam

Lancaster is excellent and students can stay in halls in their own college for all three years.