Coming to College can be a daunting experience. There will be lots of new faces and this could be the first time you’ve been split up from your friends since primary school. This short guide will hopefully make everything seem a little bit easier...

Talk!

On your first day you will find that lots of people will be in the same boat as you, so you will not be the only nervous one. Although most of our students have friends from school that come to the College, they might all be in different classes - or even different campuses! When you start your course don’t be afraid to talk to people. Your class mates will appreciate you making the first move and this can be a quicker way of getting to know the people that you’ll be spending the next two years with.

Set a goal

Challenge yourself to talk to a new person every day, whether this be at the bus stop, in your class, or in the library. The more people you chat to the more likely it is that you’ll find someone with similar interests, and make friends. By talking and hanging out with different people, you’ll get to meet their friends as well and this will be a great way to expand your social group.

Get to know people outside of class

When your class finishes see if anyone wants to hang out in the canteen, or go to one of the College's cafes for a Starbucks or Costa. This can be a great way of getting to know each other in a more relaxed environment, and also means you won’t be hanging around on your own while you wait for your next class. If you take the initiative by asking your class mates then you can build connections and you’ll soon make friends.

Join a club

There are lots of sports teams and clubs which you can join when you come to Weston College, and this can be an effective way of meeting like-minded people. You will already have something in common and if you don’t bond with the people on your course, then this can be another great way of meeting new people.

Be yourself

You'll be studying alongside people with the same interests and ambitions of you, so just be yourself and you'll naturally bond with the people on your course. Don't forget - if you ever want to talk to someone at the College or need help settling in - our expert welfare and pastoral support teams are on hand to help!

As part of your learning experience at Weston College you'll have access to the full Microsoft Office 365 online dashboard.

Simply use your College login (given to you during enrolment) to access a range of features...

Help and advice for using Microsoft Office 365 apps and software is available through the LibraryPlus service at each of our main campuses.

You can book a one-to-one session with a LibraryPlus learning technologist to help you get the most from Office 365.

Students at Weston College are preparing their end of year performances, and looking to borrow props for their performances.

Performing and Production Arts students from the College are putting on two productions as their end of year performances, sourcing all props for the shows themselves. They are therefore looking to borrow props from the local community throughout May in order to bring their performances to life.

Both productions will be performed by students, however their sets are also being designed by Production Arts Technical students who are working hard to bring their vision into reality and make the sets as authentic as possible.

One group of 13 Level 3 students will be performing the play Two by Jim Cartwright, which is set in a pub in North England in the 1980s. In the play, 13 colourful and real characters are brought to life and let you into their lives, highlighting the ups and downs of relationships and the complex range of human emotion. As the night unfolds, the audience is lead into the Landlady and Landlords tragic secret.

The students are looking to source the following props:

• 5 - 10 bar stools (short)
• 2 bar stools (tall)
• 5 wooden round tables (pub style)
• Darts board
• Juke box
• 3 beer taps – need to be able to fix to a bar top and pull down, but will not be ‘working’
• Empty spirit bottles (clear & brown)
• 1 big old red carpet/rug (pub style)
• 5-7 period ashtrays.
•  

The students’ performance of Two will take place on 15 and 16 May at 1:30pm and 7pm at the Berkoff Theatre, based at the College’s Knightstone Campus.

Tickets are just £5 on the door.

The second show is Fiddler on the Roof, which 20 Level 3 students have been working on. The show is set in 1905 imperial Russia and tells the story of a poor milkman trying to protect his five daughters and instil them with traditional values in the face of a changing world. The students are looking to embody an old and rustic set design, and are sourcing the following props:

• 3-4 milk churns
• 1 old fashioned sewing machine
• 2 small wooden bar tables
• 1 sturdy hand farm cart.

Their performance of Fiddler on the Roof will take place on 16 May at 7pm, and 17 May at 1:30pm and 7pm at The Blakehay Theatre. Tickets are £10 and available to purchase from the box office.

Jonathan Swindall, Subject Area Manager for Visual Arts in Practice, said: “The students have all worked really hard to put their end of year shows together and we are extremely proud of the progress they have made.

“As our Production Arts Technical students are also doing the set design, we are appealing to the community to lend us a few props to help make every part of their productions spectacular and reflect all the work they have been putting into these shows.”

All props need to be available for the students to collect by Friday 11 May, and will be returned safely to their owners week commencing Monday 21 May.

Could anyone who is happy to lend props to the students please contact jonathan.swindall@weston.ac.uk or peter.tyler@weston.ac.uk