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LAST REVIEWED 1 November 2023
Students
At college or university in London? Good Thinking's advice and support helps you to stay mentally healthy while you’re studying.
College or university can be an exciting time but it can also be nerve-racking and challenging to adapt to your new lifestyle. Whether you’re worried about starting a new course, feeling the pressure to get good exam results or stressed about money or finding a job, our message for you is simple: it’s OK to not feel OK.
On this page, you'll find guides, apps, podcasts and links to useful resources to help you to stay mentally healthy and make the most of your student experience.
A recent survey by The Student Room found that more than a fifth (21%) of university students say they need support for life skills such as cooking, cleaning and laundry.
With the cost of living soaring, you might also be feeling stressed about your finances – indeed, research by the National Union of Students (NUS) in July 2022 showed that one in three students in the UK has less than £50 a month left in their pocket after paying rent and bills.
As you deal with the practical challenges of student life, you might find the following resources from Good Thinking and other organisations helpful.
Starting university
- Checklist: What to pack for university (Good Thinking)
- Podcast: What you really want to know before starting uni (Good Thinking)
- Before you go to university (The Uni Guide)
- Freshers Week tips from students (The Student Room)
- Jumpstart University (various resources from The Open University and the Russell Group)
- The ultimate guide to surviving your first week of uni (The Student Room)
- University: A Freshers' survival guide (YoungMinds)
- My experience as an autistic student at university (Good Thinking guest blog)
Money worries
- How to deal with money worries at university (Good Thinking)
- The rising cost of living: How to look after your mental health (Good Thinking)
- Best money resources for students (Save the Student)
- Money management advice for students (MoneySavingExpert)
- Student Finance Zone (The Student Room)
Looking after yourself
- How to maintain a healthy, balanced diet (Good Thinking)
- Student Health App - a free app that enables you to instantly access reliable, relevant and reassuring health and wellbeing information
- International Student App - a free app for international students in the UK that contains information and tips to help you to settle into university life
Mental wellbeing advice
The Good Thinking team has created a broad range of advice in collaboration with clinical experts and subject matter specialists, which are designed to support Londoners with everyday mental health challenges. Check out our advice on:
- Stressed about exams? Focus on what you can control
- Five ways to good mental wellbeing
- Five ways to good mental wellbeing for different faith and belief communities
- The rising cost of living: How to look after your mental health (Good Thinking)
- Black students: The mental health impact of racialised experiences
- How to develop a new healthy habit
- How to establish a routine
- How to manage boredom
- Screen time: Getting the balance right
- How to get enough sleep
- How to deal with uncertainty
- How to cope with loneliness
- What's real and what's not? How to spot disinformation, misinformation and fake news
- How to connect with nature to boost your wellbeing
- Feeling angry or frustrated? Tips on managing your emotions and behaviour
- How to quit smoking and boost your mental health
Clinically validated self-assessments
If you’re feeling anxious, low, stressed or having trouble sleeping, you could take one of Good Thinking’s clinically validated self-assessments. Each assessment takes around 20 minutes and will provide you with a guiding diagnosis, helpful resources and, if necessary, relevant treatment advice:
Being a black student at college or university can come with its own unique set of challenges, some of which are encountered in the wider society (e.g. racism and prejudice) and others which are encountered specifically in the academic world (e.g. cultural conflicts with academic texts and under-representation in teaching staff).
Good Thinking is proud to have partnered with the Office for Students’ Black Students Mental Health Project to host a range of mental wellbeing resources that have been co-created with over 250 black students at London South Bank University (LSBU).
These resources address how difficult it can be for black students to talk about mental health and gain access to the right support. They also acknowledge the impact of racial microaggressions and internalised racism and provide proactive mental health practices to help minimise the negative impact of prejudice and discrimination in an academic setting.
Good Thinking users can download a range of NHS-approved apps for free to help boost your mental wellbeing. These include:
- Student Health App - a free app that enables you to instantly access reliable, relevant and reassuring health and wellbeing information
- International Student App - a free app for international students in the UK that contains information and tips to help you to settle into university life
Being kind and looking out for others is an important part of being a good friend. To help you to do this, read Good Thinking's quick guide, Looking out for your friends.
It provides guidance so you can spot the signs of anxiety, stress and other mental health conditions, check in with your friend and help them to get the support they need.
If you’d like to talk to someone about any concerns you have about your mental health, your college or university wellbeing service is a good starting point. You can use the search function on the Student Space website to find support available at your place of study – simply type in the name of your college or uni and it provides links to the services on offer.
You might also find the following websites, helplines and services useful:
- YoungMinds (mental health charity for young people)
- The Mix (support for under 25s)
- The Student Room (UK's biggest student community)
- NHS talking therapies (free NHS treatment for help with common mental health problems like stress, anxiety and depression)
- Beat (eating disorder charity)
- Brook (sexual health charity)
- Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) (suicide prevention charity)
- Frank (drugs advice)
- Hopeline UK - Papyrus (suicide prevention charity)
- Nightline (student listening service)
- Switchboard LGBT+ helpline
Helplines
- Samaritans: Call 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org (available 24/7)
- Shout: Text SHOUT to 85258 (available 24/7)
- Student Space and The Mix: Get online support (available 4pm to 11pm every day) or call 0808 808 4994 (available 3pm to 12am every day)
- London borough crisis lines (available 24/7)
Urgent, non-emergency medical advice
If you need help urgently but are not at risk of harm or serious illness, use the NHS 111 non-emergency advice online or call 111:
- NHS 111 Online
- Call 111
- Use the NHS 111 British Sign Language Service
Immediate Support
- Go to your local A&E: Find your nearest A&E
- If you feel that you need help immediately call for an ambulance: Call or text 999
We’ve worked closely with organisations such as Partnership for Young London, The Student Room and London South Bank University to co-create some of this content and ensure that our advice responds to the needs of students across London.
