What You’ll Learn
What you’ll learn
Prepared, connected, and supported
Academic preparation, practical insight, and early community-building to help students feel welcome before term starts.
Residential • Academic skills • Peer support • Durham experience
What You’ll Learn
The course combines academic preparation with practical insight into university life. By the end of the week, students should feel more prepared to engage with undergraduate study and more confident navigating the early stages of university life.
Academic skills
You will explore academic writing, essay structure, critical thinking, and how to work with academic materials and sources. Sessions are designed to help students move beyond description and begin developing clearer, more analytical approaches to study.
University readiness
You will gain practical insight into what studying at university involves, including independent learning, workload management, self-regulated study, and how to engage more effectively in discussion and academic argument.
Confidence and self-efficacy
A major focus of the course is helping students feel more capable and more secure in their ability to succeed. The programme encourages self-efficacy, eases feelings of uncertainty, and helps students begin university with a stronger sense of agency.
Working with others
You will also meet peers, staff, and student mentors, helping you build relationships and support networks before the start of term.
Skills for long-term success
The course equips students with habits and approaches that can support confidence and progress during the first year and beyond.