Our Top 5 tips for getting ready for college

The start of the new academic year is almost here, and, after the last one ended rather abruptly, we’re really looking forward to getting back to college.

Preparing for the start of this year has been… different. We’ve been busy getting our campuses ready for you to join us - or if you’re already an ESC student, then ready for you to return.

As we’ve been working away, we thought we’d suggest a few things to help you get ready too. So why not spend a few minutes reading through our Top 5 tips for starting college.

1) Returning to college safely

There is so much going on at the moment, and you probably have lots of questions about how starting or returning to college will work. Well, to help ease some of those concerns, we’ve put together a helpful guide to let you know what to expect. Returning to college guide.

As we mentioned above, we’ve been busy over the summer getting everything ready for when you join us. We’ve been making sure our campuses are clean and safe, we’ve installed hand sanitising stations and will have a one-way system in place to help minimise the risk and prevent the spread of the virus.

2) Save money on train tickets

You may still be deciding on how you’re going to get to college, but if you’re thinking of getting the train, then we can point you in the direction of half-price train tickets. For £30 each year, you can buy a 16-17 Saver which get you 50% off standard anytime, off-peak, advance and season tickets.

The Saver is valid for one year, and you can renew it until your 18th birthday. You can also download the app to keep you railcard safe.

3) Saddle up and save money on bikes

If you’re not sure about getting on public transport, then perhaps cycling to college could be the answer - it’s better for the environment and great for your health too!

Money Saving Expert, Martin Lewis, has put together lots of tips and tricks to help you save money on buying a new bike.

4) Develop digital wellness with Facebook

With more emphasis on digital skills and online learning, getting ready for the virtual requirements of college is just as important as getting ready for the physical ones.

Facebook has developed a 'Get Digital' programme to help educate and empower you to make healthy decisions, stay safe, and build resilience while online. There are five ‘pillars’ packed with resources, tools, and tips to help you find support and build online communities with your classmates.

5) Skills for the future

Earlier this year, BT launched Skills for the Future, a range of free online courses designed to help people acquire new digital skills. We took a look at some of the course and thought we'd share five of the best - perfect for helping you get a head start in your new course and get you thinking about your future.

Publishing on Linkedin for college students and young professionals - This short course gets you thinking about how you can use LinkedIn to find jobs and make new connections.

Your story, your brand - your CV - Build confidence and learn how to stand out from the crowd when applying for jobs.

Social media for business: the basics - Learn how to use social media to harness your entrepreneurial spirit and learn how to promote your business online.

Understand the basics of code - If you’re new to computing or want an extra string to your bow, then this short course will teach you the basics in coding.

Intro to digital wellbeing - This course will encourage you to adopt a healthy relationship with tech and manage your wellbeing.

And once term starts...

You’ll have access to an incredible amount of online resources through our Google for Education Suite. There’s all the favourites such as Docs, Sheets, and Slides, as well as Google Meet for video calls, and Google Classroom to complete and submit college work.

We’re also putting the finishing touches to our brand new student portal and organising some really great online Freshers’ activities. Watch this space for updates.

We can't wait to see you.