Rise to the university challenge

LISA SALMON learns some simple ways to help your teenager make the most of student life

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HUNDREDS of thousands of teenagers will soon be starting new lives away from home after securing places at university.

That means many parents will be left worrying how their kids will cope with new academic demands and living independently.

So to help new students and their parents, sixth form and university teachers Dr Jo Phillips and Martin Griffin have written The Backpacker's Guide to University, sharing their advice on how to make the most of further education.

Martin, who's taught in sixth-form colleges and now trains teachers, says: “As parents of a teenager, we appreciate the anxiety that comes when a young person is about to go to university — it’s normal to wonder how on earth they'll cope with the demands of this new way of life.”

And Dr Phillips, who taught in sixth-form colleges before moving into higher education, and now teaches landscape architecture at the University of Sheffield, adds: “Between us, we have 45 years of experience teaching A-level and undergraduate students, and The Backpacker's Guide to University is a distillation of that experience”

Here's their advice for students and parents...

Don't just wait for instructions

Martin explains it’s important for young people to be proactive when they’re at university.

He says: “Remind your teenager that university is a journey that can be travelled in different ways.

“We use the metaphor of backpacker versus tourist - backpackers are explorers, with a bias towards action, whereas tourists wait for instruction or entertainment.