10 Sep 07

The Oxford University Student Union is welcoming first year students before they even arrive with a newly launched website aimed at helping them settle in to their new life. The website called oxfordfreshers.org guides new undergraduate and postgraduate students through the tricky business of getting their finances sorted as well as giving them firsthand advice on managing the workload. It also provides key dates for the diary with information about Freshers' Week and some of the major RAG events.

OUSU set up a Facebook group over a month ago, which attracted 1,000 members who provided the initial traffic for the new website. The website has had nearly 2,000 hits since its launch two weeks ago and is proving to be a popular resource for current and prospective students.

Students logging onto oxfordfreshers.org can benefit from a section called 'Getting your finances sorted' where they can find a guide compiled by the Student Union's Vice-President (Welfare), Louise Randall, on how to apply for funding before term starts. Study skills and the pressures of the undergraduate workload are also dealt with, with tips on how to cope with reading lists and the best way to tackle decisions about choosing options. The website makes new students aware of the role played by OUSU and the services available to them through the Student Union.

OUSU plans to expand the oxfordfreshers.org website, which will eventually become the main website keeping its original domain name ousu.org. The freshers' website is a testing ground for the redesigned ousu.org site, which will go live on 17 September.

OUSU President Martin McCluskey said: 'The site is just another way that the Student Union can support students and make sure they make the most out of their time at Oxford. We're hoping as well that the new ousu.org site will provide useful resources for Common Room Officers. We're going to have a wikipedia style section of the site where they'll be able to log in and exchange information, discuss the issues they're facing and share best practice. Our online shop will also be launching soon, selling matriculation caps and undergraduate gowns as well as tickets for our entz events and our brand new range of college-branded clothing.'