Welcome (and welcome back) to King's College in 2025. After finishing off my first year as part of this amazing community, I'm genuinely excited to have you all here again. It will certainly be an exciting year within the Academic & Careers space, with Stacey and I always looking for opportunities to improve your student experience.

For the freshers

It's nice this year to have interacted with so many of you already! Whether it was through your enrolment interview, answering email questions, or having a video chat to discuss enrolments, I have loved getting to know you so far and am keen for the year ahead.

Some quick tips from me to start the year:

Turn up as often as you can - whilst it is always tempting to choose the "I'll just watch the recording later", be aware that this is a slippery slope, and many tutorials and workshops have linked assessment pieces.

Avoid getting behind - it's amazing how quickly this semester will pass you by. It's only 13 weeks! Even more remarkable, is that in-semester exams start after 5 weeks! So it is important that you start to develop those skills to balance. Whilst embracing College life is so important early on, don't let it come completely at the expense of your academics.

Seek advice early - we're here to help! If you're looking to transfer degrees at the end of the year, come and see me to make sure you've got the best plan. If you're not sure how to start an assignment, book an appointment with Brian or ask your course tutor. There is so much support on offer here at King's, but it's up to you to access it.

For the returners

I can say it - I've officially missed you over the summer! It'll be nice to see your faces again in only a short while. I hope that if you learnt nothing else in 2024, that you realised that I am here to help. Whether you need support in your courses, figuring out your plan for the next few years, or advice when things aren't going right, you can always come and see me to talk things through.

If you've got any feedback or ideas regarding the academic support here at King's, I'd love to hear it! Whether it's the tutorial program, study spaces, or new initiatives - this is your program so I value your opinions. 

My main advice to you heading into the semester - don't be complacent. There have been many students before you who thought they have it all figured out, and don't need to put the effort in now that they are in 2nd/3rd year. Get yourself into good habits early. I would love for our College GPA to lift - in particular, those students sitting within the 4.0-5.0 range. Don't worry, I'll be in touch soon to help!

I look forward to working with you all this year and making 2025 something to remember.

Thanks,

Luke