The wellbeing of our students is highly important to our faculty, therefore we are trying to improve it in all possible ways (faculty infrastructure, development of education and services available on campus).
Within the PotePillars faculty strategic plan, the WellBeing concept puts high emphasis on operating and developing the student support system, that should allow us to be able to support students in all sorts of roadblocks and hardships; thereby providing a safety net for them, be it for personal or educational issues. Student hardships can be divided into two main areas:
- problems connected to studies;
- problems connected to university life, personal life and student life in Pécs.
In this article, we have gathered those services and opportunities that serve to protect the mental health of students, support student wellbeing, be it for educational issues or something affecting another area of life.
| Category/Problem | Who to turn to? | Contact |
|---|---|---|
| Abuse, relationship issues | Pszikon | Pszikon |
| Immigration office | Admissions and Student Service Offices | Admissions and Student Service Office |
| Health issues | Centre for Occupational Medicine | Centre for Occupational Medicine |
| Health issues | Admissions and Student Service Offices | Admissions and Student Service Office |
| Personal physiotherapy | YourLife | YourLife |
| Life management, education problems | DMEDC - coaching | DMEDC - coaching |
| Life management, education problems | YourLife - Life Coaching | YourLife |
| Life management, education problems | Peer Program | Peer Program |
| Quitting smoking | YourLife | YourLife |
| Supporting students with disabilities | Support Services | Support Services |
| Questions and administration of student lockers | Admissions and Student Service Offices | Admissions and Student Service Office |
| Student support (in any topic) | Peer Program | Peer Program |
| Foreign environment | Peer Program | Peer Program |
| Legal support | Legal Clinic | Legal Clinic |
| Credit transfer | Registrar’s Office | Registrar’s Office |
| Issues of international students (student advocacy, educational issues, acclimatisation and personal support, guidance) | EGSC | EGSC EGSC Facebook |
| Life in Pécs (best places, shopping) | Peer Program | Peer program |
| Preventative consultation (expert consultation) | YourLife | YourLife |
| Sports options, free time activities | YourLife | YourLife |
| Sports options, free time activities | HÖK | HÖK Facebook HÖK webpage |
| Administration of studies | Registrar’s Office | Registrar’s Office |
| Guidance in educational, advocacy and tender issues | HÖK | HÖK Facebook HÖK webpage HÖK staff |
| Study problems, mentoring, tutoring, career coaching | Mentor Club (under construction) | Mentor Club |
| Nutrition counselling | YourLife | YourLife |
| Body composition evaluation | YourLife | YourLife |
| Scientific life | Undergraduate Research Society | Undergraduate Research Society |
Faculty support in connection with educational issues
Our students can turn to the colleagues of the Registrar’s Office with administrative issues concerning studies, progress, and credit transfer. Information about the in-person opening hours and modus operandi of the Registrar’s Office is available here: aok.pte.hu/en/egyseg/570/rolunk
The UPMS Mentor Club was founded to support students during their studies, in setbacks related to studies and their progress. The mentors of the Club can help students in administration, communication with educators and can also help them to acquire learning methods. The services include personal and group tutoring session, career advice and can help manage learning difficulties and find useful leisure activities.
The UPMS HÖK takes part in the work of the Educational Committee. The most important task of the Education Committee is evaluating requests about study matters based on the Education and Exam Regulations of the University. The Committee, made up of student members of HÖK and educators are the ones who allow for activation and passivation past the registration period, tuition fee reductions, establishing a guest student status and transferring students from other education institutes. Another task of the Committee is making suggestions to the Dean about tuition fee reduction based on social circumstances, and also reviewing tenders handed in by educators, associate professors and head of departments. In case of educational matters, the Education Rapporteur can help through the link below: aok.pte.hu/en/egyseg/680/munkatarsak.
The UPMS HÖK also represents students in the work of the Grants and Scholarships Committee. The Committee is responsible for announcing the National Higher Education Scholarship every year, and they also have to evaluate and rank the applications, and handle the administration.
The third area of student advocacy is taking part in the work of the Credit Transfer Committee. The Committee makes a decision about credit transfer based on the written request of the student and the contents of the relevant rules and regulations. Their tasks include evaluating re-applications, transfers, the justness of credit transfers from other courses and studies, for which the opinion of the subject’s teacher is also consulted.
The advocacy areas (committees) provided by HÖK are available in full here: aok.pte.hu/en/egyseg/680/rolunk/almenu/722
The faculty HÖK office is open in-person with constant opening hours.
Facebook: facebook.com/pteaokhok
The advocacy of international UPMS students (of the English and German programs) is handled by EGSC (English-German Student Council) as a part of HÖK. Members of EGSC are in close contact with the HÖK Education Rapporteur to support international students in education matters.
The faculty EGSC office is open in-person with constant opening hours.
Facebook: facebook.com/pte.aok.egsc/
Faculty support for personal (non-educational) issues
Issues non-related to education are handled by the Student Service Department, acting as a connection between students and the leadership of the university or authorities (e.g. Immigration Office). Our goal is to find a solution to every student’s problem as soon as possible. We help and support students in both administration and finding the correct platform to solve their problems as fast as possible – be that something relating to everyday life (professionals, handymen, rent problems), healthcare issues, mental health or official admin tasks.
The Hungarian, English and German Admissions and Student Service Offices are open in regular working hours for in-person consultation.
- Hungarian Admissions and Student Service Office
- English Admissions and Student Service Office
- German Admissions and Student Service Office
The basic principle of the program is peers helping peers, to make solving problems easier for students, to allow them to reach a solution faster. Our Peers are helping their fellow students with their own experience, and this is what makes the program more relatable and real. Currently there are over 40 Hungarian, German and English program Peers to choose from: both from General Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmacy courses – everyone can find the Peer most suited to their needs.
Peers can help with matters falling into these categories: peer.aok.pte.hu/en#kategoriak
Our Peers can give guidance to freshmen and higher year students in mental hygiene issues as well. “If you feel lost, a Peer will always help to cheer you up!”
Psychology Councelling – PSZIKON
The health psychology consultation is a counselling service at the University of Pécs Medical School. It aims to provide psychological support and solutions to Hungarian, English and German students in life management and study problems. The service can help those youths who are able to manage everyday life but are facing temporary hardships they cannot solve on their own. Consultation is free of charge and ensures full discretion.
Division of Medical Education Development and Communication – DMEDC
The DMEDC has started offering personal coaching services for our students. Coaching is not counselling or therapy, but a supportive conversation based on partnership that keeps the goal of the clink (student) in mind to achieve a pre-negotiated goal within a set timeframe. The coach supports and guides their client with inspiring questions in order to allow the client to give their best to the goal and reach their own solution. More information about the coaching service and application: LINK
The team at YourLife can support students in diets, physical activities, mental health and quitting smoking (yourlife.aok.pte.hu/consultation/).
Their services include body composition analysis, preventative consultations (with experts), nutrition coaching, personal physiotherapy and the support of an expert for quitting smoking. The YourLife team also offers personal Life Coaching. They support the wellbeing of our students not only with these consultations, but also with events and workshops.
We hope that this article will help navigate the UPMS student support system.
We wish you a successful exam period and closing of the semester,
the Staff of the Student Service Department.
Photo:
Dávid Verébi