When choosing a university, it’s natural to focus on the course you’ll be studying. After all, your degree subject plays a huge role in shaping your future career. But university life is about much more than your lectures and assessments.
What happens outside the teaching and learning on your course - the support you receive, the opportunities you take part in, and the experiences that help you grow as a person - can be just as valuable as what you learn in the classroom.
At Queen Margaret University, this wider student experience is brought together through QMUEmpower.
University is more than a degree
A degree gives you subject knowledge, but university is also where you build your confidence, independence and resilience. It’s where you develop soft skills that employers value so much - like communication, teamwork, and problem-solving.
Support for your wellbeing, guidance with employment and career planning, and opportunities to get involved in student life beyond your studies all play a key role in helping you make the most of your time at university. Having access to the right support at the right time can make a real difference to how confident, capable, and prepared you feel during your studies and after graduation.
What Is QMUEmpower?
QMUEmpower is QMU’s approach to supporting students beyond their academic studies. It brings together a wide range of services, opportunities and support all carefully designed to help you succeed at university and prepare for life after graduation.
The QMUEmpower package of services connects everything available to support your personal development, wellbeing, employability and academic success, from the day you start at QMU and long after you graduate. In other words, QMUEmpower can help you become your best self.
What QMUEmpower offers
The QMUEmpower package includes:
- Personal development opportunities to help you build confidence, leadership and transferable skills. These include opportunities such as studying abroad, getting involved in student leadership roles and taking part in experiences that help you grow beyond your course.
- Health and wellbeing services to help you look after your mental and emotional wellbeing. This includes access to counselling services, wellbeing support, and digital tools such as Togetherall, helping create an environment where all students can thrive.
- Careers and employability support embedded throughout the student journey. This includes work placements, mentoring opportunities, careers workshops and access to careers advice for life, continuing even after graduation.
- Entrepreneurial and innovation opportunities for students with ideas they want to develop. Through initiatives such as the QMU Startup Studio, students can access guidance, resources and support to explore enterprise and innovation.
- Academic and learning support to help you stay on track and get the most from your studies. All students are supported by a Personal Academic Tutor (PAT), alongside access to wider learning and academic skills support, like the Effective Learning Services (ELS).
- Transition, international and financial guidance to help students settle into university life and access opportunities throughout their time at QMU, including tailored support for international students and guidance around funding and financial wellbeing.
For a full breakdown of everything included, visit the QMUEmpower webpage.
Real student experiences
What better way to demonstrate the impact of QMUEmpower than through the stories of our students themselves! At QMU, students and graduates regularly highlight how access to support, guidance and opportunities outside their course has helped them grow in confidence, manage challenges and become career ready.
As part of a group project, we were tasked with creating a video for a charity. This inspired me to carry on creating videos for charities alongside university and work, and lead to my current job as a Video Producer in the charity sector.
Find out more about Leila's QMU experience
Adjusting to a new city and university life after long educational break posed its own set of challenges, such as homesickness and navigating a new social environment. I overcame this by participating in university events, taking advantage of student support services, including counselling and wellness programs. This all played a crucial role in ensuring my wellbeing and successful adaptation to university life.
Find out more about Veronica's QMU experience
I was lucky enough to receive two Vice-Chancellor Fund grant awards, the Santander Universities Enterprise Fund and an Emerging Creatives Fund grant. These grants were instrumental in the success and financial viability of my various projects.
Find out more about James' QMU experience
My lecturers have been so supportive and have significantly enhanced my university experience. They are always seeking ways to improve my understanding of topics and enjoyment of material. They have also been tremendously helpful in assisting me to explore postgraduate options, volunteering opportunities, and jobs after graduating.
Find out more about Juliana's QMU experience
Explore more QMU experiences and student stories.
QMUEmpower in Action
For anyone attending university, it is such an important part of their life journey, and the support you receive (or don’t receive) during this time can make a lasting impact. That’s why QMUEmpower is so central to our offering at 17³Ô¹ÏÍø. It reflects our commitment to supporting each student as an individual, individuals, bringing together academic, personal, wellbeing and career support in one connected approach.
