November 2013 NUI Galway Launch Free Advice Booklet for First Year Students

First year students at NUI Galway can now enjoy a new free booklet which gives helpful advice on low and no cost ways to take the stress out of student life. The new publication, ‘Risky Bizzness: Student Wellbeing for Successful Students’, was commissioned by the Health Promotion Service, part of NUI Galway Student Services, which aims to assist students to reach their full potential by providing non-judgemental and up-to-date information to help students make informed decisions.

‘Risky Bizzness: Student Wellbeing for Successful Students’ is based on the popular blog riskybizzness.blogspot.ie which mixes facts and humour to encourage students to look after their health and wellbeing and boost their resilience. A healthy lifestyle has been proven to have a positive impact on grades and on a person’s ability to deal with the stresses of study, research and exams.

Like the blog, the new booklet provides information on relationships, study tips, nutrition, budgeting and much more. There are facts, ideas, contact details and also plenty of online links to articles and video clips.

Cindy Dring, Health Promotion Coordinator at NUI Galway, said: “One way to help students cope with the challenges of third-level education is to give them the knowledge they need to prevent, or to identify and address common problems. We hope that this booklet provides students with the information necessary to succeed academically and to lead full lives while at university and beyond.”

Declan Higgins, Vice-President and Welfare Officer with NUI Galway’s Students’ Union, , said: “The booklet offers students very practical advice and guidance in their day to day lives and affords them a good to guide for a variety of different resources so they know where to turn when they need to.”

The booklet was written Rab Fulton, the editor of the riskybizzness blog, with Cindy Dring, Health Promotion Coordinator, NUI Galway student services.

For more on Health Promotion in NUI Galway visit http://www.nuigalway.ie/student_services/health_promotion/. More information on Rab Fulton is available at http://rabfultonstories.weebly.com/.

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