This week, two talks are on offer to help students through the stresses of the exams period:   ‘Understanding Stress’  will explain what stress is, why it happens and most importantly,  how you can minimise its effects on your academic study and maintain your health.  Open to all students, the talk is taking place on Wednesday 20^th  April  at 3.00pm in Carrington 101.  Students who have been to this talk have said it is  “very good for stress management strategies, clearly delivered, good questions and answers” and that the “information given is phenomenal – it is the kind of information all students need to cope”.    

This talk is followed on Thursday by:  ‘Stop Procrastination!’ which will provide students with advice about getting work started and handed in on time.  The talk will be on Thursday 21^st  April at 2.00pm, also in Carrington 101.  Students who have attended this talk in the past commented that it:  “is very helpful;  targets specific ‘conflict’ areas and teaches you how to resolve the problem effectively”, “it’s a great short start to a more positive attitude to work.”  One student added, “the talk was ‘spot on’.  It was really what I was experiencing and it was good to get what I was feeling into perspective.”

These talks are both part of the ‘Life Tools’  series run by Student Wellbeing. There is no need to book a place – students should just come along to either talk on the day. 

Further talks will be run in the coming weeks on: Increasing Concentration; Managing exams pressure; Getting a good night’s sleep and Mindfulness for stress reduction. 

Henley Business School are delighted to announce their prestigious MBA Scholarship competition which provides the chance to win a fully-funded place on the Henley Executive or Flexible Executive MBA programme starting in September/October 2016.

Now in its fourth year, the scholarship is a collaboration between Henley, the 30% Club and the Financial Times which is designed to pave the way to a greater visibility of women in leadership across all industry positions and reflects Henley’s mission to encourage and increase gender balance.

To enter, participants need to provide:

• An 800-word opinion piece entitled, ‘How will women shape the future of business over the coming ten years?’ The article should consider factors such as globalisation, technology and evolving societal attitudes.
• A video clip (maximum 60 seconds) which answers the following: ‘Which words tend to be those used to describe successful women versus successful men? How does the vocabulary differ? Does it depend on whether a man or a woman is speaking? Do the age, level of education, nationality and background of the speaker or person being described matter? What impact do the words used have on the advancement of women in the workplace?’ The video can include several speakers. Videos should be shot on a smartphone and will only be judged on content and the creativity displayed in using this medium.

The deadline for entry is 5pm on Tuesday 3 May 2016. Entries should be sent to mba@henley.ac.uk entitled ‘Women in Leadership Scholarship application’. Up to 10 finalists will be shortlisted from all entries received by the deadline. A panel of judges will choose the winning entrant who will be notified by the end of June 2016.

For further information, see the Women in Leadership Scholarship page.

Published on the BBC News website on 23rd March – ‘Nearly a third of the UK’s biggest companies largely rely on personal networks to identify new board members, the study by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) found. Most roles are not advertised, it said. “Our top boards still remain blatantly male and white,” said EHRC commissioner Laura Carstensen. The study, which looked at appointment practices in the UK’s largest 350 listed firms, which make up the FTSE 100 and FTSE 250, found more than 60% had not met a voluntary target of 25% female board members.’

Relying on personal networks to identify new members is not just limited to the UK’s biggest companies.  What can be done to change this?

THE WELLBEING CAFE in the RUSU Study (behind Cafe Mondiale).  This Wednesday (23rd March) – 1 to 2.30

Have the right intentions but end up leaving revision to the last minute?

Make revision plans but never stick to them?

Concerned about whether you are revising the right things?

Worried that nothing is going in?

DON’T PANIC! – come along to this friendly session on how to make your revision more effective and efficient. Michelle from Study Advice will be sharing some tips, strategies and planners to help you set realistic revision goals and make the whole process more manageable and motivating. Come along and have a coffee – and help yourself to exam success…

Many people don’t realise how making small adjustments to their everyday life can make a real difference and help them feel more able to tackle those overwhelming projects.  With this in mind, the next talk in the Life Tools programme (the last one this term) is particularly designed to help students make those changes to help them ‘feel good again’.

‘The Feel Good factor’ is on Thursday 17^th March at 1.00pm in Palmer building, room 103.  At this talk, students will be able to learn how ‘Mindfulness’ can make a difference in daily life, no matter how busy they are.  As part of the talk students will also be encouraged to take the ‘Wellbeing M.O.T.’ to see if there are areas they can work on to feel good.

Students were asked what they thought of this talk last year and the following comments come from their feedback:

“A really good lunchtime session to remind you of what you can do to feel better”

“Helpful tips and insightful thoughts and information”

Really useful.  Loved the ideas about meditation”

This talk is one of The Life Tools series run by Student Wellbeing and is a part of the Step training programme. There is no need to book a place – it is open to all students and they should just turn up on the day.