SEND and Inclusion Week: Managing mental health and wellbeing while navigating college and university

To mark SEND and Inclusion Week at Capital City College (CCC) we spoke to former student Yasir Ahmed about his experience of accessing mental health support as a student.

After completing his GCSEs at a faith school in East London, Yasir joined Capital City College (CCC) on a BTEC course before switching to A Levels, which he completed during the height of the pandemic. He then went on to study Psychology at the University of Birmingham, where he is currently in his final year.

Yasir suffers from anxiety and depression and has received support from the college, his university, and the mental health charity Mind. He recently returned to CCC as a volunteer for Mind at the Mental Health and Wellbeing Fair, where he spoke to students about the support available to them.

What courses did you study at CCC?

I started off doing a BTEC in Applied Science at the Angel Campus. I’m mainly interested in Biology and Psychology, and I went on that course thinking I would learn about stuff like that, but it was more focused on Physics and Chemistry. While those are good subjects to study, it wasn’t the kind of thing I was interested in, so I switched to A Level courses at the King’s Cross centre. I took History, Psychology and Sociology and I really enjoyed those subjects.

What did you enjoy about the college?

I liked my A-level teachers, had nice classmates and it was a good environment that allowed me to thrive. It was different to my secondary school environment, which had been a strict all-boys faith school in East London. The college was mixed and more laid-back, so I enjoyed that change. I was performing well in all my classes and getting high grades, so I established myself quite quickly with classmates and I think all my teachers saw good potential in me. 

What was challenging about your courses and your time at college?

I think the courses in general had their own challenges. Studying A-Levels was significantly more challenging than GCSEs so I did find it overwhelming and had to find my feet again. At first, I struggled with keeping up with the amount of work, especially with History, which is very content heavy, but gradually it got better and more manageable.

I did my A-Levels during coronavirus, so it was a very hectic time for us all. A lot of the studying was online, so that wasn’t ideal, but I think the college made it work well given the circumstances. The other challenging aspect of college was being able to actually fit in with others as I was good at my subjects and was asked for help often, but I used to be really quiet and to myself in class because of my anxiety, so that was something I had struggled with, getting out of my comfort zone. 

How did the college support you?

The support I got from the college was good. We got bursaries as I had financial difficulties back then, so that helped. My A-level Psychology teacher was also my personal tutor. She knew me really well and was a great help. She knew me as a student that was doing quite well, but she also knew about my mental health issues, and it was nice to have someone who knew about and understood these struggles to confide in. It was easy to be open with her about my issues, though I was reluctant initially, but she helped me manage it throughout.

How did you find the transition from college to university? 

I’ll be honest – it was very daunting. I’d moved to a different city that I had hardly any knowledge of, so it was scary. It was a very big step, I had to navigate moving out, going into new accommodation, getting to grips with uni life and it was hard. It was not until my second year of uni that I felt more comfortable, I didn’t make much use of society events, volunteering opportunities and extracurriculars in my first year. Once I had got myself out there more and getting involved in those things, uni life became far easier and more enjoyable.

What have been the most memorable moments whilst at university? 

Before I began uni, I was told by one of my friends who had already started that I would make lifelong friends, and it is so true. Making friends at uni was a major struggle, but the friends I did make all came at different points and naturally. I find that making close connections happens best when you are not actively looking for them, so I would say do not worry about big friendship groups and making no friends at the start, it takes time and is stressful, but they will come when you least expect it and in the most bizarre ways.

I also used to talk with many of my lecturers a lot after lectures, during office hours and even just casually, to the point where they knew me by name, would say “Hi” to me on campus and recognised me so much because of our intellectual discussions and me constantly probing them with my curious questions. They like it when students do this as it shows you are actively engaging and trying, so they are more willing to help you.

Developing those meaningful connections with academics has benefited me greatly, especially regarding progression, future opportunities and knowing established researchers in your field.

How did you approach the challenges associated with that transition?

I tried to handle some of the challenges pre-emptively. I took a gap year and worked full-time for a year after my A-levels so that I had some time to manage my finances and so that I could pay my living costs better when I got to uni as student finance usually is not enough. But when I actually got to uni, there were different challenges. It wasn’t just financial – it was new living responsibilities, it was loneliness, it was homesickness.

I didn’t think it was normal, but it’s something a lot of university students experience. I thought I could handle it myself, so I didn’t seek help straight away, but after a couple of months my mental health took a bad turn, so I reached out to my personal tutor at uni. 

What support have you been able to access while at uni?

My personal tutor directed me to the wellbeing team at the university, and then that’s when all the support started coming. I heard about the Disabled Students Allowance and the Chamberlain Award, which provided significant financial support, and both were very helpful. I also learnt about legal rights to reasonable adjustments for disabled students, like extra time in exams, extensions, as well as late penalty waivers, extenuating circumstances and academic appeals.

I was due to graduate last summer, however, due to a significant mental health relapse during my final year, I am currently on an external resit year, which the EC and appeals process really helped me to manage and gives me the opportunity to achieve the grades I truly deserve.

When I returned home to London in July last year, my mum also introduced me to Mind because she had got support from them as well and I started accessing their support. It was something I was a bit nervous about doing, but I’m glad I did it. The people are nice and it’s good to have a space where you can just enjoy yourself – it takes away that stress in your life. It’s given me a reason to go out and communicate with others, so it’s been very beneficial.

What advice would you have for students who are struggling with their mental health?

A lot of students think they can handle these things alone, but there are a lot of mental health and financial support systems at university and at academic institutions in general. I’m about to graduate this summer, but I don’t think I would have been able to get through my course without the reasonable adjustments I had in place as a disabled student. Once I made the university aware of my mental health challenges, they were able to support me significantly through it.

What would you like to do in the future?

My interests are primarily psychology, mental health and how humans develop over time. I’m currently applying for a master’s at UCL in Educational and Developmental Psychology – so that’s the field I want to work in. I am also interested in the social, financial and cultural factors that impact mental health outcomes. All these interests come from my experiences, so there’s a sense of wanting to give back and wanting to improve things for people with the same/similar experiences. My goal is to become a researcher in mental health and human development, so I think it’s good to have both personal and academic experience to drive meaningful changes.

If you feel that you’re struggling with depression, anxiety or notice that your mental health is suffering for any reason, don’t be afraid to ask for help.

If you’re a Capital City College (CCC) student, you can get in touch with the Support and Wellbeing team, who are there to help students with advice and information. 

We also have a detailed and informative blog on 10 ways to look after your mental health: Our top tips for mental wellbeing. There are a range of external organisations such as Mind, Young Minds, The Mix, Childline, Saneline and Samaritans who offer different types of support and resources.

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