New Students
The following page is for new first-year students starting in September 2012. The first section below shows you how to get started on your chosen degree programme. The second section contains the PPLS Freshers Handbook, which provides vital information about coursework and assessment, personal tutors and student support.
How to get started
There are plenty of things you should do during your first week at the University. A checklist can be found at the University’s New Students website. The items below relate directly to your degree programme.
Collect your student card
You must collect your student card, as you will need this for course enrolment. Details of where and when to collect your card can be found on the Card Services webpage.
Please note: in order for your student card to be available for collection you must have completed the University’s registration form. For more information about registering, please visit the Academic Registry website.
What you must do in Freshers Week
A Freshers Week timetable showing important events relating to your studies is provided in the document below:
- What you must do in Freshers Week (PDF, 134kb)
Choosing outside courses
The following information about choosing outside courses is contained in the welcome letter for new students sent during the summer and is provided here for reference.
During the enrolment process, students have to select a number of outside courses that they feel will complement the degree programme they have enrolled on. Please remember that students are solely responsible for their choices and no one else can do it for them.
However, there are a number of helpful resources to assist students in making their choices:
- The University’s Degree Regulations and Programmes of Study (DRPS) lists all courses available with detailed course information.
- Check the University’s online timetabling application Timetab, to ensure the courses you choose don’t clash with each other.
- The EUSA Course Reviewer website provides you with student views of the various courses on offer.
- Ask your Personal Tutor for advice on the best courses for your degree. Your tutor will ensure that your overall curriculum is within the limits allowed and that it makes sense.
- Speak to a PPLS Student Helper (identifiable by their blue shirts) at the confirmation of attendance and course enrolment session.
- The Degree Structure and how to choose your 1st year courses 2012/13 leaflet.
First Meeting of Classes
Teaching for all subject areas begins on Monday 17th September 2012. First meetings of classes will take place as follows:
| Course: | Philosophy: Morality, Rationality and Value |
| Time/Location: | 10am, George Square Lecture Theatre |
| Course: | Philosophy: Philosophy of Science |
| Time/Location: | 5.10pm, David Hume Tower (Lecture Theatre B) |
| Course: | Psychology 1 |
| Time/Location: | 11.10am, David Hume Tower (Lecture Theatre A) |
| Course: | Linguistics and English Language 1 |
| Time/Location: | 3pm, David Hume Tower (Lecture Theatre A) |
First meetings of other classes can be found on Timetab.
PPLS Freshers Handbook 2012-13
We recommend you read the handbook before you begin your degree programme and treat it as a valuable reference source throughout your first year.
View online
View the PPLS Freshers Handbook online by clicking the image below. This will open the document in a full size viewer.
Please note that you will need an up-to-date version of the Flash plug-in to view the handbook. This can be downloaded from Adobe.
Download a copy
You can download a copy of the PPLS Freshers Handbook as a PDF (requires a PDF reader such as Adobe Reader).
- PPLS Freshers Handbook 2012-13 (PDF, 248kb)
- PPLS Freshers Handbook 2012-13 (At-a-glance version) (PDF, 163kb)
This publication can be made available in alternative formats on request. Please contact the Undergraduate Teaching Office.