Where do students usually get help with assignments or dissertations?
Hi everyone!
I’ve noticed many students feel overwhelmed during assignment or dissertation season, especially international students juggling deadlines and unfamiliar academic styles.
Out of curiosity, where do most of you go when you need support? Do you use freelance sites like Fiverr/Upwork, ask friends for help, or prefer hiring a tutor or editor?
Also, is there any demand for guided support – like proofreading, formatting, or helping structure essays properly? I'm working on building something around this and would love to understand what’s really needed.
Any honest opinions or experiences are welcome 😊
Thanks in advance!
I’ve noticed many students feel overwhelmed during assignment or dissertation season, especially international students juggling deadlines and unfamiliar academic styles.
Out of curiosity, where do most of you go when you need support? Do you use freelance sites like Fiverr/Upwork, ask friends for help, or prefer hiring a tutor or editor?
Also, is there any demand for guided support – like proofreading, formatting, or helping structure essays properly? I'm working on building something around this and would love to understand what’s really needed.
Any honest opinions or experiences are welcome 😊
Thanks in advance!
Reply 1
Original post
by Imran989Hi everyone!
I’ve noticed many students feel overwhelmed during assignment or dissertation season, especially international students juggling deadlines and unfamiliar academic styles.
Out of curiosity, where do most of you go when you need support? Do you use freelance sites like Fiverr/Upwork, ask friends for help, or prefer hiring a tutor or editor?
Also, is there any demand for guided support – like proofreading, formatting, or helping structure essays properly? I'm working on building something around this and would love to understand what’s really needed.
Any honest opinions or experiences are welcome 😊
Thanks in advance!
I’ve noticed many students feel overwhelmed during assignment or dissertation season, especially international students juggling deadlines and unfamiliar academic styles.
Out of curiosity, where do most of you go when you need support? Do you use freelance sites like Fiverr/Upwork, ask friends for help, or prefer hiring a tutor or editor?
Also, is there any demand for guided support – like proofreading, formatting, or helping structure essays properly? I'm working on building something around this and would love to understand what’s really needed.
Any honest opinions or experiences are welcome 😊
Thanks in advance!
Hi @Imran989
I have just finished my first year at uni and I know at LJMU there are numerous support teams available to assist with all types of things and therefore I assume that most universities offer a similar kind of support.
At LJMU there is an academic skills team who are available to offer advice on things such as studying for exams and writing assignments. They offer classes on assignment planning and note-making, critical analysis and academic writing, using maths and statistics in your assignments, and doing research and writing for your dissertation. There are also drop in sessions for quick questions and specific questions and 1-1 appointments are available as-well!
Teams are available to help with exam stress as-well and an email is provided for those that would rather online over face to face.
I think LJMU are very good for student support, there are a lot of services available which is amazing for anyone who requires it! I am not sure what the situation is at other universities however, but I can imagine most offer some form of support for its students.
I hope this response has helped give you a bit more of an insight, let me know if you have any other questions and I will be more than happy to help!
Thanks, Matt 🙂
Official LJMU Student Rep
Reply 2
The problem with the majority of the paid services above is how readily they’ll dip in and out of academic integrity policies. I’ve also seen more than one person blackmailed after paying for assistance.
A good answer from LJMU above, making use of those won’t risk you binning your entire degree.
A good answer from LJMU above, making use of those won’t risk you binning your entire degree.
Reply 3
Original post
by Imran989Hi everyone!
I’ve noticed many students feel overwhelmed during assignment or dissertation season, especially international students juggling deadlines and unfamiliar academic styles.
Out of curiosity, where do most of you go when you need support? Do you use freelance sites like Fiverr/Upwork, ask friends for help, or prefer hiring a tutor or editor?
Also, is there any demand for guided support – like proofreading, formatting, or helping structure essays properly? I'm working on building something around this and would love to understand what’s really needed.
Any honest opinions or experiences are welcome 😊
Thanks in advance!
I’ve noticed many students feel overwhelmed during assignment or dissertation season, especially international students juggling deadlines and unfamiliar academic styles.
Out of curiosity, where do most of you go when you need support? Do you use freelance sites like Fiverr/Upwork, ask friends for help, or prefer hiring a tutor or editor?
Also, is there any demand for guided support – like proofreading, formatting, or helping structure essays properly? I'm working on building something around this and would love to understand what’s really needed.
Any honest opinions or experiences are welcome 😊
Thanks in advance!
Hi @Imran989
I study at the University of Chester, and similar to LJMU we have a really fantastic student support system. There is a team - the academic skills team - who will provide loads of student support for academic skills. The team create a podcast on a regular basis that covers a huge range of topics, both numeracy based and literacy, so that every subject area is represented. The staff have PhDs in a variety of subjects, including English and Geography, and some work concurrently as tutors in academic departments too. Students are able to book sessions in groups, individually and can repeatedly rebook with the advisor for subsequent help. There is a super website too that has guides and 'lessons' that students can do in order to develop the skills that they feel that they are lacking. Obviously this way, the advice is available for when ever the students need.
The department have a strong presence on social media too, putting out posts giving short snippets of academic writing etc advice on a regular basis.
Chester also has a Royal Literary Fund Fellow who is invaluable at giving impartial writing advice. Again, the RLF is available for students to book in with as often as they need, and we can return for unlimited appointments.
Chester also has a subscription with the resource Dr App that helps Postgrad students with their studies.
Although I only have first hand experience of my own tutors in the English department, I think the tutors at Chester are brilliant too. We can make appointments to see the tutors who are always keen to help us with our work. My friends in other subject areas have assured me that they too have had the same experience as I have, so I think my first stop for assistance would be my tutor.
I hope this helps!
Jess
PhD English
University of Chester
Original post
by Imran989Hi everyone!
I’ve noticed many students feel overwhelmed during assignment or dissertation season, especially international students juggling deadlines and unfamiliar academic styles.
Out of curiosity, where do most of you go when you need support? Do you use freelance sites like Fiverr/Upwork, ask friends for help, or prefer hiring a tutor or editor?
Also, is there any demand for guided support – like proofreading, formatting, or helping structure essays properly? I'm working on building something around this and would love to understand what’s really needed.
Any honest opinions or experiences are welcome 😊
Thanks in advance!
I’ve noticed many students feel overwhelmed during assignment or dissertation season, especially international students juggling deadlines and unfamiliar academic styles.
Out of curiosity, where do most of you go when you need support? Do you use freelance sites like Fiverr/Upwork, ask friends for help, or prefer hiring a tutor or editor?
Also, is there any demand for guided support – like proofreading, formatting, or helping structure essays properly? I'm working on building something around this and would love to understand what’s really needed.
Any honest opinions or experiences are welcome 😊
Thanks in advance!
Hi there! 😊
Feeling overwhelmed during assignment/deadline season is definitely something I have experienced, and know it can be a difficult time for many with the pressures that come with it. Depending on the support I need there is a few different options.
For academic support:
•
Department staff such as relevant lecturers, personal tutors, module leaders, and programme leaders - we are able to contact these via email, or can book 1:1 meetings online or in-person to discuss any issues in more detail. One of the things that drew me to my university was how available the staff were to support students with their studies and this has been my most valuable resource so far!
•
Academic skills support - at the University of Salford we have a range of different skills support services (linked here), such as workshops, 1:1 appointments and short-courses. My personal favourite of these is the Wordscope course provided by the Library covering a range of writing topics which are really useful for improving your work on written assignments, particularly at Higher Education level.
For wellbeing support, we have a wide range of student support services who can help with any issues whether with university or more personal. We access these through one core service that we call AskUS, who can help us with whatever we need or direct us to whichever service is most appropriate. This could include things like wellbeing and counselling support, disability inclusion services, financial advice, accommodation issues or urgent and specialist support. They are generally the home for support on anything that's not academic 😊
I've had a really positive experience with accessing any support I need during my time at university so far and have found all these services really helpful. Particularly as a mature student returning to education after a big gap, student support has been really key.
Hope that gives some insight!
Becky
University of Salford Student Rep
Hello there!
You are absolutely right that many students feel overwhelmed during assignment and dissertation periods, and it is great you are thinking about how to help them.
Most students get support from university services like writing centres, library workshops, or learning advisors, while many also ask friends for feedback or form study groups to help with structuring and understanding assignments.
Some students pay for private tutors for guidance.
There is a clear need for guided, ethical support that helps students learn how to structure essays, develop arguments, reference correctly, and polish their work without breaching plagiarism policies.
I hope this helps!
Kind regards,
Reka - Coventry University Student Ambassador
You are absolutely right that many students feel overwhelmed during assignment and dissertation periods, and it is great you are thinking about how to help them.
Most students get support from university services like writing centres, library workshops, or learning advisors, while many also ask friends for feedback or form study groups to help with structuring and understanding assignments.
Some students pay for private tutors for guidance.
There is a clear need for guided, ethical support that helps students learn how to structure essays, develop arguments, reference correctly, and polish their work without breaching plagiarism policies.
I hope this helps!
Kind regards,
Reka - Coventry University Student Ambassador
Reply 6
Original post
by Imran989Hi everyone!
I’ve noticed many students feel overwhelmed during assignment or dissertation season, especially international students juggling deadlines and unfamiliar academic styles.
Out of curiosity, where do most of you go when you need support? Do you use freelance sites like Fiverr/Upwork, ask friends for help, or prefer hiring a tutor or editor?
Also, is there any demand for guided support – like proofreading, formatting, or helping structure essays properly? I'm working on building something around this and would love to understand what’s really needed.
Any honest opinions or experiences are welcome 😊
Thanks in advance!
I’ve noticed many students feel overwhelmed during assignment or dissertation season, especially international students juggling deadlines and unfamiliar academic styles.
Out of curiosity, where do most of you go when you need support? Do you use freelance sites like Fiverr/Upwork, ask friends for help, or prefer hiring a tutor or editor?
Also, is there any demand for guided support – like proofreading, formatting, or helping structure essays properly? I'm working on building something around this and would love to understand what’s really needed.
Any honest opinions or experiences are welcome 😊
Thanks in advance!
Hi there,
I would agree with what everyone else has said here, that mos students tend to get help from the teams at their university.
At Hallam, everyone gets assigned an academic advisor who they can go to whenever they need help or guidance with their work. They are there to help you with your work specifically, so it is a good person to go to when you need help. There are also other academic teams you can go to for support too.
The library also holds regular support sessions for students too where you can go and get help with a specific area of your work, for example critical writing or referencing. This is also really helpful for students and lots of people make sue of this!
Hallam also uses a service called studiosity where you can submit your work and it will be checked over by academics for spelling and grammar errors. I think you can submit 4 pieces per academic year so lots of students will use this, although this isn't as much of a help with thinking of what to write, structure etc.
Many people will also go to their tutors for help or ask for help in seminars. In my experience, they have always been willing to help with this and will answer any questions. There are sometimes opportunities for formative feedback too which are really helpful.
I hope some of this helps,
Lucy -SHU student ambassador 🙂
Reply 7
Original post
by Imran989Hi everyone!
I’ve noticed many students feel overwhelmed during assignment or dissertation season, especially international students juggling deadlines and unfamiliar academic styles.
Out of curiosity, where do most of you go when you need support? Do you use freelance sites like Fiverr/Upwork, ask friends for help, or prefer hiring a tutor or editor?
Also, is there any demand for guided support – like proofreading, formatting, or helping structure essays properly? I'm working on building something around this and would love to understand what’s really needed.
Any honest opinions or experiences are welcome 😊
Thanks in advance!
I’ve noticed many students feel overwhelmed during assignment or dissertation season, especially international students juggling deadlines and unfamiliar academic styles.
Out of curiosity, where do most of you go when you need support? Do you use freelance sites like Fiverr/Upwork, ask friends for help, or prefer hiring a tutor or editor?
Also, is there any demand for guided support – like proofreading, formatting, or helping structure essays properly? I'm working on building something around this and would love to understand what’s really needed.
Any honest opinions or experiences are welcome 😊
Thanks in advance!
Hey @Imran989
Feeling overwhelmed during deadline or dissertation season is something many university students go through. As an international student myself, I totally get where you are coming from, the different academic system and way of learning can add to the pressure. I've just completed my second year studying Business Management at the University of Southampton, and I am really happy to share a few things that helped me along the way!
As others have mentioned, I think most students tend to get support from the dedicated teams at university. There’s a lot of support available, and from my experience, it really makes a difference when you reach out!
At the University of Southampton, we have a wide range of support services available for students. Each student is assigned a Personal Academic Tutor, someone you can talk to about both academic and personal issues. They can be contacted via email for 1:1 sessions and, in my experience, are always happy to help! I’ve reached out to mine a few times and they were genuinely supportive and happy to offer guidance.
The Student Hub can be contacted 24/7 via email or phone. They provide helpful support and guidance on any questions related to exams, assessments, accommodation, fees and finance, and much more! They also have a dedicated wellbeing and disability support team. You can always contact the student hub if you need someone to talk to! They’re kind, understanding, and super quick to respond.
There is also the academic skills hub which provides advice to students on a variety of study-related topics, such as time management, critical thinking, exam preparation, presentation skills, and notetaking. They also provide support with academic writing (such as critical analysis, structure, different assignment types and genres, writing styles and understanding feedback), and mathematical and statistical skills. They have an online resource bank and regular writing cafes and drop-in sessions. I attended one of their writing cafés before submitting a big assignment, and honestly, it made the whole process feel less intimidating.
Moreover, the professors and tutors are very approachable and helpful as well. I usually email them with my questions or just talk to them after lectures and seminars and they have always been willing to support and answer my queries.
I hope this helps!
All the best,
Akshita
(University of Southampton Student Rep)
Reply 8
Original post
by Imran989Hi everyone!
I’ve noticed many students feel overwhelmed during assignment or dissertation season, especially international students juggling deadlines and unfamiliar academic styles.
Out of curiosity, where do most of you go when you need support? Do you use freelance sites like Fiverr/Upwork, ask friends for help, or prefer hiring a tutor or editor?
Also, is there any demand for guided support – like proofreading, formatting, or helping structure essays properly? I'm working on building something around this and would love to understand what’s really needed.
Any honest opinions or experiences are welcome 😊
Thanks in advance!
I’ve noticed many students feel overwhelmed during assignment or dissertation season, especially international students juggling deadlines and unfamiliar academic styles.
Out of curiosity, where do most of you go when you need support? Do you use freelance sites like Fiverr/Upwork, ask friends for help, or prefer hiring a tutor or editor?
Also, is there any demand for guided support – like proofreading, formatting, or helping structure essays properly? I'm working on building something around this and would love to understand what’s really needed.
Any honest opinions or experiences are welcome 😊
Thanks in advance!
Hi @Imran989
I used support available at my university. My department ran several lectures during my final year to support me with my research project and I was able to submit a draft section to my supervisor to receive feedback before I sent in my final submission.
I had already been provided a lot of advice and feedback regarding academic writing during the previous two years of my degree. I was provided resources on referencing so I knew what would be expected of me, and I wrote several essays and lab reports which allowed me to practise academic writing and improve.
In my first year I had a peer mentor in the year above who helped me adapt to university life and gave me advice and my academic tutor also ran some first year tutorials regarding referencing and plagiarism. Lancaster offers an academic peer mentoring scheme to provide additional support - as mentioned in the messages above most universities will offer a similar opportunity!
The only other thing I'd say is I'd sometimes have a friend or family member proofread my final submissions to check for any final spelling, grammar, or formatting issues that I may have missed (not the actual content of the work).
I personally would not pay a freelancer for support, or hire a tutor, as I can access so many free resources. I also would not want to use services of someone outside of my university to avoid scams and potentially compromising my academic integrity. Academic writing is a skill to be learnt throughout your degree so it's unlikely your first essay will be amazing - however, if you work on the feedback received it's likely your next essay will be much better!
Rebecca (Lancaster Student Ambassador)
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