Your first week as a student
Welcome. The first few weeks of a new course are a lot, so First Six is built for exactly this stretch — the bit where everything is new at once. This guide is a calm path through week one: a handful of small steps, in an order that makes sense, with a link out whenever you want the full detail.
You do not need to do all of this today, and you definitely do not need to do it in one sitting. If you only manage one thing, make it your timetable — the rest can wait until you want it.
Sign in, add the app to your phone, and import your timetable. That is enough for a good first week. Notifications, your first check-in, and knowing where help lives are all quick wins you can pick up whenever you have a spare minute.
Walk through it
- Sign in
There is no First Six password. You either sign in with your university login, or with a one-time link sent to your university email. Use the email address your university has on file — that is how First Six finds your enrolment and timetable. Full detail in signing in.
- Add the app to your phone
First Six runs in your browser, but adding it to your home screen makes it open like any other app and is the easiest way to get reminders later. It takes a few taps — see installing the app.
- Turn on notifications
Optional, but handy. Notifications give you a nudge before a task is due and a heads-up when staff reply to you. They are opt-in and easy to switch off, so you stay in control — see notifications and reminders.
- Open this week and see what matters now
The Today view shows what is on, what is next, and where you need to be. It is the screen most people end up opening each morning. Have a look around — there is nothing to set up here.
- Add your timetable
This is the one that powers everything else. Paste your classes from your university portal, add them by hand, or subscribe to a calendar feed if your university offers one. The importer shows you every class before saving, so you can fix anything that looks off. Walkthrough in importing from your university.
- Try the weekly check-in
Once a week, First Six asks how you are travelling. It takes under a minute: tap the face that fits, add a word if you want. There are no wrong answers, and "maybe later" is always fine. See the weekly check-in.
- Know where to get help
If a week gets hard, you do not have to work out the right door. Open Help and ask in a sentence or two — a real person at your institution replies, usually within a day. See raising a help request.
The weekly check-in is never a grade or a watchlist. Staff only ever see the whole cohort's overall picture, not your individual answer. The one thing that reaches a person is a help request you choose to send.
Quick checklist
- Sign in with your university email
- Add First Six to your phone's home screen
- Turn on notifications (optional)
- Open Today and look around
- Import your timetable
- Do your first weekly check-in
- Find the Help screen so you know where it is
Common questions
Do I really have to do all of this in week one?
No. Your timetable carries most of the value, so start there. Everything else can wait until you want it — the app introduces a little more as you go.
What if I don't have my full timetable yet?
Add what you know and fill in the rest later, or skip it for now. Nothing else depends on a complete timetable.
Will my classmates or family see anything I enter?
No. Your tasks and notes are visible only to you, and your check-ins are only ever shown to staff as a cohort total, never as an individual answer.
Related
The fastest answer is usually one question away.