Student Counselling Centre

Career and Guidance Counsellors

Career and guidance counsellors are available to provide students with information about studies at RU, assist them in success, and help them identify their interests and strengths. Everyone can book a session with the career and guidance counsellors free of charge, but they also offer interest inventory (in Icelandic) for a small fee. 

Please book an appointment with a career and guidance counsellor via Kara Connect.

Psychologists

The team aims to promote and support students' mental, psychological and emotional health. The service is provided by clinical psychologists and MSc students in Clinical Psychology who receive professional guidance. The service is only for RU students and is free of charge. Please note that the psychologists can not offer long-term treatment or frequent sessions. Students are sometimes referred to other appropriate services within the health care system.

To request an appointment with a psychologist, please send an e-mail to   salfraedithjonusta@ru.is

Student Disability Service

Sérúrræði í námi – fyrir hverja?

( Listen)

RU’s career and guidance counsellors provide counselling and assistance for students with specific disabilities that could impact their academic success. Students seeking assistance for their particular disability must apply for academic accommodations from the University before the end of September (in the case of the autumn semester) or before the end of January (for the spring semester). All requests must be accompanied by a certificate or explanatory letter from a specialist in such conditions as:

• Visual impairment, blindness, legal blindness
• Hearing loss, deafness
• Specific learning difficulties, e.g. dyslexia
• Neuropsychological problems e.g.  ADHD, Tourette’s
• Physical Disability, e.g. disabilities or temporary mobility impairment due to an accident• Chronic illness, e.g. cancer, rheumatism, MS, MND or poor mental health

A student’s request for accommodations (longer periods for examinations, for example) is assessed by RU’s Special Resources Committee on a case-by-case basis, focusing on the student’s specific difficulties or disabilities.

Those who struggle with barriers that can be considered temporary and that can be worked with, cured or made more manageable apply for accommodations on a per-semester or per-academic year basis. Those with a permanent disability should apply for accommodations at the beginning of their studies, and they will be registered for the duration of their time at RU.

Dyslexia

To receive special accommodations, students with dyslexia must present proof of their diagnosis in the form of:

• GRP 14 diagnostic test (GRP 14H group analysis alone is not enough)
• Aston Index Reading Analysis
• LOGOS dyslexia diagnosis
• ICD 10 diagnostic criteria (used by psychologists)

A recognised professional must document the diagnosis in the same field as the student’s disability. A professional must give a diagnosis before the student’s final years of secondary education. Note that a Davis analysis is insufficient documentation of a diagnosis, as it does not offer an analysis of specific learning difficulties.

Interest & Strength Assessments

It is important to consider your interests when making decisions about studies and jobs.

Interests Inventories

Bendill — Icelandic Interest Inventory

Bendill is an Indigenous interest inventory (in Icelandic) to help young people make career choices and adults navigate career transition. Bendill promotes self-understanding about one’s interests and strengths to steer decisions about academics and careers. RU's career and guidance counsellors can administer, submit and interpret the survey.

The Bendill III survey assesses the interests of young adults embarking on post-secondary education, while the Bendill IV survey is designed for adults in the labour market.

Further information

Bendill is an electronic interest survey that returns immediate results. The survey costs ISK 6,000, paid at the RU service desk before the interview begins. Students should bring their computer to take the survey, but other arrangements can be made if that’s impossible (the counsellor must be notified in advance). Those interested in taking a Bendill survey should contact RU's Student Counselling Centre at namsradgjof@ru.is.

The VIA Character Strengths Survey

A strength test like the VIA Character Strengths Survey could provide insight to those finding it hard to identify and understand their strengths. The VIA survey measures 24 possible strengths within six categories: wisdom, courage, benevolence, justice, consideration and level of awareness.

The survey presents 120 sentences for a respondent to indicate their level of agreement with. The survey is in English, and its results are 24 common human strengths that can be classified according to whether they are top strengths, medium or less used. The survey can be taken for free at viacharacter.org

Good to know

A person’s strengths are natural abilities manifested in behaviour, emotions and thoughts. They enable a person to tackle tasks effectively and with the most successful outcome. However, research shows that only a third of people know their strengths. In figuring out what your strengths are, some questions to ask might be:

1. What am I good at?
2. What comes to me naturally?
3. What gives me energy?

A good place to start is to think about a time in life when you truly enjoyed yourself in the moment, to the point that it felt like time had flown by. You ended up feeling content and full of energy.

People naturally tend to focus on their negative traits or weaknesses rather than the positive and their strengths. Once aware of this so-called Negativity Bias, you can shift your attention to a more effective way of thinking about yourself and your strengths.

Success in Higher Education

Below, you may find links to various materials aimed at helping students achieve the best results in their university studies.

University studies can be quite challenging, and students often encounter various obstacles when entering university.

Studying at a university level often requires changing one´s study methods. Therefore, each student needs to develop good study habits. Most people have adopted certain ways of working, consciously or unconsciously. While some methods have proven successful, others might need to be changed. When beginning university studies, use the opportunity to review study habits and improve what can be done better. Remember that taking small steps is important and not expecting too many changes at once.

Learning technology is a specific aid that makes it easier for students to acquire new knowledge. Good learning technology gives students control and is a tool for saving time. Good organization, goal setting and a positive attitude are the basis for good learning techniques.

Study techniques are a specific aid that makes it easier for students to acquire new knowledge. Good study techniques give students control and are tools for saving time. Good organization, goal setting and a positive attitude are the basis for successful learning techniques.

Career Counselling

Career and guidance counselling is also available to students after graduation to assist graduates with all that’s involved with applying for jobs, like writing a CV and cover letter and preparing for job interviews.

Getting Ready

It may seem cliché, but the adage that “success is 90% preparation and 10% perspiration” is true — and that applies to writing a CV and cover letter and prepping for interviews. Career counsellors can help graduates prepare to succeed, offering advice or serving as a sounding board.

CV Writing

A well-designed CV increases the likelihood of it standing out and being read. A wide selection of CV templates are free in Word, Pages, or online. Find one suitable for your background and desired career so your CV is a true reflection of you.

Things to think about:

• Who am I?
• What qualities and abilities do I possess?
• What knowledge and skills have I acquired through my studies, previous jobs or projects?
• What am I interested in?
• Where do I see myself in the future?
• What are my goals?
• What do I have to offer above all others with the same education?

Maximise information and minimise text:

• Name and information
• Introduction
• Education
• Job experience
• Computer and language skills
• Fitness and other skills
• References

A CV should be no more than two pages long. Having someone else read it over is a good idea — even one typo is one too many. Customizing your CV for each company you’re applying to is a good idea. If you’re not invited for interviews, consider tweaking your CV and cover letter.

Cover Letter

A cover letter bridges the gap between your resume and the specific job you are applying for, allowing you to explain why you are the right person for the job and how your experience ticks the boxes of the job advertisement. It’s a good idea to use wording similar to the company's in their advertisement to make your relevant experience and qualities clear to the person reviewing applications and to demonstrate that you’ve paid attention to what the company is looking for. A cover letter should be half to one page long.

Job Interview

The beginning and end of a job interview are important. Make a good first impression with how you present yourself and leave the interviewer remembering you positively by ending on a strong note. An interview is a chance to elaborate on the skills and experience outlined in your CV and cover letter — speak up, and don’t assume the interviewer knows your background. If an interview goes poorly, remember not to take it personally. Reflect on what you could do differently the next time, review your CV and try again.