Fatma Batmaz

Chemistry (UG): Departmental Wellbeing Representative

Hey everyone!

My name is Fatma and I am a second-year Chemist. Having personally navigated different levels of support over the past two years, I know that calling university "overwhelming" is an understatement- whether you’re a first-year adjusting to independence, a second-year battling the Term 2 workload, or a third-year navigating placements and figuring out your next steps.

While we are very fortunate to have excellent pastoral support within the department and the university, many students either don't know what support is available to them or feel uncomfortable reaching out to someone they don't know. This is why I want to run as a Departmental Wellbeing Rep - to be a familiar, approachable first point of contact when things get stressful.

If elected, I plan to:

Collaborate with the pastoral team to organise Chemistry-specific workshops on managing workloads, academic pressure, and the shift to independent learning.
Promote long-term wellbeing strategies by working with personal tutors to build sustainable habits, moving beyond just short-term academic adjustments.
Launch a Chemistry Accessibility Initiative : Championing specific support for international, commuting, and religious students, while increasing departmental flexibility for neurodivergent and mental health needs.

Imperial is always going to be intense, but it doesn't have to be draining. I want to help us find a balance where we can actually handle the workload without it becoming our entire lives :)