Support for Continuing Students
Who to speak to for support and guidance if you are a student in years 2-5 (including Direct Entry and 2+2 students).
What We Do
Your personal tutor is there to offer you academic guidance and support during your studies. Your Personal Tutor will be a member of staff familiar with your general area of study and the expectations of academic work in your discipline. They will have a clear understanding of their role in supporting your studies and how to direct you to any other support you might need during your time at the University.
By working in partnership with your Personal Tutor you will:
- become a confident learner in your discipline and play an active part in your academic community.
- reflect on your academic progress and your effective use of academic feedback.
- develop the range of skills and attributes required for success at university and beyond.
Each School has a Student Support Team that works with your Personal Tutor to support you. Further details regarding the University of Edinburgh’s Personal Tutor system can be found here:
Who We Are
Personal Tutor
All year 2, 3, 4, and 5 student has a Personal Tutor, a member of academic staff who provides academic guidance and support. Your Personal Tutor is there to help you make the most of your studies as you progress through your university career. You can find out who your Personal Tutor is via MyEd.
Senior Personal Tutor
The Senior Personal Tutor oversees the personal tutors in the School. You can contact the Senior Tutor if you have not had a satisfactory response from your Personal Tutor.
What We Can Help With
Personal Tutors have a number of responsibilities that include:
- Give help and advice on your studies, any academic personal issues or queries regarding University rules and regulations.
- Guide the students in their course choices and advise them on study difficulties.
- Respond within three working days. If your Personal Tutor is not available, you should contact the Student Support Team.
- Give you a reference for a future employer or programme of study.
If you are not on campus (e.g. studying abroad for a period, or on placement) then your meetings may take place by telephone, live internet call or a web conferencing application.
Changing Personal Tutors
If you feel that you cannot speak to your Personal Tutor, due to a conflict of interest or other problem, please contact the Senior Personal Tutor, unless they are your Personal Tutor in which case you should contact the Student Support Officers. You may ask for a change of Personal Tutor but you will not be able to request to which new Personal Tutor you are assigned.
You will normally stay with the same Personal Tutor throughout your study here, although on occasion changes may be unavoidable due to for example a staff sabbatical. If a change of Personal Tutor occurs during an academic session, an additional meeting should be scheduled with the new Personal Tutor to ensure that the transition occurs smoothly.
Meetings with Personal Tutors
As an undergraduate student you will have a number of scheduled meetings with your Personal Tutor each academic year. During your early years we will schedule meetings to enable you to settle in and build a rapport with your Personal Tutor. Contact will gradually become less formal in the latter years of study, however you are actively encouraged to schedule meetings with your Personal Tutor as required throughout your time at the University.
Your meetings with your Personal Tutor are all about you, so make the most of them by thinking carefully about what you would like to discuss before the meeting. These meetings are an opportunity to think about your personal and professional development, as well as your academic achievement.
If there are any circumstances that you feel are affecting your progress or well-being at university, you should not hesitate to raise them. If you are struggling, feeling unmotivated or think things could be going better, talk to your personal tutor about it.
- Scheduled meetings with your Personal Tutor: In Year 2, you will have a minimum of four meetings, at least two of which will be individual meetings (one meeting at the beginning of Semester 1 and one at the beginning of Semester 2). In Years 3-5, you will have at least one individual meeting at the beginning of the academic year. Your Personal Tutor will normally contact you to make arrangements. You are welcome to request additional meetings with your Personal Tutor at any other time.
- Preparing for meetings with your Personal Tutor: These meetings are an opportunity to reflect on your academic progress and to make plans to improve it. It is also a chance to reflect on your engagement with the other opportunities that the University offers to develop your skills and attributes. In addition, in most cases you will need to discuss and agree course choices. Your PT can guide you to make appropriate choices to tailor your degree programme to your aspirations or intended career.
- Contacting your Personal Tutor while not on campus: If you are not on campus (e.g. studying abroad for a period, or on placement) then your meetings may take place by telephone, live internet call, or a web conferencing application.
Your Personal Tutor may complete a form documenting your goals and your progress.
Who you should contact if you have not had a reply from your Personal Tutor?
If you have not had a prompt response (normally three working days), then email the Student Support Team . This address is monitored regularly and a reply will be sent within three working days, but usually much more promptly.
What We Do
Each School has a Student Support Team that works with your Personal Tutor to support you.
We will liaise closely with your Personal Tutor and where appropriate, with University Support Services, so we are able to provide the best possible support and advice for you. We can also help with a wide range of administrative and practical issues to do with your degree programme.
Who We Are
The Student Support Team consists of:
- Kathleen Lloyd- Student Support Officer (UG)
- Kat Kiernan - Student Support Officer (UG)
- Grace Wilson - Student Support Officer (UG)
What We Can Help With
- First point of contact for pastoral care
- Extensions and Special Circumstances
- Degree Transfers
- Interruptions of Study and Withdrawal
- Coordinator of Adjustments
- Information on University Support Services
- Guidance on University procedures and regulations
- Advice on support for personal problems and health issues
- Student Representation
- MathPALS
Office Hours
Our hours are 9am – 5pm (UK), Monday to Friday. We are unable to arrange meetings outside of these times.
We, the Student Support Team, have a variety of ways that we can talk with you. To contact us, you can email us at studentsupport@maths.ed.ac.uk. If the matter is urgent, please contact Student Support as soon as possible.
Arranging a meeting
To arrange a meeting, whether online or in-person, please follow these steps:
- Email us at studentsupport@maths.ed.ac.uk
- In the subject line of your email indicate whether you wish to arrange an in-person or online meeting, your year and name. For example: Request for in-person meeting - Y3 Jane Smith.
- In your email, please include what time and day you would like to meet, how long you would like to meet for and who you would like to speak to if you have a preference.
- We will be in touch to confirm your meeting if this time and date is available. If it is not, we will offer an alternative. Please note that meetings are subject to availability and office hours.
Online meeting
- If you are attending an online meeting outside of the UK, please double check what time the meeting will occur in your time zone. We will arrange meetings using the UK time zone (GMT/BST).
- In most cases, the online meetings will occur on Teams. Please ensure that you are logged into your University of Edinburgh account when using Teams for meetings.
- If you are not able to access Teams, please let us know when arranging the meeting.
In Person Meetings
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Please remember to follow the Scottish Government’s, the University of Edinburgh’s and the School of Mathematics’ guidance to ensure all Health and Safety measures are complied with and that you keep yourself and others safe.
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The School of Mathematics has made every effort to ensure that both students and staff are safe during this time. Please do not arrive too far ahead of your meeting slot to avoid queuing. When you arrive for your meeting, if the door is not open please knock on the door of the Meeting Room and wait for us to respond. We will open the door to allow you into the room.
University Support Services
Other than the Student Support Team, there is a range of University Services that are here to support you as well.
- List of student services A-Z
- Student Administration
- Student Disability Service
- Student Counselling Service
- Advice Place
MathsBase and MathsHub
Out-Of-Hours Student Support
Students who experience a crisis outside of normal working hours can contact the University for support through the University Security 24/7 contact number: 0131 650 2257.
For more information about other out-of-hours services, you can visit the out-of-hours student support webpage ( https://www.ed.ac.uk/contacts/out-of-hours-support )