Welfare information
Get support during your studies
The Faculty of Social Sciences has its own support and wellbeing team providing support with any personal issues you may encounter during your time here.
You can reach out to them at any time, and they operate one-to-one appointments to discuss any issues with you that you would like further advice and guidance for. They can also help you to access other support services provided by the university such as disability support plans, health services, counselling and internal and external mental health programmes and resources.
Maintaining your wellbeing and a positive mindset is a key part of your university experience which is why it is important that you inform the team of any issues that may arise which are likely to impact on your studies.
The Support and Wellbeing Officers for the School of Politics and International Relations are Maria Wade and Adrian Thorpe.
Further information
For further information and enquiries, please email the team.
Peer mentoring scheme
The school runs a peer mentoring scheme for all year one and year two students, firstly to help you with the transition from school to university and subsequently to provide continual support during your studies. The scheme aims to support you in the autumn semester of your first year and beyond.
What is peer mentoring?
Peer mentors are returning School of Politics and International Relations students who volunteer to support you. They can offer guidance based on their very recent experience of starting university. The peer mentoring scheme complements the personal tutor system in the school under the direction of the Senior Tutor.
What can I expect from my peer mentor?
- You will have the opportunity to apply to have a mentor at the start of term and will be able to meet our volunteer mentors during welcome week
- In late October/early November you will have a meeting to discuss preparation for assessed coursework
- You will meet again at the end of the first term to reflect on first coursework feedback and prepare for the spring semester
- After the release of the autumn semester results you will meet to talk about how you get the most out of feedback and make adjustments for studying in the spring semester
Mentees will be provided with the university email address of mentors to establish contact and so that they can ask questions between sessions. Some mentors/mentees may choose to continue their meetings after the end of the autumn semester, but that is entirely optional.
Welcome Week
During Welcome Week, there will be dedicated time to meet with our volunteer peer mentors to help you settle in, familiarise yourself with the campus, ask questions about everyday life and decide how you might benefit the most from having a mentor.
Personal tutors
Every student, including joint honours students where the School of Politics and International Relations is the lead school, is allocated a personal tutor. The personal tutor is an academic adviser who can also refer you to relevant services across the university.
A personal tutor's role is to:
- connect you to the school
- assist with welfare support
- oversee your academic progress
- supervise your personal and career development
As part of forming a connection to the school, your personal tutor:
- will welcome you into our school community
- should see you within the first two weeks of every academic year
- should meet with you at the end of each semester to discuss your exam results
- will help you to navigate policies and services in the school and the university
Once you begin your time here, the school has a dedicated student information hub which contains all you need to know about accessing support and making the most of your studies.