What is a personal tutor?
One of the first things you will do at university is meet your personal tutor- but who are they and how can they help you during your time at university? Find out how your tutor could play an important part in your success over the next few years.
What is a personal tutor?
Each student has a nominated personal tutor who you usually meet in your first few weeks. They're there for general support and advice outside of your studies. Personal tutors are not necessarily experts in your subject area, but they are committed to supporting your learning, well-being and professional/academic skills while you are studying. Think of your personal tutor as being there for any pastoral support and make sure to go to your subject leads for any advice around assignments or subject-specific needs.
What do I talk to my personal tutor about?
There are loads of things you can cover with your personal tutor, but most commonly:
- What you want to achieve during your time here and how you can go about it.
- How well you are doing - your successes and any concerns you or we may have about your progress.
- Issues affecting your ability/desire to complete your course - there are often ways to improve your experience.
- General study, employability or other support needs.
What to expect from your personal tutor
- Reviewing of general progress.
- Discussions about your goals and expectations, to help set action plans.
- Your tutor will make time to see you if you are experiencing difficulties such as any issues either with settling in or progressing through the course. While they may not be able to see you straight away, they will refer you to the right place to get the help or support you need, working closely with our student success advisors to do so.
What not to expect
- Attention on demand - while your tutor will make every effort to help you, if you have a particularly serious or urgent issue, you should seek help from your subject leads or student support team.
- Your personal tutor will not be able to do your work for you.
- They will not be able to read through drafts of assignments for other modules. You should see your module tutors for course-specific feedback. For study support at BCU, you should visit the Centre for Academic Success in the Curzon Building.
How to make the most of your personal tutor
Communicate with your personal tutor regularly so that you both know where you're at. Make sure to prepare for and attend all scheduled meetings and respond to check-in emails. Even if you’re doing fine, check in with them to let them know how you're doing.