9. Advice and Support

You will be allocated a Advisor and there is a Programme Director for each degree programme; see below.

For straightforward administrative enquiries, normally you ask in the Maths School Office first. For general academic advice, normally you ask your adviser / Programme Director (they may well be the same person) or the Student Support Officer. Their roles are described below.

How do I know who my advisor is?

The relevant Programme Director will generally be assigned as an Advisor for postgraduate students; see Contact Information. MySIS will show who your current adviser is. If you cannot find who your current adviser is then please contact the Maths School Office.

The Advisor's Role

Your advisor's role is to give you information and advice during your studies; in particular to discuss with you and approve any electives in your "module registration" – the list of modules you register for each year. You should get to know your advisor, and normally you would ask them to act as a referee for job applications, etc. If possible, you will keep the same advisor throughout your time at Queen Mary. Teaching is not part of an advisor's role, although your advisor may be willing to help you with mathematical problems.

You should visit your advisor at the start of each semester to agree your programme of study for that semester, and you should visit your advisor at least once again during each semester to discuss your progress. It is also important that you discuss with your advisor any academic, financial, medical or other problems as soon as they arise. Your advisor can then refer you to the appropriate person within Queen Mary to deal with your problem, which you may also need to report to the Programme Director (if not advisor) or the Student Support Officer; see below.

The Advisor / Advisee relationship

The aim of the advisor-advisee relationship is to

  • Foster and develop in our students a sense of value for and ownership of their education.
  • Actively promote our students' involvement in the planning and achievement of their academic and career goals.
Responsibilities of the Advisor
  1. Be available for advisees for scheduled meetings and via email according to School policy.
  2. Help the advisee to understand the academic and administrative processes of Queen Mary.
  3. Help the advisee to understand the expected standards of achievement and likelihood of success in certain areas of study.
  4. Help the advisee to decide on details of a study programme and give advice about modules.
  5. Be involved in discussions with the student and other School staff in the event of poor attendance or performance.
  6. Refer advisees to other resources when appropriate, such as specialist careers or counselling advice.
  7. Provide references for current and former advisees.
  8. Read the Staff handbook and the Student handbook.
Responsibilities of the Advisee
  1. Be aware of your advisor's office hours (if applicable). When using email, follow email etiquette.
  2. Acquire information needed for selecting modules appropriate to your study programme.
  3. Seek academic and career information needed to meet your educational goals.
  4. Become knowledgeable about the relevant policies, procedures, and rules of Queen Mary.
  5. Be prepared with accurate information and relevant materials, such as completed forms, when contacting your adviser.
  6. Read the Student handbook.

Please note: Meetings with your advisor should be scheduled via email to take place at a mutually convenient time; see Contact Information.


The Student Support Officer's Role

The Student Support Officer is there to help you with any difficulties that are not primarily academic, and to provide an additional layer of support between the Maths Office and the academic staff. The Student Support Officer is an expert on the technical and bureaucratic aspects of student life. In particular, the Student Support Officer will act as a back-up advisor when your advisor is not available, will help you report extenuating circumstances, will direct you to the appropriate Queen Mary support services such as Advice and Counselling (see below), and may be available when the Maths Office is closed. The Student Support Officer will also help us to monitor your attendance, exercise submission, and marks for in-term assessment, and may discuss these issues with you.

An introduction from the Advice and Counselling Service


The Advice and Counselling Service offers confidential, professional support services to all Queen Mary students. We have helpful advice and guidance for financial, immigration and other practical issues as well as emotional and mental health support on our website (welfare.qmul.ac.uk). You will also find information there about our services and contact details.

 

Financial, Immigration and Welfare Advice

 

Our Welfare Advisers can advise you on solutions and options relating to financial, immigration, practical and welfare issues. We provide specialist advice and support on all aspects of student finance (loans, grants, bursaries), hardship funds and welfare benefits. We can help you plan your budget and find out how to reduce your spending. If you are an international student we can advise you on your immigration rights. We can advocate on your behalf if you need help resolving an issue, for example with Student Finance England or the UK Home Office.

 

We offer dedicated support for students who no longer have contact with their family (estranged), and students who have experience of local authority care, and students from a refugee background. We also provide support for students experiencing domestic abuse or forced marriage.


Counselling

 

Life can seem like a struggle at times, and it is normal to sometimes feel a bit low or anxious. Sometimes, though, emotional and psychological issues can become too challenging, and may have a negative effect on your studies and well-being. Our Counsellors can help you to make sense of difficult experiences and feelings by providing the opportunity to think and talk reflectively, which can bring relief and meaningful changes.

 

The first step is meeting confidentially with one of our Counsellors to discuss what type of support might be most useful to you. This might be short term counselling, group therapy, cognitive behavioural therapy or a referral for longer term support or specialist services outside Queen Mary  / in the NHS. For many students, just one or two sessions can really help. Our Counsellors are all highly experienced in working with students, and all types of issues.

 

Mental Health

 

We also have a mental health team who can advise and support you to manage a mental health condition while you are studying at Queen Mary. Our Mental Health advisers can advise you about the local NHS and other support services available in Tower Hamlets and the neighbouring boroughs as well as offering a range of interventions to help you manage your mental health.  

 

Contacting the Advice and Counselling Service 

 

For more information about available services and contact details please visit the Advice and Counselling Service’s website:

www.welfare.qmul.ac.uk

Email: via website online form



The Roles of the Director of Education and Director of Postgraduate Taught Studies

The Director of Educations is Dr Shabnam Beheshti. Her email is: s.beheshti@qmul.ac.uk.  She oversees all taught programmes and takes primary strategic responsibility for programme development and resource allocation. The Director of Postgraduate Taught Studies is Dr Oscar Bandtlow.  He takes primary operational responsibility for postgraduate programmes including student information and quality assurance. His email is: o.bandtlow@qmul.ac.uk.

Getting Help

If you have administrative or technical questions relating to a specific module then you should approach the module organiser, either at the end of a lecture or in the module organiser's office hours; see Contact Information. Some module organisers may also provide additional support for students who are finding the module difficult – ask about this if necessary.


ACADEMIC SKILLS ENHANCEMENT (ASE)

The Academic Skills Enhancement (ASE) service works in a number of ways with taught students at any level, undergraduate or postgraduate, from any subject discipline, to develop the skills and practices needed to become more effective in their academic work and excel at university.

 

Areas covered include: writing for academic purposes, effective reading and note-making, presentation skills, time-management, critical thinking, understanding marking criteria, using feedback, revision and exam preparation and avoiding plagiarism.  We also support the work of student mentors through providing resources and training to support peer and social learning.

 

Academic Skills Tutors offer support and developmental opportunities in the form of one-to-one tutorials, workshops, drop-ins, and self-access resources. In addition, we host  Royal Literary Fund (RLF) Fellows who offer writing advice to both taught and research students.

 

Academic Skills Enhancement (ASE) are part of the Library Teaching and Learning Service and are based on the Mile End Campus and online.  For more information on the services and resources available, and how to access them, visit https://www.qmul.ac.uk/library/academic-skills/ .


MyQMUL

MyQMUL should be used together with this handbook for general information on your time at Queen Mary. MyQMUL contains a wide range of information, including:

  • Academic and student support services;
  • The academic year;
  • Campus facilities;
  • Details of some key Academic Regulations;
  • How to? advice;
  • QM contact information;
  • Calendar
    • Graduation
    • Student administration, and enrolment advice;
  • QM policies;
  • Campus and QM information.

Access MyQMUL at: www.my.qmul.ac.uk.

Bursaries, Grants and Scholarships

Student Loans

If you have applied for funds from Student Finance then you will receive the first instalment once you have enrolled fully for the academic year. If your payments do not arrive and you cannot remedy the problem with Student Finance yourself, please contact the Student Enquiry Centre,  http://www.arcs.qmul.ac.uk/students/sec/. They will be able to assess for any actions needed by Queen Mary and advise you of the next steps.

 

Bursaries

Queen Mary Bursaries are assessed using the household income information provided to us from Student Finance.

 

If you do not wish to take out student funding, such as loans, but still wish to be assessed for a Queen Mary Bursary you will still need to apply for a household income assessment, full details on how to do this are on the Advice and Counselling Service website.

 

Full details of the Queen Mary Bursary, including eligibility, amounts and payment dates can be found on our website - http://www.arcs.qmul.ac.uk/students/finances/bursaries-grants-scholarships/qmul-bursaries/

 

Queen Mary Financial Assistance Fund

If you have exceptional or unforeseen costs or you are in financial hardship you could be eligible for help from the Financial Assistance Fund.  The fund is there to help any eligible student who has a particular financial need but we cannot meet every application we receive and we cannot always meet all of the costs that you might apply for. Full details, guidance and an application form can be found on our website - arcs.qmul.ac.uk/QMFinancialAssistanceFund

 

Contact

Email: bursaries@qmul.ac.uk

http://www.arcs.qmul.ac.uk/students/finances/bursaries-grants-scholarships/

 

Dean’s Benevolence Fund

Students in the School of Medicine and Dentistry in financial difficulties may apply for grants or interest-free loans or a combination of both. Priority is given to students in good standing who need short-term assistance to help them complete their studies.

 

Contact Kate McFarlane (k.mcfarlane@qmul.ac.uk) 

Telephone: 020 7882 2124