Personal Tutors for undergraduate students
All students at the University of Sheffield are assigned a personal tutor. You will be provided with details about your personal tutor early in Intro Week via an email sent to your University account. Your tutor is likely to be the same person throughout your degree, although if this is not possible, the school will allocate you a replacement. If you are a dual student, it is likely that you will be assigned a personal tutor in each of your schools.
You will have an opportunity to meet with your personal tutor at 2.30pm on Thursday 21st September. If you are not able to meet with your tutor at this time, you should ensure that you book an appointment during one of their Consultation and Feedback (C&Fs) Hours during the first week in semester one. Consultation and Feedback Hours will be published in the Student Handbook at the start of semester one. Personal Tutoring meetings in level one are compulsory and your attendance will be monitored.
You are expected to meet your personal tutor every semester during your time at university to discuss how you are getting on and whether you need any support. You will be sent email reminders asking you to meet with your personal tutor, as well as information about their availability.
Your personal tutor is an experienced member of staff who is there to provide you with general guidance on academic matters and help you with any problems or difficulties that may have an impact on your studies. They will be able to signpost you towards the appropriate services that are offered by the University to help you. In addition, they will be able to provide you with informal but professional guidance to improve your success at the university and with your employment career. For example, your tutor will be able to advise you about which modules will complement your future career aspirations. They will let you know about opportunities to enhance your CV and/or provide you with advice about when and how to apply for internships. Your tutor can also provide you with advice on how to prepare for job interviews and will be responsible for providing you with a reference letter for any future employers The more your personal tutor knows about you, the more personalised your reference letter will be which is a valuable asset in a job interview.
Please always attend scheduled meetings with your personal tutor and prepare beforehand so you can get the most out of them.
Please ensure that you speak with your personal tutor if you have any concerns about such things as your engagement, attendance or progression. Where necessary, your Personal Tutor will be able to direct you to more specialist support, either personal, academic or more general.
If you are experiencing difficulties, do not wait for your regular scheduled meeting – contact your personal tutor as soon as possible as they will be pleased to help you identify ways to help deal with the issue. Your personal tutor will provide with details about how to make an appointment with them. It is vital to inform your Personal Tutor of any changes in your circumstances, especially if these affect your academic work.
In summary, to get the best from your partnership with your personal tutor, you will need to:
- attend scheduled meetings punctually;
- keep your tutor informed of any problems that affect your university work;
- talk to them about your academic progress - they will be able to offer an informed overview and if necessary, suggest places to find more help;
- become an 'active learner' - reflect on the feedback you get from assignments and discuss this with your tutor to help improve your performance;
- discuss future planning and personal development;
- get to know the member of staff, and let them get to know you - they will be writing your references in future and need to do this accurately.