By Lucy Grimes
Before you come to university you might question what the role of a personal tutor is, and how their role fits in with your life at the university. I was also unsure of this before becoming a student, but being now in my fourth year at the management school I can definitely say I have had a great experience and continued support from my personal tutor throughout my time here.
During my first year my personal tutor was fantastic in providing support in terms of the transition to studying at university from a sixth form or college, and was a contact within the school that I could have a quick chat with if there was anything I was unsure of- a really useful thing to have when you’re getting to grips with the whole university system. It also helped to review my performance throughout the year, to ensure I made the necessary changes to my studies before I reached my second year.
When it came to beginning my second year, I decided to apply for a part time job, and my personal tutor also helped me with this, providing me with a reference when requested, and advising on the recommended number of hours for part time work during full time study.
In the course of my second year I also decided to undertake an Industrial Placement as part of my degree. Although I was aware of the process of how to secure a placement with external companies, I was very unsure of the process involved from the university’s perspective. However, my tutor helped me every step of the way to make sure that the process ran smoothly, and ensured that I was transferred to a ‘Degree with Employment Experience’- allowing me to undertake the placement whilst gaining recognition for it in my degree title.
Once I began my placement, my personal tutor was the consistent link between myself, my employment and my education. My placement was based in Manchester so I was therefore no longer living in Sheffield, which can make it difficult to feel a part of the university community. However I had regular communication with my personal tutor via email and telephone, which was really reassuring when you are away from the university environment. During our telephone meetings we would discuss my placement in detail, in terms of how I was getting on and if there had been any problems. My tutor took a keen interest into what I was doing right up until the very end of my placement. He also helped me to carefully choose my final year modules whilst I was away on placement, based on my subject preferences and previous performance in other subjects and assessment styles. I feel that with his assistance I chose final year modules which were appropriate and best suited to my learning style.
On return to university my tutor provided continued support on the subject of final year studies as well as career choices for the future. We looked together at how I had performed in other years, and what grades I should hope to achieve in my final year. This really helped me to clarify where I was up to with my studies and also helped me not to panic about final year exams and assignments!
In my first personal tutor meeting of this year we also discussed the job offer which I was holding, as well as other options for future careers, and my tutor encouraged me to attend a range of further careers events which really helped me to consider all the options available to me.
Overall, I feel that I have received a fantastic level of support from my personal tutor throughout the whole time I have been at the university, and would encourage other students to really make the most of the additional guidance and support you can gain from it. My university life would definitely not have run as smoothly as it has without the help of my personal tutor!