Student welfare
Your welfare as an undergraduate student is important to us. Studying at university can be a challenge, but we have a host of people available to support you.
All undergraduate and postgraduate students have a Personal Tutor and you will have regular meetings with your Personal Tutor throughout your course. It is a good idea to get to know your Personal Tutor and to keep them updated with how you are getting on. They will usually be the person who writes your academic references when you apply for internships, placements, graduate jobs or future study.
We also have three Senior Tutors within the Department, who have overall responsibility for academic and pastoral care of students within the Department.
| Name | Responsibility | Contact |
|---|---|---|
|
Dr Maria Valera |
Senior Tutor - Undergraduate Students |
m.valera-espina@imperial.ac.uk Huxley Room 373 |
| Dr Thomas Lancaster | Senior Tutor - Postgraduate Taught (MSc Students) |
t.lancaster@imperial.ac.uk Huxley Room 305 |
| Dr Nicolas Wu | Senior Tutor - PhD Students |
n.wu@imperial.ac.uk Huxley Room 374 |
| Dr Lancaster is also the Deputy Senior Tutor for Undergraduate Students for when Dr Valera is unavailable | ||
If you have personal difficulties or need advice, please contact your Personal Tutor first. They will try to help. If you need further support or the matter is confidential, please do contact the Senior Tutor. In some cases, the Senior Tutor may direct you to other services within the College.
We have a Student Wellbeing Advisor within the Department, Caroline Gilchrist. Caroline is based in Huxley 304a and can provide you with confidential support and advice on accommodation, exercise, food and nutrition, sleep, identity, mental health, stress, anxiety and general Wellbeing. Caroline does not teach courses in the Department and you can speak to her in confidence. There is more information here about student wellbeing.
If you have a disability or impairment and feel you would benefit from exam support or other reasonable adjustments, we encourage you to discuss this with the Disability Advisory Service as early as possible. Within the Department, we have a Department Disability Officer, Dr Thomas Lancaster, who is the link between the department and the Disability Advisory Service. You are also welcome to discuss issues directly with him. You can read more information about the Department's support for students with disabilities and impairments here.
Our Expectations of You
We are an international community with students from multiple ethnicities and cultural backgrounds. We tolerate and respect each other’s views and beliefs even if we do not agree with them. If you feel that you have been offended or insulted in any way by another member of the college, please speak to the appropriate Senior Tutor to discuss it.
We also ask that you always read and respond to email sent to your college account. Sometimes messages can be sent at short notice.
Exams & Mitigating Circumstances
Please visit our Exams & Mitigating Circumstances webpage for the latest information.
Welfare Services
Confidentiality
All cases are dealt with in confidence. However, it is often necessary to inform Personal Tutors and sometimes other relevant people. We will normally specify who this would be. Please make it clear if there is anyone whom you would not wish to be informed or involved.
In addition to support within the Department, it is possible to consult other advisors elsewhere in the College. These include Faculty Senior Tutors, the College Student Counsellors and your Hall Warden. Full information is available on the College's welfare and advice webpage.
Counselling
The Student Counselling Service on Level 4 of the Sherfield Building is independent of the College academic structure. Counselling is available free of charge to any student registered with the College, about any personal issue. Visit their website or to arrange an appointment you can email or telephone 020-7594 9637.
Health Centre
The Health Centre, housed in 40 Prince’s Gardens, across Exhibition Road, has drop-in consultations most mornings and offers exam stress counselling amongst many other services. You can ring them on 020-7584 6301, or check their website for further information. It is recommended that you register with the Health Centre if you are staying in a Hall of Residence.
Personal Tutors
Personal Tutors provide a source of support to their tutees, both pastoral and academic. Personal Tutors have an important role in encouraging students to seek opportunities and make choices that develop them academically, personally and professionally. Personal Tutors should be in regular contact with tutees throughout their time at College.
Student Support Funds
It is likely that your time at Imperial College will be the first occasion on which you have had almost complete control over your finances and it is well known that this is not always easy. If financial disaster, not of your own making, strikes, the College has hardship funds for home and overseas students. Your Personal Tutor or the Senior Tutor is the first point of contact in these circumstances, and the earlier you address your problems, the greater the chance of finding a solution. Please visit Student Finance to find out more about the fund.