• To provide you with academic guidance and feedback on the your progress and performance and to discuss any academic problems you may experience.
• To provide pastoral support on non-academic issues and to refer you, as necessary, to the appropriate support agencies within the School.
• To implement the provisions outlined in Inclusion Plans for students with long-term medical conditions, specific learning differences and/or disabilities in liaison with the School’s Disability and Wellbeing Service.
• To maintain regular contact with you on academic and pastoral issues through direct one-to-one meetings and other meansof communication, such as emails. The number and nature of meetings may vary between departments and programmes as detailed in relevant handbooks.
• To comment on and provide a general assessment of yours progress on their termly class reports via LSE for You.
• To inform the Programme Director and School if your attendance and progress is not satisfactory

• Manage your time so you can keep appointments. If you are going to be late call your mentor and let them know.
• Be proactive and thing about what you want to get out of the relationship.
• Prepare for meetings and follow up on any agreed actions.
• Be open to support and guidance and consider new ways of doing things.
• Work with your mentor to set expectations and agree how you will communicate between meetings.
• Be professional: Respond to emails promptly and do not use slang, bad language or ‘text speak’.

Depending on which programme you are following your Academic Mentor may change during your time at LSE. If this is the case your new Mentor will be fully informed and will provide the same support. 

The Academic Mentor role is the same for all programmes, but as many postgraduates are only studying for a year the schedule of meetings will be different. You may find that you also build a supportive relationship with your Programme Director or your dissertation/long essay Supervisor.

Your Academic Mentor is an Academic Faculty members within the department. 

• The Senior Adviser is available to advise all taught students at LSE.
  The role is currently under review by the School. In the interim period, students are encouraged to contact the Advice Team in the Student Services Centre for guidance
  Email: ssc.advice@lse.ac.uk
  Telephone +44 (0) 20 7955 7849
  
  The Adviser to Women Students  can also offer support.
• Dean of the General Course - Mark Hoffman has responsibility for all matters relating to those students attending the General Course programme. He is available to see any General Course student who wishes to raise any problem, academic or otherwise, including course selection, credit transfers to home universities, and accommodation issues.
  In particular, Mark is available to counsel individual students who may be encountering difficulty adjusting to the academic life at LSE. Mark will see students by appointment or during open office hours as published outside their office.
  
  Email: gc.dean@lse.ac.uk
• Adviser to Women Students - Dr Bingchun Meng is available to discuss issues of concern to women students in the School and to offer advice and support to female students with personal problems.
  
  Office: TW2.1.01
  Email: b.meng@lse.ac.uk
  Telephone: +44 (0) 20 7107 5020
• The LSE LIFE team, together with advisers and specialists from Careers, the Library, the Language Centre, and others can offer you:
  - a space where you can meet students from other programmes and departments
  - one-to-one advice and group workshops where you can get hands-on practice of reading, academic writing, critical thinking and communication skills
  - special events to explore how to make the most of your time at LSE and prepare for the working world
• The Academic Support Librarian for your department is your main point of contact with the Library. Academic Support Librarians can:
  - provide advice with researching for assignments, dissertations and projects
  - show you library resources relevant to your department, including datasets
  - advise on citing and referencing your work
  - direct you to resources available at other libraries
• The LSE Language Centre - Members of staff are always available in the Language Centre to help you in your language learning. 
  Visit Learning Support for more information.
• Class teachers or seminar leaders are a good first point of contact if you are struggling with a particular course. 
  
  You may want to make use of their office hours if you'd like one to one support.
• Students Supporting Students - LSE has a number of schemes for students to support one another. 
  
  The Peer Support Scheme at LSE provides trained peer supporters that can help with a range of problems. 

All students will be assigned a Mentor by the second/third week of the Autumn Term. You will be sent an email when the details are confirmed. If you need advice during the period before Academic Mentors are assigned, you can contact your Programme Manager.

Students will receive an email to arrange a first meeting from their Academic Mentor. The departments will also hold welcome events where you may be able to meet your academic mentor informally, too.

If you are not contacted by your Programme Manager or Academic Mentor within the third week of Autumn Term, you are advised to email your Mentor yourself to say hello and ask to meet with them. If you are emailing your Mentor to arrange a meeting, it is always a good idea to suggest a few times that would be possible for you to meet them – that way they can respond with a mutually suitable appointment. Alternatively, check their office hours and drop in to see them.

Conversation will focus around how you are adjusting, your academic progress and goals, any difficulties that you might be experiencing and how they are affecting your studies, and what opportunities you are taking up. You might also talk about your results and your feedback generally 

if your Academic Mentor is not available please contact your Programme Manager in the first instance. They will handle your query or refer it to an appropriate member of staff, depending on the nature of the request.

For any issues of pastoral care or other personal matters you are encouraged to speak with the relevant professional services provided by LSE. The full list of services can be found on the School website.

Informing your Academic Mentor can help to provide you with the opportunity to talk about what you are finding difficult to explore how you can improve or seek further help. If, for example, you are struggling with academic writing, they may be able to help you understand feedback that you have received from course teachers, or they may provide general guidance on academic practice in their discipline. 

If you are having personal difficulties that are likely to affect your studies then you are strongly encouraged to discuss these with your Academic Mentor. How much you choose to tell them is up to you. Your Mentor will treat these discussions as confidential, however they will also advise if they think that confidentiality may need to be shared in order to access further support for you. For example, if you are having psychological difficulties, your Mentor may encourage you to talk to your GP or the Counselling Services at LSE – but they will not talk to these parties on your behalf and they will not talk to other members of staff, students or your friends or family about these things unless you both agree it is necessary. It is especially important that you consider discussing difficulties that are affecting your studies if you have assessment coming up so that you understand how to apply for mitigating circumstances, if necessary.

Yes. Attending meetings with yourAcademic Mentor are good opportunities to reflect on your progress generally, including all your successes; they can also be helpful for identifying other opportunities that you might want to take up alongside your studies so that you get the most out of your time at LSE. 

Remember, too, that you may face some difficulties later on and it’s important to build a relationship with your Mentor so that you feel comfortable approaching them, should the need arise.

It’s your decision. If you require adjustments to support your learning, or your disability or disabilities are having an impact on your studies, then you are encouraged to seek specialist support at the school through the Student Wellbeing, and to consider sharing this information with your Mentor so they are aware of your needs within the department. Any information you share with your Mentor will be treated sensitively and will not be shared with others without first seeking your consent.

Yes. This is another reason why it is important to meet with your Academic Mentor and build a professional relationship with them. Your Mentor will be able to write an academic reference for you so long as they have access to further relevant information

Good reference protocol would be to ask your Mentor if they are willing to write an academic reference.