Support and Wellbeing

The Student Advice and Support Managers (SASMs) in the Department of Government are here to support you during your time at LSE. Alongside your Academic Mentor and other departmental colleagues, SASMs can assist with questions about your studies, signpost you to relevant school-wide services, and provide guidance on wellbeing, academic progress, and any circumstances that may be affecting your student experience. 

Monika Walker & Kelly Harrings

Contact us at: gov.support@lse.ac.uk

You can book in with a SASM on student hub. Appointments are offered during core business hours (10am-4pm) Monday through Friday with online and in-person options available.

Who should I contact?

You can use the below guide to understand more about when to go to the SASMs versus your Academic Mentor. There is some crossover in the topics each advise   on, so you can go to either if you are not quite sure where to start!

Both can help with: 

• Pastoral support connected to your academic experience

• Discussing difficulties that may affect your studies or deadlines

• Signposting to School-wide services and specialist support

Your Academic Mentor is a key contact in the department who you should go to for help with your academic progress and overall wellbeing throughout your time at LSE. They can answer questions, share experience, and help you engage with the academic community. 

If you have a difficulty that affects your studies or ability to meet a deadline, whether academic, personal or health-related, your first point of contact should be your Academic Mentor. Your mentor or supervisor will have been assigned to you at the beginning of your studies.

What do they do?

• Provide academic guidance and feedback on your progress
• Offer pastoral support and referrals to other services
• Meet with you at least twice per Autumn and Winter term
• Review your class reports via LSE for You

Your responsibilities:

• Schedule and attend meetings and keep in touch by email.
• Raise issues as soon as they arise - don't wait until a problem has grown.
• Take time to prepare a few things do discuss before each meeting.

Find out more about Academic Mentoring.

As well as your assigned Academic Mentor and the Student Advice and Support Managers, you can contact other members of academic and professional services staff in the department with queries or to ask for support.

Any academic queries can be directed to our Programme Administrators:

• Undergraduate programmes: gov.ug@lse.ac.uk 
• MSc programmes: gov.msc@lse.ac.uk
• PhD programmes: gov.phd@lse.ac.uk

Find a list of all staff in the Department here.

Your Course Administrator can answer questions about all aspects of assessment, feedback, course selection, timetabling, extensions, and many other topics besides.

Staff Student Liaison Committee (SSLC) Academic Representatives help ensure that student views are heard and that students have a say in the running of their programme. This role is coordinated by LSE Students’ Union. Reps meet with department staff each term to raise feedback about the quality of the programme and the wider LSE student experience, including what students value and what they would like to see improved. Academic Representatives also help the department listen directly to student feedback and work towards resolving issues as swiftly as possible to improve the teaching and learning experience.

Students will have the opportunity to elect their representatives at the start of the term. After elections, the representatives’ contact information will be published online.

LSE offers a variety of wellbeing support services and resources for students who need someone to speak to about academic, mental health, or other personal challenges. These include the Disability and Mental Health Service, student counselling and the peer support scheme. The LSE Survivor Community Spaces is a is an initiative for students who have experienced sexual violence at any point in their life.

You can visit the Wellbeing service via drop-in hours during term time or book an appointment with a wellbeing or disability and mental health adviser via their website.

Find out more about the wellbeing support available to you here.

The Disability and Mental Health Service (DMHS) offers confidential advice and support to students who may be experiencing physical impairments, long-term health conditions, mental health conditions, specific learning difficulties, and autistic spectrum conditions.  You can find more information about services offered and booking an appointment on the DMHS webpage.

DMHS also manage My Adjustments (MAs), LSE’s system of recording the adjustments and support available to disabled students. If you are looking to request or review MAs, you can find out more information.

The Learning Lab supports students to develop academic skills in their disciplines and beyond. Through workshops, one-to-ones, World Cafés, AI Labs and Moodle resources, they work with students on:

• Assessments & dissertations: writing summative essays and dissertations, planning revision time, preparing for oral assessments, or acing your exams
• AI: using AI effectively and ethically for your studies
• Critical thinking: engaging critically with readings and research, constructing and deconstructing arguments, and developing your own voice and views
• Communication: giving effective presentations and participating in class and seminar discussion

The Learning Lab encourages students to be curious about what they’re learning and how they’re learning it, to experiment with new approaches, and to share them with each other. You can view all Learning Lab activities here or contact them at              learninglab@lse.ac.uk.

LSE LIFE helps students make the most of their time at LSE by connecting them with opportunities, events, resources and support from across the School. The LSE LIFE events page gathers extracurricular events and activities from teams across the LSE, so students can keep track of what's going on in a single place.

Students can also attend specific workshops, access online resources, and book one-to-one appointments for guidance on student life and achieving their goals at LSE.

LSE Careers offers careers advice, appointments, practice interviews, employer events, workshops, and career fairs to help students explore options and prepare for future opportunities.You can book a one-on-one appointment with LSE Careers Consultants for advice, signposting to resources or to set up a practice interview through MyCareer.

The Careers Consultant for Government (both undergraduate and postgraduate students) is Daniel Gendle: D.Gendle@lse.ac.uk.

Find out about the resources available to you through the library, including the booking system for study spaces which are currently open. You can find more information about library spaces and the buddy service for disabled students here.

Paul Horsler is the designated librarian for Government. He can support students with finding information, using library resources effectively, accessing datasets and historical sources, using EndNote, and making the most of LSE’s online reading lists.

You may find other contacts for the library on their contact page.

LSE’s Financial Support Office provides advice and guidance on funding, scholarships, bursaries, hardship support and other financial matters that may affect your studies.

You can find further information and contact details on the Financial Support Office webpage.

The LSE Students’ Union Advice Service offers free, independent and confidential advice to students on a range of issues, including academic processes, housing, financial concerns and welfare matters. You can find more information about the service and how to contact an adviser on the LSESU Advice Service webpage.

The LSE Students’ Union also manages a Student Hardship Fund, which may be able to provide short-term financial support to students facing unexpected financial difficulty. You can find more information about eligibility and how to apply on the LSESU Student Hardship Fund webpage.

Through Ask an Alum you have access to 200,000 alumni who are ready to provide advice and to connect with you. Use this tool to ask a question, for careers advice, about industries you would like to learn about, or a location you may like to move to, and AI will connect you with the best matched alumni who can provide advice straight to your email inbox.

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