Student support
There are various avenues of both academic and pastoral support available in the School to help you succeed in your studies.
Pastoral support
Student Support Team
Our dedicated Student Support Team consists of nine members of staff - a Student Support Manager, six Student Advisers and two Student Support Administrators.
Student Adviser
You will be assigned a Student Adviser who will be your first point of contact during your time at the University of Edinburgh. They will support you at key points in your study journey, and work closely with teaching staff and other pastoral staff to provide you with additional guidance. You will meet with them regularly throughout your studies.
Student Advisers can also refer you to Wellbeing Advisers who are there to support students with your overall wellbeing.
Wellbeing Adviser
The School’s Wellbeing Adviser is available for you if you’re experiencing issues impacting your health, wellbeing, studies and personal life. They can refer you for further university support and help you to navigate specialist services, including our Student Counselling Service.
Academic Cohort Lead
You will also be assigned an Academic Cohort Lead who will stay with you throughout your time at university. They will assist you with questions relating to Mathematics and your studies, as well offering academic advice about your further academic journey and your career aspriations. They will also help build a community within your cohort and the wider school by facilitating social events and peer-networking opportunities.
MathSoc
The undergraduate society MathSoc provides the perfect opportunity for maths students and those interested in maths to get together. They host regular socials and lots of varied events like pub quizzes, BBQs and an annual ball. MathSoc also supports and hosts academic events, from mini-lectures by MathSoc members to full general interest lectures by academic staff across the University. They even have their own sports teams!
Learning support
MathPALS
In first year, you can take part in MathPALS, which is a weekly Peer Assisted Learning session. Trained senior students will help you to help each other - both with studying maths and university life in general - in an informal setting.
These sessions support the core mathematics courses in Year 1. They are optional, but our students find them extremely valuable. They also provide an opportunity to get to know others in the School, both in first year, but also students in higher year groups.
Drop-in study support
We know that asking questions in lectures can be a bit daunting! As a result, we offer drop-in study support session, often in the MathsBase. These drop-in sessions allow you to chat with tutors from the core first-year mathematics courses, and ask questions in a more informal setting.
Office hours
Lecturers who are running courses often offer office hours - a set time during the week where they are in their office, and available for questions. Students are encouraged to make use of these times, as a way to get support with lecture content. It’s also a good way to get to your lecturers and have some fun chats about maths.
Additional Support
Additional support is available from outside the School of Mathematics from many university services. These include, but are not limited to the following:
Institute for Academic Development
The IAD website contains resources with advice about studying techniques and good academic practice. The IAD also run workshops on topics like time management and preparing for exams, and offer one-to-one consultations.
Advice Place
The Advice Place is run by the student association, EUSA, and offers an independent and impartial source of information and advice. They can help with everything from academic matters through to finance and accommodation.
Disability and Learning Support Service
If you have a disability or require learning support, the University's Disability and Learning Support Service can arrange support for you. If you are offered a place to study here and you have declared a disability, you should contact the Service as early as possible so they can make arrangements for the start of your studies.
Student counselling
The Student Counselling Service offers a range of mental health support. From resources and activities to help you manage your own mental health, to counselling appointments with the team.
Health and wellbeing
While university life is full of exciting opportunities, it can also be an overwhelming time. Use the Health and Wellbeing pages to find information on a range of services provided by the University and throughout Edinburgh to support your physical and mental wellbeing.