Your Personal Tutor at King’s: the underrated resource you’re probably forgetting about

Hi! I’m Ari, an MSc Neuroscience student at King’s.  If I’m being honest… one of the most useful things I didn’t fully understand at the beginning of my studies was my personal tutor. But it turns out, the support they offer was actually key to my student journey.  So, here’s a short, honest guide to break down what your personal tutor is there to do and how to make the most of them.

If you’re an undergraduate or postgraduate taught student, you’ll hear about your ‘personal tutor’ almost immediately when you arrive at King’s. But it’s one of those things that sounds important without always being fully explained.

Let’s keep it short and sweet: your personal tutor is there to support you throughout your academic journey.

More specifically, they’re there to:

• Be your go-to person for support and guidance in your faculty
• Talk through your academic progress
• Help you think about your future plans
• Point you towards the right support services if you need them
• Encourage you to get involved beyond your degree (societies, internships, opportunities)
• And yes, write you a reference in the future

Your tutor will be an academic staff member in your department, trained to support and guide their students, not just teach.

This part is actually very simple (once you know where to look).

Your Personal Tutor details are in Student Records. You just have to log in, go to the Student homepage, find the ‘My Tutor’ section, and click on ’View Tutor Details’.

As a heads-up, if you’re just starting at King’s, you won’t be able to access your Student Records account until you’ve completed enrolment. But don’t worry! You’ll be invited to meet your personal tutor after you’ve arrived at King’s, so keep an eye on your emails.

This really depends on you! 

For new undergraduate students, you’re recommended to catch up with your personal tutor at least four times in your first year, then around twice a year going forward.

For postgraduate students, you’ll usually meet with your personal tutor twice a year.

But here’s the key thing: these are minimums, not limits. If something comes up (academically or personally), you can – and should – reach out. You don’t need to wait for a scheduled meeting, just get in touch.

It depends – both are possible.

Meetings can happen either in-person or online (via Microsoft Teams), depending on both of your availability. Some are group sessions, but you can always request a one-to-one meeting if you prefer something more personal.

If you specifically want to meet in person, you can ask. They’ll usually try to accommodate that.

This is where I think most people underestimate the role.

Yes, you’ll talk about:

• Your grades
• Feedback on your work
• Academic challenges

But it goes beyond that. You can also discuss:

• Feeling overwhelmed or struggling to adjust to your studies
• Career ideas, internships, or future study plans
• Opportunities like research, studying abroad, or joining KCLSU societies
• Changes in your personal circumstances that might affect your studies

And if they can’t directly help, they’ll be able to point you to someone who can.

I’ll be honest, this only works if you engage with it. Your relationship with your personal tutor is a two-way thing. The more open and consistent you are, the more helpful it becomes.

Some simple tips:

• Don’t wait until something goes wrong to reach out
• Come to meetings prepared with a few things you want to discuss
• Be honest, even if things feel messy
• Stay in touch (especially if you might need a reference later)

Your personal tutor is one of the easiest support systems to overlook, but also one of the most useful once you actually use it.

They’re not just there for when things go wrong. They’re there to help you stay on track, think ahead, and make the most of your time at King’s.

So don’t overthink it, just send the email, book the meeting, and start the conversation.