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Studying at Cambridge can be challenging: the terms are short and fast-paced and the academic standards are high. So we support students throughout their time in the College in lots of different ways.

Right from the start, during the Bridging Programme, your Tutors and Directors of Studies will work with you to set your personal, career, and academic goals and will help you to review them regularly. You will discuss what additional study skills sessions you might want to sign up for, which careers events you might like to book in to, and what clubs and societies you might want to join either in the College or in the wider University. We encourage all our students to try something new while at Cambridge and to get involved in at least one activity that is nothing to do with their course. See our Settling In page for more details.

Tutors

Your Tutor and staff in the Student Office are regularly on hand to help you to balance your time at Cambridge successfully, to thrive personally, and get the most out of all the opportunities on offer. Every student is assigned a personal Tutor and you will meet yours during the Bridging Course. We have a special team of First Year Tutors who are very experienced in helping students begin their term successfully, integrate, and thrive from the start of their time at Cambridge. Your Tutor will help you set your individual goals for the year and review them regularly. Tutors can offer advice or just listen to how you are getting on and to any concerns you may have. There is always a Tutor available over weekends during term time and the Porters’ Lodge has emergency contact details if you need to see one urgently.

The Student Office

The Student Office has useful information about everything you need to know on a day-to-day basis for example about funding, exams, student visas, registering with a doctor, or registering to vote. They arrange for you to ‘matriculate’ as a member of the College and University when you first arrive and they organise your graduation celebrations when you finish your degree. 

See our Student Office page for more details about Tutors and the Student Office (including Student Office opening hours).

Director of Studies

Your Director of Studies is responsible for overseeing your academic progress and acts as a link between your University Department and the College. They help you to plan your course of study where you have a choice of papers, they appoint your Supervisors, and give advice about dissertations and other academic matters.  You will meet your Director of Studies (or “DoS” as they are frequently called) during the Undergraduate Bridging Course.

Click here to see all of our Directors of Studies

Supervisions

Supervisions are small-group sessions (most often for up to four students) with a Supervisor who is an academic. They are usually arranged by Colleges and sit alongside the lectures, lab sessions, seminars and other teaching that is organised by the Departments. You will have supervisions for each of the papers you are taking every week or fortnight and you will prepare work in advance and hand it in, e.g. write an essay or complete a set of problems. In the supervision you get feedback on your work, present your ideas, and discuss them with your Supervisor. Supervisions may take place at Lucy Cavendish College, in another college or in a Department.

We support students throughout their time in the College in lots of different ways. Find out more here.

Lots of online help is available to support you with core academic skills. Some good places to start:

CamGuides: digital study resources

Resources for Undergraduates

  • Online skills: critical reading, note taking, time management, academic writing, dealing with feedback and more
  • Finding print and electronic resources
  • Referencing, plagiarism and tools to manage references

Resources for Taught postgraduates

  • Software for academic use
  • Finding and using resources including note taking, finding grey literature, social media and advanced searching
  • Managing your study resources: reading, references, images, data and collaborating with others
  • Managing your digital presence

Study skills LibGuides: Including guides on copyright, plagiarism, managing references (including Zotero and Mendeley), text and data mining.

Health and Wellbeing

At the College, we have a dedicated team of experienced and understanding practitioners, who can offer support, resources, and guidance to all students. We also run mindfulness sessions, fun activities during the exam period, and a wide range of events.

Our Health and Wellbeing team includes a Mental Health and Wellbeing Practitioner, a Specific Learning Difficulties Practitioner, and the College Nurse.

Getting the support students need is straightforward; we have introduced a new and improved online booking system to schedule appointments with the practitioner. Current students can access it via our members’ area.

We also run mindfulness sessions, fun activities during the exam period, and a wide range of events. Our Library runs ‘elevenses’ and ‘threeses’ during term time with the opportunity to chat, relax and enjoy a free hot drink and biscuits – See our Library page for more details. We also have a a Bye-Fellow in Multi-Faith support who visits once a week, and the University Counselling Service (UCS) supports students who are experiencing personal, relational or academic concerns. Our beautiful gardens are there for you to use as you wish.

Check our Health and Wellbeing page for all College provisions (raven login required)

Disability

We want to make sure that we cater for disabled students who may require reasonable adjustments to their academic studies. So we recommend that disabled students consult the University’s Accessibility and Disability Resource Centre (ADRC) before commencing their studies. We send ADRC forms to candidates along with our offer letters, so please do let us know how we can help.

Support and Information for students from the University

Tutors