Academics are obviously a big part of college life. Here is some information to help you to adjust to the Teddy Hall, and Oxford, academic environment.
Key Contacts:
Some resources (other than the people you work with directly) which may be able to help resolve issues include:
- College Advisor: Every member of Teddy Hall has a College Advisor.
- Tutor for Graduates: Responsible for graduates within the Hall.
- The current T4G is Professor Wes Williams, who is contactable at T4G@seh.ox.ac.uk.
- Departmental Advisors: many departments will have allocated you an advisor, who should be able to give you subject-specific guidance.
- Student Advice Service: OUSU (the University Student Union) run an advice, listening and advocacy service. Some advisors have specific responsibility for graduates and/or academic affairs.
- Graduate Studies Office:
- Can help with administrative problems which may arise in the course of resolving academic issues (e.g. if you change supervisor).
- Contactable at graduate.studies@admin.ox.ac.uk..
College Advisors
Each postgraduate student is assigned a College Adviser (from among the academic staff within College), who will be available for advice – primarily academic – and responsible for overseeing your relationship with the college.
Your College Adviser’s role is to be an independent source of support, and this may include discussing your University Supervisor’s reports, monitoring your progress, picking up any problems, and commenting on your progress and achievements.
When should I see my College Advisor?
You are encouraged to take a proactive role in arranging to meet your college advisor.
You should arrange to meet once per term in your first year to discuss any academic and non-academic matters, including any issues you may feel unable to raise with your supervisor. Such meetings can be used to raise or discuss any problems, and to gain further feedback on your overall acdemic progress.
Your College Adviser is not expected to perform the academic role of your University Supervisor, but you may ask for their advice, depending on their field of expertise and intellectual interests. You may also be able to seek their advice on academic‐related matters such as applications for research funding, conferences, seminar attendance, publications, career plans etc.
Who will my College Advisor be?
Your college advisor is from the same division or department as you, or from one very close to it. An advisor from a different faculty or sub-faculty can provide different feedback to complement that of your supervisor’s, and this interdisciplinarity can be seen as very beneficial.
Tutor for Graduates:
The Tutor for Graduates (Professor Richard Willden ) is concerned with matters of academic progress, the welfare of graduate students and applications for graduate study at the College. He is wonderfully helpful and supportive and a great resource for help on all things graduate academics related.
Principal’s Collections:
Once a year, you will be invited to attend Principal’s Collections. This is a short – but compulsory – meeting, held between you, the Principal, and the Tutor for Graduates. It is an opportunity for the Principal to have an overall sense of the graduate community at Teddy Hall. Prior to the meeting, they will have read your GSS reports, and will ask about your overall progress on your course, your satisfaction with the college, your department, etc. They will often ask if there is any extra support that you require from the college – which can range from welfare provision, to funding to attend a conference.
What should I wear? Academic or formal dress is not required at collections, but you must wear your gown.