Support for mature students

As students of Royal Holloway, mature students have access to all the support mechanisms in the College, which can be viewed on our Support & Advisory pages.| However, recognising the particular needs of mature students we also provide a range of special support and assistance.

Developing 'study skills' such as skills in reading, listening, taking notes and writing is an essential part of undergraduate study. Royal Holloway provides support by offering you online study resources| and academic support throughout your time at the College.

A mature student orientation session is offered at the start of the academic year. This session offers the opportunity to learn about the support services at the College, receive study advice from academic staff and meet and talk with other mature students. All new students over the age of 21 are welcome.

There is also the postgraduate and mature students society which acts as a social group, organising events and providng representation for mature students in the wider college environment. Members can also use the facilities of the postgraduate common room in Founder's East.

Personal matters

Most mature students have a well-developed other life and need to balance study commitments with work and family life.

For mature students finding the time to study is often about finding time away from everything else, as much as it is about using time effectively when you are studying. The key point is that you have to find out what works for you, and for those close to you. The same pattern of work won't suit everyone. For example, some people find it useful to stick to a work-style 9-to-5 pattern, others have to be (or prefer to be) much more flexible. Although there are no simple rules:

• At home think about what you can defer until a holiday, what you can delegate to other people, what you can delete completely.
• Discuss study plans with family and/or friends. Make sure everyone sees it as your ‘work’.
• Learn from your experiences. Do your study plans work? Do you need more/less time to complete tasks?

The academic support services at Royal Holloway can assist with your study skills, and help you realise which ways of studying work best with you.

Mature students sometimes suffer more disruption to their life and studies than younger students, for example, due to ill health (their own or a family member's), changing patterns of work, pregnancy, bereavement or other crises. If ill-health or other difficulty disrupts your studies, your personal tutor can help provide both pastoral and academic support, to ensure your studies do not suffer.

If, for any reason, you feel you are not coping, the counselling service within the College provides confidential, individual counselling for anyone who wants help. No problem is too small or unusual - it often helps to talk something through in a safe and confidential setting before it gets out of hand. A counsellor can help you to talk through various ways of coping with, or thinking afresh about choices, experiences or difficulties of any kind.