While supervisions provide an opportunity to look at your chosen topics in depth, your overall guide on academic matters will be your Director of Studies (DoS) who, in all but the smallest subjects, will be a Fellow of Peterhouse. He or she will usually teach some of your papers, but the chief function of the DoS is to discuss with you the particular shape your course/education should take, through organising your weekly supervisions, giving advice about lectures and reading, and generally helping you to understand the wider context of your subject. Your DoS will offer you individual attention, monitoring your progress based on feedback from you, your Supervisors and your exam results, and will help you to choose the courses that will build towards a degree tailored to your particular interests.
Each undergraduate is also allocated a personal Tutor who is responsible for their pastoral care and will usually be the same person throughout your time at Peterhouse. Your Tutor will be a Fellow from another subject, which makes it easier for them to represent you should you be facing academic difficulties. You are welcome to discuss personal, financial or academic issues with your Tutor.
Peterhouse students are also proud to support each other, both informally, as well as in a formal capacity. To facilitate this, there are a number of roles on the College's JCR Committee (i.e. Students' Union) providing a more formal avenue for you to seek support and advice from your peers, such as First Year Officer (to help you settle in), Academic Affairs & Welfare Officers, Ethnic Minorities Officer, Women's Officer, LGBT+ Rep, Access & Equal Opportunities Officer, and International Students' Rep.
The Peterhouse Porters, the College Nurse and your fellow students will also be part of your support structure if life's challenges get a little overwhelming at points during your time here.
Finally, the Dean is always happy to lend a listening ear to anyone in College, whether or not about spiritual matters. You are also welcome in the Chapel: it provides a place of prayer, enquiry, creativity and community for people from all sorts of spiritual backgrounds and traditions.
As well as the support which you receive through the College, there are a number of University services that provide additional or more specialist support.
