Learn more about BL Families, our Welcome Week peer mentoring scheme for students at Barts and The London.
BL Families is a way of life at Barts and The London Students' Association, which is part of the Students' Union.
Here is where you can sign-up for BL Families, our Welcome Week peer-mentoring scheme for students at Barts and The London! Current students – 'parents' – are matched with first year students to provide a friendly face and to help new students settle in to university life. Our students can often recite their family trees for up to three generations and describe the highs and lows that come with the typical family politics.
Designed to be a scheme that helps first year students settle in and get access to the knowledge and experience of peers in more senior years (aka steal their notes), the scheme has run successfully for over twenty years. It's a great way to meet new people and get introduced to life at Barts and The London. Even if you won’t be on campus in September, you can still take part in the scheme.
By signing up to the scheme, you'll be invited to our in-person Welcome Week events:
Welcome Event
Date TBC
BL Families kicks off our Freshers Fortnight when you will meet your new “parents”.
Join us for introductions and matching up and then choose one of two afterparty events:
- BL Families After Party at The Griff (alcohol avaliable) - until 1am. Buy your ticket for this event
- Alcohol-free Games & Mocktails Night at the Old Library, Garrod Building - further details TBC
The final deadline for new students to signup is Monday 7 September 9am.
We hope to see you there!
Applications for BL Families 2026 are now open.
New Students
New Students Apply Here
Returning Students
Returning Students Apply Here (Parents)
Deadline for signups: 7 September 2026, 9am
Similar to previous years. One person from each parent pair fills out the form. They MUST complete the online training which has been updated.