The Peer Mentoring component of the First-Year Experience connects each section of the first-year seminar (FSEM) with a designated upper-class student. The peer mentors are an integral part of first-year students’ academic support network, which also includes the students’ FSEM instructors and a professional advisor from the Office of Academic Services.
The goal of the Peer Mentoring Program is to provide our first-semester students with mentoring and guidance from the perspective of an experienced UMW student.
- Peer mentors help promote a positive relationship between faculty, Resident Assistants (RAs), and the first-year students in order to adequately support them through their transitional first semester at UMW.
- Peer mentors support the academic advisement and course registration process through in-class degree audit workshops or other activities as directed by the faculty, as well as by being available during the registration period to offer guidance and answer questions.
- Peer mentors provide great connections for first-year students to get involved on campus in FSEM-related activities and activities beyond the classroom.