Programs
Peer Mentoring
Overview
Peer Mentors are work study students who assist a group of first-year students with academic support, successful transition to college life and the enhancement of personal and social skills.
Our peer mentoring program is specifically aimed at supporting first-year multi-ethnic students at College Park. First year students who request a mentor are matched with an upper class student. The upper class student, or Peer Mentor, will act as a "Big Brother" or "Big Sister" during the student's first year at the University of Maryland.
Much of the success of a mentoring program is attributed to the quality of the mentor-mentee relationship. Though mentoring shares many traits, and can develop into friendship, its focus is often directed to a particular skill to be learned, an issue to be examined, or some other specific problem to be avoided or solved - some academic goal.
The two types of mentoring are natural mentoring and planned mentoring. Natural mentoring occurs through friendship, collegiality, teaching, coaching, and counseling. Planned mentoring occurs through structured programs, in which a mentor is assigned to help mentees with specific academic goals in mind. Educational or academic mentoring helps mentees to improve their overall academic achievement.
Peer Mentoring describes a structured, enduring relationship between an upper classman or a more experienced person and a Freshman or a transfer student, and usually this relationship aims to provide help, support and guidance with issues or difficulties, such as, for example, academic challenges.
Would you like to participate?
If so, please let us know!
