Josh
BA (Hons) Combined Honours
It is an amazing experience to give back to people who are in the same boat that you were in not so long ago.
Being a Peer Mentor
As a Peer Mentor, I am one of the first lines of support for first year students during their first semester. One of my main tasks is to answer any queries my mentees may have and to provide advice to the best of my ability and within reason, in matters ranging from accommodation to academic study.
I became a Peer Mentor because I wanted to help the first year students navigate what can be a challenging and exciting new adjustment. As a student who commutes to university, and has a different experience to many who have gone to university, I felt like my student experience and advice would be helpful to new students in a similar situation.
Mentees can expect a friendly face and someone who has been in their place, who they can seek advice from and can point them in the right direction.
Benefits of being a Peer Mentor
I gained and developed my interpersonal skills with others and improved my leadership skills. By arranging both formal and informal meetings, I also developed organisational skills and learned how to chair meetings, which was of great benefit to me.
I was nominated as Peer Mentor of the year. It was an absolute joy to find out I was nominated by my mentees and probably the biggest thank you I could get for the work and time I put in helping them. I was enormously grateful.
If you are thinking of being a Peer Mentor, do it! It is an amazing experience to give back to people who are in the same boat that you were in not so long ago. Do not let the thought of responsibility prevent you from helping your fellow students and the university community as a whole. Your job is mostly as a guide to the best resources and support available to your mentees, not being responsible for them or their first semester as students.