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Tristan

Master of Dietetics

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As a Peer Mentor, I can reap the benefits of getting to know more people on the same course as me and have an opportunity to practice my communication skills, a skill which is essential for my professional development and future career.

Being a Peer Mentor

During my first year at Newcastle University the Covid situation was very bad in the UK. For the whole year, every lecture was taught online and I was stuck at home and could not go out due to lockdown. Therefore, once I got to my second year, I really wanted to make good use of my time at university and have a more diverse university life. That is why I wanted to be a Peer Mentor. As a Peer Mentor, I can reap the benefits of getting to know more people on the same course as me and have an opportunity to practice my communication skills, a skill which is essential for my professional development and future career. As a Peer Mentor, I provide help and support to a group of new students. My mentees and I usually chat for some time about university life. During our chats, I can provide further information about studying and our degree course.  I am also able to share information about university life and the Newcastle environment. We usually have a great time during these chats!

I also encouraged my mentees to take part in an induction period competition as it was one of the first activities recommended to me as a Peer Mentor by the University. Taking part provide us with another opportunity to connect by completing an activity together. I also used this opportunity to understand my mentees better and reassure them that my assistance was there if they ever needed it.

Benefits of being a Peer Mentor

There are tons of skills that I have developed and improved thanks to my time as a Peer Mentor! Most noticeably would be my communication skills. This is pretty obvious since communicating and discussing with your mentees is absolutely necessary. Whether it is by helping them out, giving them advice, or encouraging discussions. Secondly, my leadership and organisation skills were put to the test. As a Peer Mentor, you are responsible for organising a group as well as maintaining the dynamic between conversation and leading your mentees. I believe my leadership was improved as the role helped me improvise and organise meetings and my workload.

If you’re thinking about being a Peer Mentor, I’d say try it out. This is especially true for those who have the will to help others or if they want to connect with other people. Perhaps you want to make new friends or get to know new people. Being a Peer Mentor is a good way of achieving this. Being a Peer Mentor may be quite daunting at first, but once you get into the thick of it, you realise it’s not that bad and it is an enjoyable experience. For those who are considering becoming a Peer Mentor, don’t think of it as a very big deal, it is not cringey nor does it require tons of extra effort. Be brave and sign up to be one -I am sure you will not regret it!