Who can be a Peer Mentor?
You! No prior mentoring experience is required, just experience studying engineering as an undergraduate at UW!
What’s the program all about?
Advisers in the College of Engineering are
dedicated to helping students with any questions they have. But when it
comes to learning about the student experience, who better for
pre-engineers to talk to than engineering students themselves?
The Peer Mentor program connects first and
second-year students with upperclassmen in engineering who have
undergone similar experiences and can offer their student perspective
and insight on a variety of subjects. Having once been in
their shoes, Peer Mentors are a valuable resource for underclassmen as
they explore engineering majors, think about getting involved in clubs
& organizations, consider doing research or an internship, decide
where to live, contemplate studying abroad, etc.
By being a mentor and sharing your experiences, you can help your peers
be better informed to make their own decisions as they navigate their
way through their undergraduate careers.
How does it work? What’s expected of Peer Mentors?
Peer Mentors complete short profiles which are posted on our website for
students to browse. Students are able to search for and contact
a mentor based on their interests. If you are contacted, we expect you
to respond in a timely manner. You and a mentee may choose to
communicate by email and/or phone, or you may decide to meet in person;
that’s up to the both of you.
As a Peer Mentor, you commit to providing your personal expertise to students who seek it out. You are not however expected to 'know all the answers', or assume the role of an adviser (that’s what we’re here for!). The focus of your
conversations should really be on your experiences. We'll provide you with a list of resources to reference if need be.
Peer Mentoring can be a small commitment or a
larger one depending on your involvement and the number of students who
decide to seek you out. You can always opt-out of the program at any
time by emailing lfryhle@uw.edu,
and your contact information will be removed from the website.
How do I get involved?
First complete this quick catalyst survey:
https://catalyst.uw.edu/webq/survey/lfryhle/236581. We’ll then get in contact with you with more information and to have you create a profile.
