Victoria
Master of Pharmacy with Honours
Being a Peer Mentor, made me realise the importance of fully taking advantage of the university experience. This is something that I have communicated to my mentees and I’ve made sure that they know what opportunities are available to them.
Being a Peer Mentor
I decided to become a Peer Mentor so that I could help first year students integrate into university life. The initial stages of university life can be daunting and overwhelming with many challenges such as making friends, joining societies, seeking academic support, and part-time work. My role was to help them navigate through any queries they had and provide valuable advice on various aspects of university life.
As a Peer Mentor, I mainly answered any questions that students had whether that was regarding making notes, revision techniques or help with assignments. I also had to organise meetings to see how they were doing. Most of these meetings were not compulsory but I did encourage them to attend in case they had any queries. My role also involved signposting them to relevant university resources such as the library, or how to navigate Canvas and Endnote.
A mentee can anticipate receiving support from their Peer Mentor. They should also anticipate their mentor being readily available and easily reachable through email for any inquiries. In terms of their character, a good Peer Mentor is someone who has good communication skills, emotional intelligence and good organisational skills.
Benefits of being a Peer Mentor
During my time as a Peer Mentor, I have improved my communication, teamwork, organisational and time management skills. My communication skills have improved by learning how to articulate my thoughts in ways that people can understand and by speaking to a range of different people. My organisational skills have improved by mastering how I plan my time and in the organisation of meetings. Sometimes my mentees would ask difficult questions, and in these situations, I was able to utilise my problem-solving skills and signpost them to the relevant resources.
Being a Peer Mentor, made me realise the importance of fully taking advantage of the university experience. This is something that I have communicated to my mentees and I’ve also made sure that they know what opportunities are available to them.
To anyone thinking about becoming a Peer Mentor, I would say that it’s a rewarding experience as you are directly impacting somebody else’s university experience. It’s also a great way to work on your communication and organisational skills.