Peer Mentor Program
Peer Mentor Program Goals:
- Assist first-year CS students with the transition to WPI and feel connected to the department.
- Provide advice and support incoming students as they acclimate to college life.
- Guide incoming students towards strategies and resources that can help with academic success at WPI.
- Help with resources and referrals to other departments across the campus.
- Encourage community engagement through clubs, extracurricular activities, Greek life, athletics, and research projects.
- Motivate their peers to succeed academically, socially, and personally.
- Create a welcoming and inclusive environment within the department and beyond.
CS Students Share their WPI Experience
About the Program
Peer mentors are current students that spend time with incoming students to help them adjust to college life. A student that receives a peer mentor's guidance is called a "mentee." The primary goals of the peer mentorship program are to provide additional assistance for new students and to establish a more robust community amongst students in the department.
Participants in this program will meet regularly throughout the first A and B terms of the mentee's college career, at least once monthly. During those meetings, mentees might consider discussing the following with their mentors:
- How to balance academics and social activities
- Study tips and suggestions
- How to join clubs
- How to access campus resources
- Adjusting to the 7-week term
- Feelings of homesickness
- Where to get pizza at midnight in Worcester
Participants will be enrolled in the program during the A and B terms. While official participation will end after that time, we hope mentors and mentees develop a professional and mutually beneficial relationship that continues throughout their college careers.
Becoming a Mentee
All incoming WPI Computer Science students will be provided with the option to have a peer mentor. This mentor will be a student in the CS department who has at least completed their first-year at WPI. The mentors are trained and prepared to discuss mutually beneficial topics with their mentees such as the topics listed above. To try to match up mentors and mentees based on mutually interested academic topics, extracurricular activity interests, and similar backgrounds, students are asked to fill out a form to gather information about themselves to make successful mentor/mentee pairs. A link will be sent out to all incoming CS students prior to arriving on campus for the fall term.
As a mentee, please ensure that:
- You understand the purpose and goals of the program.
- You can commit to regular meetings with your mentor throughout the A and B terms.
- You will be responsive to emails and other communications from your mentor and/or the department's academic advisor.
Become a Mentor
Mentor applicants are selected by nomination. If you are interested in becoming a mentor and believe you would make a good candidate, consider asking a Computer Science faculty member, CS related club advisor, CS Academic Advisor or other staff member that can speak to your leadership abilities if they would be willing to nominate you. Nominations can be completed by filling out the CS Peer Mentor Nomination form.
Expectations of a mentor include:
- Patience and Professionalism.
- Complete the Peer Mentor online training session before returning to campus for the fall term.
- Commitment to meeting with the assigned mentees at least once per month throughout the A- and B-terms.
- Responding to a brief survey to provide feedback on the program.
Benefits of being a mentor include:
- Ability to strengthen the WPI Computer Science community.
- Opportunity to improve leadership and interpersonal skills.
- The chance to affect positive change in the Computer Science program by providing feedback on your mentees' experiences.
- Recognition during WPI's graduation ceremony via an honor cord.
