First Year Experience: Peers

At a time when college completion is a major issue, and there is particular concern about the retention of underserved student populations, peer mentoring programs offer one solution to promoting student success. This is a comprehensive resource for creating, refining and sustaining effective student peer mentoring programs.

Peer mentoring involves a reciprocal relationship of mutual benefits to both the mentee and mentor. To help first time in college students experience a smooth transition to college and empower at-risk college students, South Central University (all names in this paper are pseudonyms) implemented a pilot study for a FYE Peer Mentor Program in fall 2019.

Freshman nursing students returning for their second semester after summer break benefited by reviewing previously learned clinical skills presented in a Skills-a-Thon. Skills stations were established and facilitated by faculty and senior students.

Online college courses can lack much-needed student interactions without live synchronous sessions. The need for socialization is particularly important for first-year students and has been of particular concern during the COVID-19 pandemic, when isolation is the new norm outside the classroom.

Adam Peck describes the Peer Involvement Advising Program at Stephen F. Austin State University.

These summer bridge programs have grown increasingly popular, as a strategy for providing students with the foundational college courses, knowledge and skills required for college success. Many integrated programmatic approaches and resources have been developed to address this issue, including general education freshman courses in reading, writing, peer counseling programs, and upperclassmen and faculty mentoring programs providing students with academic preparation and social support.

Results of the study indicated that the mentorship program should be part of the Mercy School of Nursing (MSON) curriculum as an elective rather than a requirement for all freshman nursing students. In addition, the effects of mentorships should be examined in terms of (a) retention rates, (b) productivity, (c) employee satisfaction, and (d) cost.