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Honors Peer Mentoring 2008


Peer Mentors play an important role in the Honors Program by helping high school students and new college students transition smoothly into the University of Washington and into the Honors Program. Remember how confusing college seemed when you were a senior in high school? Or when you first set foot on campus? Why not help someone else in the same position? You don't need prior advising or mentoring experience, just experience as an Honors student at the UW. You'll make contact with high school seniors as they are accepted into the program and help take away those pre-college jitters by answering questions and demystifying the college experience.

The point of the program is to offer your perspective as a student to someone who will soon be in the same position, and to facilitate the decision of whether to attend the UW or not. This can be a small commitment or a much larger one.

  • Peer Mentors are asked to attend an orientation session in the first week of winter quarter to learn more about their role as a Peer Mentors and get information on the process.
  • Peer Mentors are matched with several high school students who have been invited into the Honors Program. This is an excellent way for potential students to find out more about the "real" Honors Program from students currently enrolled in it; the Honors Program gives mentors and mentees each others' contact information in order to facilitate this process. Typical topics of discussion include classes, registration, faculty, time management, Honors courses, majors, and things to see and do around campus. Much of this contact may occur over email or phone, but some Peer Mentors also choose to meet their students in person for coffee or an informal tour of campus.
  • Peer Mentors short bios and contact information will be posted on the HonorsFreshman Website. Prospective and new students can go to this site to search for current students with similar interests to ask more specific questions about majors, research, internships, etc. Peer Mentors are also able to submit pictures of themselves.
  • Peer Mentors are invited to various Honors events involving new and prospective students throughout the year, and we ask Peer Mentors to attend the Honors Experience in April. If they are available in the summer, they may also be invited to speak at Honors freshman orientation sessions.
  • Peer Mentors will be added to an email list for pertinent announcements.

Click here to go to our Peer Mentor signup page, or click here if you've already signed up to be a Peer Mentor and want to edit parts of your profile.

Honors student Peer Mentors will be listed on the invited freshman page of the Honors website when the Peer Mentors application season begins. If none are listed, please check back soon.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the Honors Department at hpeeradv@u.washington.edu.