Helping new students with a smooth transition to university life

The School of Applied Psychology Peer Mentoring program matches first-year students with experienced student mentors from their program, to facilitate orientation, transition and academic success. The program is based at Gold Coast and Brisbane South (Mt Gravatt).

Peer mentoring helps develop the five senses of student success: connectedness, capability, resourcefulness, purpose and student identity.

How the program works

Volunteer peer mentors are matched with small groups of first-year students. Through weekly meetings, mentors help students find answers to questions about university life, helping them to settle in quickly enjoy the university experience.

As a student in the peer mentor group, you'll be given an opportunity to:

  • ask questions and discuss course work in a relaxed and informal way
  • develop your social and academic network
  • increase your awareness of student support services
  • improve your communication and teamwork skills
  • gain a sense of belonging at university
  • understand the expectations and requirements of life as a university student.

Mentoring benefits

Commencing students who participate in a well-run peer mentoring program are more likely to:

  • achieve greater social and relationship adjustment
  • report greater academic adjustment and self-efficacy
  • enjoy more collaboration and less competitiveness
  • achieve significantly higher GPAs for Trimesters 1 and 2.

Our aims

Through peer mentoring, our school community aims to:

  • develop peer mentors who act as an agent of change in helping our commencing students
  • help our new students make a successful transition to university and the school community
  • assist our students to become capable and effective learners
  • encourage new students to consider being peer mentors to future cohorts.

Program contacts

First-Year and Commencing Student Coordinator

Dr Tim Piatkowski

Peer Mentor Coordinator

TBC

Mentoring roles

Learn more about the roles within our mentoring programs at Griffith, and discover associated benefits and resources.

Contact us

We're here to answer your questions about mentoring at Griffith