Mentor Application Open
January 30, 2015
Beginning college as a freshman can be challenging, especially at a university as large as Purdue. The Honors College recognizes this and has implemented a program designed to help first-year students get adjusted to their new college life and classes. The mentor program recruits upperclassmen from the Honors College and assigns them a group of students in an honors seminar course.
In order to be fully prepared to help younger students in their seminar courses, mentors get together once a week and have a meeting. During this time, mentors discuss their plans for their groups. They also test the assignments before the freshmen are introduced to them. All in all, these mentor group sessions allow the mentors to meet as a group and prepare material for their freshmen groups. Not only are mentors expected to help students with their classwork, but they are also there to help their mentees adjust to the college lifestyle. It is really comforting to the freshmen to have a friend who is there to answer their questions.
The first semester has quickly came and went, which means it is time to recruit new mentors for next year’s freshmen. Captain mentor Sean McDowell says that students should consider applying for a mentor position because “this program brings so many opportunities. Not only do mentors get to work with some of the best students on campus, they are also going to develop their own skills as leaders.”
Senior mentor Allison Turner also shared her enthusiasm regarding the mentor program. She says that she really enjoyed the fact that her students challenged her to think about things from different perspectives. Allison says, “Being a mentor is totally different than any other class you can participate in at Purdue, and very different than leadership opportunities you have with a student organization.”
Students who submit an application will be contacted on February 17th about whether they will be invited to interview for the position. Previous mentors who wish to return in Fall 2015 need only email Dr. Watkins and state their intentions in order to be considered. Click here to learn more about the mentor program and apply.
