Further Enquiries

Please direct any student enquiries to the Student Centre
North Terrace Campus
Level 4, Wills Building
THE UNIVERSITY OF ADELAIDE
SA 5005 AUSTRALIA

Telephone: +61 8 8303 5208
(Country and interstate callers toll free on 1800 061 459)
Facsimile: +61 8 8303 4401

Opening Hours
North Terrace
Mon, Wed, Thurs, Fri: 8:45am-5:00pm
Tues: 9:30am-5:00pm

Information for Staff

What is Peer Networking (Mentoring)?

In a university context peer mentoring involves experienced university students spending time with new students, providing social, psychological, and academic support by means of direction, guidance, empathy and insight into the university “culture” and ideas on how to fit into that culture. The role of the peer mentor does not supersede that of academic or professional staff. It is a complementary, more informal support role to new students, whereby mentors share their own experiences and knowledge gained from having been first year students themselves.

Why Peer Networking?

The more efforts made to connect new students into the campus community and to identify with their specific academic learning community the more likely the students are to stay and succeed. Peer mentoring is a first year initiative that is widely recognised nationally and internationally as an effective means of engaging new students.

Peer networking is designed to give first year students a more positive experience as they make the transition into tertiary education. It is also aimed at minimising the attrition rate for new students who are simply overwhelmed and feeling lost and isolated at uni. (Networking programs are less likely to assist in retaining students who have no clear career goal or who feel pressured by their family to attend university.) For more information, see resources.