About

The Residential College differs from other NYU halls in offering wider opportunities for student-faculty interactions and stronger bridges between your academic and social experience. To advance that mission further, and to facilitate stronger connections across the class cohorts of our four-year undergraduate community, we decided to establish mentor groups supporting first-years and facilitated by upper-year students. 

This group is being piloted in Fall 2025 with the support of Federal Work Study funding, NYU's Provost's Office for Undergraduate Research, and NYU's Residential Life and Housing Services.

This pilot program will be directed by Becky O'Donoghue (MPA. Research Associate, Postsecondary Education, MDRC) and me, Ger O'Donoghue (D.Phil. Clinical Associate Professor, Expository Writing Program, NYU).

WHAT IS A RESIDENTIAL COLLEGE MENTOR GROUP?

Each group will consist of between 5-8 first-year students who will be facilitated by one Peer-Mentor/Undergraduate Research Assistant (or 'PMURA'). The PMURA will be an alumnus of the Residential College in their sophomore or junior year, who has successfully managed the academic and social challenges of first year at NYU. 

WHY SHOULD I WANT TO JOIN A MENTOR GROUP?

Your first year at college is an exciting time of growth. However, it is also a stressful time for many students.  Arriving at NYU can be daunting. Stressors include "new academic structures and expectations, homesickness, loneliness, uncertainty, and feelings of being socially disconnected" (Lane 2018, p.486). Peer-mentoring groups offer social connection and informal guidance from fellow students. We believe, and many studies indicate, that peer mentoring will help you to navigate these stresses, bolster your academic confidence, and feel more at home at NYU.

WHAT WILL I DO IN A MENTOR GROUP?

You will meet for one hour per week with your group to share and tackle your challenges. You will collaboratively decide what the focus of your discussion and work will be in any given week. For example, in one week, the group might decide that your main challenge is the work for your writing classes; in another week, you might decide that you're struggling with a Biology survey course; in a third week, you might decide that the main thing stressing you all out is roommate conflict (it happens!). You will decide amongst yourselves what your group's priority is, and how you want to help each other in tackling it. 

The PMURA is not there to act as your personal tutor; however, they will be someone who has likely faced and overcome the same academic and social issues that you will meet in your first year. They will seek out resources that can help the group's priorities. Most importantly, the PMURAs have experience that will allow them to offer you some good, practical advice as you help each other over these hurdles.

WHAT DO YOU NEED FROM ME?

If you are assigned to a mentor-group, we expect

- your consistent attendance (1 hr per week)

- respectful and collaborative interaction with other group members, and 

- the completion of periodic surveys which will provide research data.

WHY IS THE PMURA A 'RESEARCH ASSISTANT'?

In addition to facilitating the mentor groups, PMURAs will support a research project that seeks to learn more about the relationship between peer-mentoring structures and first-year students' academic confidence and sense of belonging in a new academic environment.

If you participate regularly and complete surveys this year, you may be invited to apply for paid positions as a PMURA in future years of this program.

HOW DO I APPLY?

Spaces are limited, but applications are rolling. You can express your interest in participating here.