The purpose of the Fulbright Honors Peer Mentoring program is to ease the transition from high school to college by helping first year honors students discover new information, plan for their future and identify an effective role model. Fulbright Honors freshmen are paired up with Fulbright Honors upperclassmen. The student will meet once a week with their mentors to talk about any difficulties or changes going on in the mentee’s life. The mentor offers any advice and insight they have while giving support and encouragement, and appropriately refers students to other campus resources when they need it.

Associate Director of Fulbright Honors Jill Wheeler created this program to help our students make the transition from high school to college and to increase the university’s retention of our honors freshmen whether in Fulbright or in some other degree program on campus. Over the past six years Fulbright Honors has had an entering freshman class between 440-480. Out of those numbers 100+ fail to make a 3.5 or higher in their first semester and roughly 75 are removed after their spring semester because they are unable to raise their GPA in order to continue in honors after two semesters. Even more opt out for various reasons along the way and fail to graduate with honors. Research shows that first-year students who actively engage with a peer mentor have an 80% success rate for transitioning into their major and achieving a decent GPA their first year. With additional guidance from students who are like themselves we hope to increase our retention numbers of orientation to graduation for Fulbright Honors students.

Are you a first-year honors student ready to join the Peer Mentor Program?