Peer Academic Advisers
Peer academic advisers provide entering first-year students in the A.B. program with informal mentoring and advice concerning course selection. By sharing reflections and anecdotes based on personal experience with a particular concentration as well as various courses, certificates, and other academic opportunities available at Princeton peer advisers provide first year students with a wealth of subjective information that often complements the advice found in more formal handbooks on academic advising. First year students generally find it helpful to speak with a fellow student when they’re deciding on their classes, workload, and the overall approach they are taking toward their academic work. Peer advisors for A.B. students are selected by their director of studies because they have been successful students in their departments and certificate programs, are passionate about their chosen areas of study, and have strong communication skills. Each college recruits a team of peer advisors roughly equivalent to their team of faculty advisors, attempting to achieve balance across the natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities. B.S.E interactors are selected through a similar process in the School of Engineering and Applied Science to assist students in the B.S.E. program. The biggest time commitment for peer advisers comes largely in the three or four days before classes start in September. The interactions during Orientation Week, and in the first weeks of the fall semester are extremely helpful to students. Thereafter, there are fewer formal expectations, though peer advisers are expected to be available to first year students to answer follow-up questions that might arise as the academic year progresses.