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Your Peer Mentor

When you start your degree, you will be assigned a Peer Mentor to help you navigate the complexities of University life.

Your Peer Mentor will be a second or third year student studying in the same department as you, so whatever you want to know more about, whatever is puzzling you or isn’t clear or just needs a little more explanation – they’ve been there and done that.

Whether it’s an academic matter, or something financial, or emotional issues, or an aspect of your physical or mental health, or something you’re just not 100% sure about and want to check – your Peer Mentor is on hand to help. If they don’t know the answer, they will know who you can ask who will know the answer, or where you can get the assistance you need.

An additional element to our Peer Mentoring scheme called Liberation Matching will let you request a more personalised match with a Mentor who shares personal characteristics with you such as ethnicity, LGBT+ identity, disability etc.

Your Peer Mentor will contact you by email at the start of term, which is of course when you’re likely to have the most questions. Throughout the term they’ll keep in touch with you online and (if possible) in person, and they’ll be there again after Christmas to get you back up to speed when the second term starts.

Comments from students who benefitted from the Peer Mentoring Scheme:

  • “Everyone feels a bit lost in their first days at Uni, so having somebody more experienced checking on you is super useful and reassuring.”
  • “My mentor really helped me to alleviate my stress and anxieties during my revision for my first set of revision questions. It is a great scheme.”
  • “Mentors can empathise with the concerns of first year students because they have just come out the other end.”

You will also have a Personal Tutor in your department or school, who is there to help you with both academic and personal matters, as well as access to an Academic Support Adviser and a Careers Consultant.

By the end of your first year, you’ll be an expert on everything about how the University of Leicester works and what being a Leicester student involves. Maybe after the summer break you’ll be ready to become a Peer Mentor yourself, ‘paying it forward’ to the next intake of freshers.

The Peer Mentoring scheme applies to all first year students except medical students (the Medical School has its own support scheme.)

When I first started my degree, one of the things I found most challenging was not having someone relatable to turn to in a time of need. That was until I signed up to the Peer Mentoring Scheme. Whether it be an academic or personal issue, even something as trivial as ‘Where is the best place to eat on campus?’, the Peer Mentoring Scheme offers that one-to-one, accessible relationship that truly helps new students adapt to academic life and increase self-awareness. I developed so much social and academic confidence from the scheme that I then signed up to become a mentor, to provide support, advice and encouragement to new students, helping them feel part of the large Leicester community. The benefits and friendships I have gained from the scheme are innumerable, and ones that have both brought me a sense of fulfilment (as a mentor) and helped me grow personally (as a mentee).

Kat, Winner of the University’s ‘Peer Mentor of the Year’ Award

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