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Peer mentoring programs
Peer mentoring programs are available to help develop a supportive and effective learning community at the University. Mentoring gives new students the opportunity to meet peers and build networks, learn about student life and settle in to the University.
Many faculties and schools run peer mentoring programs at the start of semester. New undergraduate or postgraduate students are matched with a mentor in small groups.
Mentors are senior students within the faculty or school who can assist you to settle into university life. This may include:
- providing support and advice
- sharing knowledge and their experiences
- familiarising you with your faculty/school and University services
- providing general information about your course
- answering Welcome Program and transition questions
- organising mentoring sessions or group activities to help you build networks.
Mentors are not intended to replace the academic advice, tutoring or assistance with your course material provided by your faculty or school.
If you are a current student and are interested in becoming a mentor, find out more and register.
Programs and how to register
If you are a new student at the University, you may be able to register for a peer mentoring program run by your faculty or school at the start of your first year of study. Registration often takes place during Faculty Welcome Week, the week before classes begin each semester.
The Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS) offers tailored undergraduate student mentoring programs that run each semester:
- Domestic Student Mentoring Program
- International Student Mentoring Program
- 25 years+ Student Mentoring Program
- Dalyell Scholars Mentoring Program
- Postgraduate Mentoring Program
Our programs offer you the opportunity to develop essential skills, build networks and find out everything you need to know about getting started at the University of Sydney.
As part of the program, you will:
- be connected with a senior Student Mentor in your area of study to support you throughout the first half of your semester
- gain first-hand knowledge about your degree, your area of study, and the opportunities available to you as a student in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
- develop practical skills in academic writing, career planning, digital literacy and study at a university level
- build your networks, find out about joining clubs and societies, meet new people and become an active part of our community.
Registration opens the day after you have enrolled, and you will receive information on how to sign up via your university student email account.
If you have any questions or would like to learn more about the program, email us at fass.studentaffairsandengagement@sydney.edu.au.
Domestic Mentoring Program
The mentoring program will help prepare you for academic, professional and personal success as a commencing local undergraduate student in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Registration opens the day after you have enrolled, and you will receive information on how to sign up via your university student email account.
The program begins on Faculty Welcome Day in Faculty Welcome Week (the week before classes begin each semester) with a day of valuable skills-building workshops, talks, seminars and meeting other new first-year students, led by your senior Student Mentor.
As part of the program, you will:
- be supported by a senior Student Mentor in your area of study from Faculty Welcome Day through to Week 6
- gain expert advice about planning your degree and the opportunities available to you as a student in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
- develop practical skills in academic writing, career planning, digital literacy and study at a university level
- meet new people, find out about all the exciting clubs and societies available, and become an active part of our community.
Your Student Mentor will be someone you can go to if you need help or have any questions. They will also provide you first-hand advice on getting the most out of your studies at the University of Sydney.
If you have any questions or would like to learn more about the program, email us at fass.studentaffairsandengagement@sydney.edu.au.
International Mentoring Program
If you're a first-year international undergraduate student, you can join our International Student Mentoring Program. Registration is essential to ensure you are matched with a senior Student Mentor in your area of study. Check your university student email for details on how to register.
The program begins on Faculty Welcome Day in Faculty Welcome Week (the week before classes begin each semester). This is where you’ll meet your senior Student Mentors, who'll be studying in your area of study and from both an international and domestic background.
FASS International Student Mentor Program is important for you to:
- be connected with your senior Student Mentors, who will be matched to you by your course and area of study and help you get off to a great start at university
- have a look at our amazing campus
- learn essential degree information from senior Faculty academics and start building skills for your studies
- make friends and connect with other first year students.
Your mentor will also be with you throughout the semester to assist and support you.
Throughout your first semester, your mentor will be someone you can go to if you need help or advice. They’ll guide you to important international student workshops on career opportunities and social networks, help you make friends and settle in to a new city, and provide advice on getting the most out of your experience at the University.
For more information, email us at fass.internationalstudents@sydney.edu.au
25+ Mentoring Program
The 25+ Mentoring Program is a specialised option for commencing undergraduate non-school leaver students. Once you have enrolled, you will receive more information on how to register via your university student email account.
The program begins on Faculty Welcome Day in Faculty Welcome Week (the week before classes begin each semester). You will be connected with a senior Student Mentor from your area of study who will lead you through a day of valuable skills-building workshops, talks, seminars and networking opportunities on campus. You’ll also have the opportunity to meet other commencing students in a similar age group.
Over the first six weeks of semester, your Student Mentor will also be someone you can go to if you need help or advice. They will guide you to important study workshops, help you develop your social networks and provide advice on getting the most out of your experience at the University.
If you have any questions or would like to learn more about the program, email us at fass.studentaffairsandengagement@sydney.edu.au.
Dalyell Scholars Mentoring Program
The Dalyell Scholars Mentoring Program is a tailored peer mentoring program for Dalyell Scholars within the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.
You will be paired with a high-achieving senior Dalyell Student Mentor on Faculty Welcome Day in Faculty Welcome Week (the week before classes begin each semester). They will help equip you with all the important information you need to navigate your first semester and the opportunities the Dalyell Program has to offer. They will continue to support you with first-hand advice on achieving success as a Dalyell Scholar.
Registration is essential to ensure you are matched with a senior Mentor in your area of study. Once you have enrolled, you will receive information on how to register via your university student email account.
For more information, email us at fass.dalyellprogram@sydney.edu.au.
Postgraduate Mentoring Program
Whether you're joining us straight from your undergraduate studies, or after some time away from the university environment, the Postgraduate Mentoring Program will help you prepare for academic, professional and personal success during your first semester as a postgraduate Arts and Social Sciences student.
You’ll be supported by a senior Student Mentor in your area of study, starting from Faculty Welcome Day.
This program offers the opportunity to:
- make new friends
- meet your postgraduate coursework coordinators
- familiarise yourself with university life
- connect with people from different cultural backgrounds
- build confidence communicating with others
- practice social skills
- access student skills workshops and social events.
If you have any questions or would like to learn more about the program, email us at fass.studentaffairsandengagement@sydney.edu.au.
The Business School Peer Mentoring Program runs for the first eight weeks of semester. You’ll attend events during Faculty Welcome Week, the week before classes begin each semester, and meet with your group two or three more times during your first weeks at university.
You can register for a mentor during the Business School’s Welcome Day. We will email you once you enrol with details of when and where you need to register.
If you don’t register for a mentor during Faculty Welcome Week, you will have the opportunity to register in Week 1 of semester. We will email you at your University student email account with information on late registration.
If you need more information, contact us at business.mentoring@sydney.edu.au.
If you are a current student and interested in becoming a mentor, find out more about what's required and how to register.
Mentoring follows a structured workshop schedule to help you understand the academic demands of university. Information on the program will be available at Faculty Welcome Week. During Faculty Welcome Week, mentors can be identified by their yellow ‘duck squad’ t-shirts.
Mentoring activities
Reflective journal
As part of your mentoring activities, you will be encouraged to keep a reflective journal starting from the first week of lectures. This introduces you to the practice of critical reflection about teaching and learning, a significant element of your professional preparation and practice. Your journal combines written reflections with other forms of expression, such as visual images, and involves:
- reflecting on your own experiences as well as those of a previous generation, enabling you to connect with, and consider, the evolution of teaching and learning
- developing a critical approach to the education-research literature
- using multiple sources for reflection
- practising writing skills
- reflecting on the experiences that led to your decision to become a teacher or social worker.
Type of journal entries
- Personal school experiences – this could include your thoughts about yourself as a learner; the nature of teaching (the best and worst attributes of your various teachers and their impact on your learning); or other significant aspects of your schooling, for example, what was valued by your school (sport, music or academic achievement) and how this was demonstrated.
- The school experiences of someone of another generation – the memories of, for example, your parents, older friends or grandparents. Be guided by the reflection of the person you have chosen and comment on the differences between their experiences and your own.
- Popular culture – select a movie or television series and discuss how teaching, learning, students or teachers are portrayed. Comment critically on this portrayal, referring to your own experiences and the experiences of others.
- Newspaper articles – summarise print-media coverage of a contemporary education issue and comment critically about the articles by referring to lectures, tutorials, workshops or readings.
Poster competition
A poster competition is the final reflective activity for the year. It is a cooperative activity with contribution from everyone in your workshop group. The competition is judged at the end of Semester 2.
The ENGO Peer Mentoring Program begins during Faculty Welcome Week, the week before classes begin each semester, where you will meet your mentor and group, participate in activities, and have lunch together. The program continues for the first eight weeks of the semester and you will attend social events, workshops and continue to receive informal mentoring.
You can email engineering.student-engagement@sydney.edu.au to find out more about joining the mentor program.
Belong@FHS is the peer mentoring program for students studying an undergraduate coursework degree within the Sydney School of Health Sciences. You will be placed in a group with two mentors and six to eight students.
The program starts during Faculty Welcome Week, the week before classes begin, where you will meet your mentors and group, learn about your degree, participate in activities and have lunch. It continues for the first six weeks of Semester 1 and includes informal mentoring, workshops and social events. Refer to the Belong@FHS Cumberland program (pdf, 45KB) for more information.
Before you register, you should be aware of the Belong@FHS Code of Conduct for mentees (pdf, 60KB). This outlines the expectations of you while part of the program.
Once you've enrolled, you'll be able to register for the program online.
After you have registered, we will allocate you to a group with other students in your degree. If you would like to be placed in the same group as a friend, you can create a unique passcode and each include this in your registration.
The Sydney Law School Peer Mentoring Program starts during Faculty Welcome Week, the week before classes begin, and runs for the first few weeks of Semester 1. In the program you will be matched with a mentor and a group of five to 10 students. You will learn about your course and the Law School and participate in group activities. The first meeting takes place on Faculty Welcome Day at the Law School.
All enrolled students will be given the opportunity to participate in mentoring during the Welcome Program. You will not need to pre-register.
For more information, contact the Professional Law Programs Team at law.professional@sydney.edu.au
The Sydney Conservatorium of Music runs a Student Support Network Mentoring Program where each new student is matched to a student mentor in groups of five of six students. Where possible, you will be matched with a mentor in the same degree and area of principal study.
If you need more information about the program, email Dr Christopher Coady at christopher.coady@sydney.edu.au.
The Sydney Nursing School Peer Mentoring Program aims to create a sense of belonging for new students within a learning community. The program is designed to assist new students to build social and academic networks at Sydney Nursing School so they can settle quickly into life as a student.
The program helps new students have a more successful, productive and positive personal and academic experience. This is achieved by small groups of new students meeting and undertaking a range of activities over the first five weeks of their first semester under the support and direction of a mentor.
As mentees, you will meet some of your mentors at Faculty Welcome Day and keep in touch with them over the first five weeks of the program.
If you're interested in signing up as a mentee, please email Student Life at fmh.student-life@sydney.edu.au
The Science Undergraduate Peer Mentoring Program aims to help commencing students transition to university life through building meaningful relationships with peers and senior science students in their first year at University. The program involves Mentors (senior students) who form mentoring groups to support and guide mentees (first year students) through their first semester or year of studying Science and attending University.
A month before each semester applications open for both mentees and mentors to join the program. There is then a short training process for mentors to equip them with the skills needed to support mentees. Mentoring groups are formed based on shared study, gender identification, Dalyell or ATSI status and interests. Mentoring groups are then invited to a Welcome event during Faculty Welcome Week, the week before classes begin each semester, and are expected to meet up regularly with their groups, following the schedule set by the program coordinator.
Participants continue to report feelings of great satisfaction and regularly share their positive learning experiences with the Faculty that this is an engaging, rewarding and meaningful program to participate in.
For more information please contact the Student Support Officer at science.student‑engagement@sydney.edu.au.
Last updated: 13 April 2023
