“Peer mentoring is flexible, confidential, and fits around your availability” (SMFA)
“Take charge of your learning, build your knowledge and confidence, whilst improving your academic performance” (KBS)
“You’re talking to someone who’s done what you’ve done, can relate and therefore has a more personal understanding of your situation.” (SMFA Peer Mentor)
“Learning from someone who has been in my position helped me understand university-level assignments – sometimes it takes a new perspective to reach the ‘oh, I understand it now’ moment!” (former KBS mentee)
There is simply no subject I would rather discuss. Beneath its historic majesty, Chatham’s Historic Dockyard is home to two bespoke peer mentoring schemes. They have been purposefully set up to help students of creative and business disciplines alike effectively manage the transition to university life.
I’ve never strictly been a peer mentor, but a 10-month placement role as Student Experience Assistant within Kent Business School last year involved coordination of the school’s 25 Stage 2 mentors to a total count of 381 1:1 sessions with new students between October 2016 and April 2017.
I saw first-hand the immense benefits such schemes can have on mentors and mentees, as well as the school’s desire to establish a community of support. The potential to harness this into something grand and sustainable has also inspired a final-year dissertation project into peer mentoring on the University of Kent’s Medway campuses.
From my EP perspective, mentoring is a great way to gain points (45 for fully-trained mentors!); however, this article’s primary and personal objective is to raise awareness of schemes in the two Dockyard-based schools: the School of Music & Fine Art (SMFA) and Kent Business School (KBS) to ensure you as students are aware of this support and feel comfortable utilising it.
Administrative staff work incredibly hard to facilitate this provision and it’s completely free to sign up as a new mentee – what better way to make the most of your time studying on such a beautiful site?
School of Music & Fine Art
SMFA’s peer mentoring scheme is informal and open to all students, on any programme, across every year of study. It has been designed to “foster cross-year support within the school, encourage students to support each other and learn collaboratively. The scheme is flexible, confidential and fits around your availability and preferences”.
Potential benefits to interested mentees are diverse, but include the following:
- Acquire a clear view of course direction, expectations and assignments
- Develop independent learning and study skills
- Build friendships with students from a variety of cultures and backgrounds
All peer mentors within SMFA are fully trained and ready to respond to your individual needs. Charlie Bond – current Masters student and former peer mentor – had the following to say about the school’s scheme:
“You’re talking to someone who’s done what you’re currently doing, can relate and therefore has a more empathetic understanding of your situation. We [mentors] can offer a personal, non-judgemental ear and signpost you to the appropriate academic or pastoral support.
I wanted to give something back to the school, meet new people and build relationships to help them settle into their own university experience. SMFA is like a family – peer mentoring is a great way to appreciate that and help develop friends across the whole school, rather than just your own stage and course.”
To request a peer mentor, simply email Jess Dyke via mfastudentadmin@kent.ac.uk.
Similarly, if you’re interested in becoming a peer mentor for the 2018/19 academic year then get in touch with Jess. Full training is provided and your involvement will be reflected on your student record. Not only would you be providing invaluable assistance to another SMFA student, you’re developing transferable skills and gaining some great experience for your CV.
As Charlie says….
“Being a mentor is a great life experience – you learn how to support different types of people and become more self-aware as it encourages you to reflect upon your own personality and student experience.”
Kent Business School @ Medway
According to KBS’ webpage on academic peer mentoring, its purpose is “to help students (mentees) take charge of their own learning, build their confidence and hopefully improve academic performance”
All of those sentiments are true in reality. The school is split across two campuses, and support staff appreciate that the needs of new students in Medway are nuanced but can be broadly split into two areas:
- Numeracy: students struggling with Accounting and/or Data modules
- Academic Skills: referencing, essay writing, time management, revision etc.
KBS at Medway has done brilliantly to reduce the stigma around asking for help as a sign of weakness; instead, the Sail and Colour Loft in particular facilitates a relaxed study environment where seeking guidance is the unprejudiced norm.
Support is offered on a 1:1 basis, and through group drop-in sessions and Spring revision classes. Peer mentors also help coordinate skills workshops during Welcome Week and the two Academic Skills Development Weeks.
To sign up, ask for Student Experience Assistant Timi Olayinka-Oke at the Sail and Colour Loft reception desk where you’ll need to fill out a brief questionnaire to ensure you’re matched with the most appropriate mentor for your individual needs.
I caught up with second-year Business student, Ben, who benefitted from the peer-mentoring scheme when he joined the university just over a year ago and asked for his reflections as a former mentee.
“I signed up for KBS’ mentoring scheme to better understand university-level referencing and essay writing, as well as improve my marks in Data Analysis and Accounting modules. Learning from someone who has been in my position did just that – sometimes it takes a new perspective to reach the ‘oh, I understand it now’ moment!
Being a mentee also opened the door to making friendships with students in the year above, therefore I feel more confident to ask questions even outside my official mentoring hours if I see them around campus. I believe my peer mentors were the reason I achieved a 1st last year rather than a 2:1, so would highly recommend the scheme to new students.”
Ben has since become an integral part of KBS’ support network as a Student Ambassador and the potentially profound benefits of peer mentoring are clear to see. Whatever your academic weakness, no matter how small it may be, put your worries to bed for good.
As an additional incentive to engage throughout your time at university, the selection process for KBS mentors is to achieve the 90:60:30 criteria in your first year. This equates to 90+% attendance, 60+% grade average and a minimum of 30 Employability Points*. Meet these and you’ll have the chance to support the next generation!
Older students can also still benefit as mentees. Recent extensions to KBS’ mentoring scope include a team of Stage 3 Accounting mentors to help Stage 2 students with the notoriously tricky Business Financial Management module – it’s worth a quarter of your marks this year so don’t sell yourself short. Same process: ask for Timi at the Sail and Colour Loft reception desk if you’d like peer support.
Additionally, if you’d like some extra help with placement covering letters or interview preparation, Head of Placements Debbie Kemp (D.Kemp@kent.ac.uk) can pair you with a final-year Placement Mentor who has already been out to work for a year. They can provide some invaluable insights into the application process and working world itself!
Conclusion
Peer mentoring is not for everyone but, reflecting as a Stage 3 Business student with three academic years under my belt, I wish I’d taken up more of the opportunities discussed above. Dockyard students are privileged to be part of a friendly campus, so never stop asking questions no matter how insignificant they may seem.
Remember, though: despite how professional and knowledgeable mentors are, they’re not a substitute for lectures or seminars!
For more general information about academic peer mentoring, visit the Student Learning Advisory (SLAS) on the ground floor of Gillingham Building or online via https://www.kent.ac.uk/learning/school-support/apm.html
Don’t forget – the Peer Mentoring Scheme is one of many amazing activities that earn you Employability Points! By logging activities on MyFolio and receiving points, students gain the exclusive opportunity to redeem their points on rewards, such as internships, work placements and more.
For more information, please visit www.kent.ac.uk/employabilitypoints