Peer Advisors

Peer advisors are an integral part of the College's pre-major advising program and along with the pre-major advisor, are the first point of contact for incoming College students. They provide the perspective of an upperclass student in the College and assist first-year students in making the transition from high school to Penn by sharing their strategies for academic success and knowledge of campus resources.

Peer advisors contact freshmen during the Advance Registration period in the summer and remain accessible to the freshmen by email and/or phone throughout the rest of the summer and fall semester.

The peer advisors are recruited from amongst the College upperclass student body and trained by the College Office. The peer advising program is coordinated by Susan Hassett in the College Office.

Peer advisors provide the following kinds of assistance to first-year students:

• Help facilitate conversations between the student and pre-major advisor.
• Help with the use of Penn InTouch, including creating an Academic Planning Worksheet at the appropriate time.
• Help schedule appointments with the pre-major advisor during Advance Registration.
• Help find the answers to questions in College and University publications.
• Direct students to the College Office (120 Cohen Hall).
• Provide information about opportunities and academic pursuits outside of the classroom.