What better way to learn about university life than to ask a peer mentor who is a current student who can give you the benefit of their first-hand experience.
Did you know?
You can request a peer mentor at any point in your student journey, even before you arrive on campus.
If you have any questions for a mentor before you start your course, let us know and we will connect with a mentor via email.
Our student peer mentors are first, second, third year and postgraduate students, trained to provide a safe and confidential space for you to talk freely with and ask questions. They can provide reassurance and guidance, signpost you to services and help build support networks.
We’ve a diverse pool of peer mentors for you to connect with, from various backgrounds and differing experiences, each has their own unique experience and insight to share.
Our new Believe, Achieve, Mentor and Empower (BAME) Programme has been uniquely designed for students that identify as Black, Asian, Mixed Heritage or Minority Ethnic.
The benefits of having a peer mentor
By sharing their knowledge, you are benefiting from the peer mentor's lived experience, which can help you get a head start and make the most out of what we have to offer:
- Providing strategies to achieve a healthy study/life balance
- Signposting to resources and services
- Identifying goals and establishing a sense of direction for your future
- Building confidence, meeting new people and feeling part of the wider community.
Academic support for your course
Peer mentors can share their learning experiences and advice. For academic and assessment support please contact:
- Your personal academic tutor (PAT) or course lecturer. You can find your course contact here.
- Your Faculty Learning Skills Team: Faculty of Arts, Humanities & Education, Faculty of Medicine, Health & Social Care and Faculty of Science, Engineering & Social Sciences
Types of Peer Mentors
Pastoral mentors provide both online or face-to-face guidance and navigation to students who’ve already started their studies. You can request a pastoral mentor at any point during your studies - even before you arrive.
- You’ll be matched according to your choices, or as near as possible.
- The mentoring relationship is flexible so that it fits around you, your studies and other commitments.
- A student mentor can choose the amount of time they devote to mentoring and how many mentees they can manage.
- Both participants can change their mentor or mentee at any point.
- How the mentoring relationship will work is for both participants to agree and decide. This will form the contract/boundaries for the mentoring relationship.
The Believe, Achieve, Mentor and Empower (BAME) Programme has been uniquely designed for students that identify as Black, Asian, Mixed Heritage or Minority Ethnic. The programme aims to improve the experience of Black, Asian and Mixed Heritage and Minority Ethnic students, enhance learning, celebrate success and support collaboration.
The Believe, Achieve, Mentor and Empower programme will support students from a range of different cultural backgrounds to create a sense of community and mutual understanding.
- Under the Believe, Achieve, Mentor and Empower programme, where possible students will be matched up with mentors from similar cultural backgrounds.
- The mentoring relationship is flexible so that it fits around you, your studies and other commitments.
- A student mentor can choose the amount of time they devote to mentoring and how many mentees they can manage.
- Both participants can change their mentor or mentee at any point.
- How the mentoring relationship will work is for both participants to agree and decide. This will form the contract/boundaries for the mentoring relationship.
Please note you can request this from January 2022
Peer mentors for international students
Peer mentors are a great way to help international students settle in as they can introduce you to the University and campus.
For support with your studies, there are a range of other services for international students including:
- The online International Student Success Programme, which guides you through what you need to know about studying in the UK
- The Learning Skills Hub, which helps you develop your academic skills
- Academic English Language Service for support with your English.
Remember, if you have any questions about your studies, you can also speak to your personal academic tutor (PAT) or Course Director.
How to request a peer mentor
To request a peer mentor complete this online form.
Please ensure you mention any specific request or needs that you may have, so that we are able to fit you with the best-suited peer mentor.
If you have any questions, please email peermentoring@canterbury.ac.uk.
Interested in becoming a peer mentor?
Share your knowledge and experience to help guide other students through university life by becoming a peer mentor.
As a student peer mentor, you’ll be trained to provide reassurance, guidance and navigation to other students, by giving them a safe and confidential space to talk freely and ask questions. Learn more about how to become a peer mentor.