Learning the ropes with peer buddies
A lot of material to learn, a new social environment, complicated IT procedures – starting at a new university can be quite challenging. That is why the departmental student bodies and other University advisory offices organise numerous activities for students to help them find their footing, both academically and socially. As the new semester kicks off, we present three examples of mentoring programmes designed for specific target groups.
Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy
The faculty offers a mentoring programme every winter semester for the approximately 300 first-year students enrolled in the bachelor’s programme in food chemistry, chemistry and the teaching degree programme in chemistry. Around 30 mentors accompany the students during their first semester and share their experiences on subject-related topics and organisational processes – from planning timetables to registering for exams. ‘At the same time, the programme creates opportunities for early networking,’ says coordinator Dr Hauke Engler. ‘After orientation week, the mentoring groups meet every two to three weeks.’ The participants share their experiences and impressions and give each other advice on preparing for exams, or finding a job or accommodation. In December and January, the mentoring groups get together again for ‘Meet the Prof’ – a personal meeting with a professor where students can ask questions and visit laboratories, for example. Those who would like to be a mentor for a group of first-year students have to first participate in initial training with Hauke Engler in cooperation with Stephan Förster, the head psychologist at the Procrastination Outpatient Clinic. ‘In the workshop, we give presentations on topics such as study and examination regulations, equality issues, learning techniques and group management,’ explains Hauke Engler.
International Office
Bringing together students from around the world – that is the goal of the buddy programme run by the International Office (IO) at the University of Münster. Around 250 international exchange students and ‘degree seekers’, i.e. international students who want to obtain a degree at the University of Münster, take advantage of this programme offered each year. Shortly before commencing their studies, international students are assigned a so-called ‘buddy’. The buddies are volunteer students who help international students settle in and become acquainted with the University and the city. After an information event for the buddies, where tasks are clarified and questions answered, the buddy pairs share their contact details so that they can network with each other. In addition to the buddy evening to get to know each other, further networking events are held during the semester by the Info Point and the International Office’s social support team. ‘There is no list of tasks that the buddies have to fulfil. How they organise their activities is up to them,’ explain the programme’s coordinators. For example, they can pick up their partner at the train station, help them register at the Münster Office for Citizen and Council Services or take trips around the Münsterland region. Experience shows that many contacts last longer than one semester and develop into friendships.
Departmental student body in the Faculty of Law
An orientation week offers new students support in a new environment, provides important information about starting their studies and brings the ‘Erstis’, as the departmental student body calls them, together in ‘networking events’. These include pub nights, city scavenger hunts, a joint breakfast, billiards, a flunkyball tournament and club nights. Dozens of mentors help them get started with their studies, accompany individual groups around campus and share their experiences with the newcomers.
‘Organising a mentoring programme for such a large degree programme like the law programme is an exciting but also challenging task,’ explains Najma Ali, departmental student body representative for event management. To ensure that no one is left behind, the approximately 450 students are divided into ten to 15 groups for the winter semester, with five to ten volunteer group leaders per group who are fully committed to taking care of the Erstis. ‘The personal support, shared experiences and conversations within the groups create a kind of “safe haven” that motivates many and makes studying easier,’ says departmental student body representative Vanessa Pelka. To ensure that everyone feels comfortable during orientation week, awareness teams are deployed alongside the mentors. They ensure that everyone treats each other with respect and, wearing highly visible pink vests, offer assistance at any time, e.g. in case they are met by inappropriate comments or unwanted physical contact. Before students begin their studies, orientation week lays the foundation for what is particularly important in a time-consuming and labour-intensive subject such as law: friendships, support and balance.
Authors: Linus Peikenkamp and André Bednarz