DESIGNING A FRESHMAN PROGRAM

Abstract

The transition from high school to college canbe very difficult for many students. At the University ofPittsburgh School of Engineering, we have developed afreshmen seminar and concurrent system of mentoring thataddresses the changes and difficulties students experienceduring this transitional time. All first-year University ofPittsburgh School of Engineering students are required toregister for and attend a large group lecture course,Engineering 0081 Freshmen Seminar, that addressesvarious aspects and issues of first-year academic and sociallife. Each first-year student is also required to select andattend a small-group class that is directed by a sophomore,junior, or senior peer-mentor. This paper details how thesmall-group, peer-mentored classes are an essential aspectof the success of the large 0081 Freshmen Seminar. Thepaper will discuss just what the peer-mentoring classesinvolve, what these classes facilitate, and how these classescontribute to successful transitions from high-school life tothe first year of university life, and how this successfultransition, in turn, contributes to a students’ ongoingengineering school success.

Index Terms - Freshmen advising, peer mentoring,transition issues.