Issue 2, 2008
Student Life
A helping hand
For students who have just completed their HSC,
university life can be quite daunting. Not only are they
faced with a huge campus and tens of thousands of
students, figuring out where to go for information and
advice can be a daunting task.
To ensure that students don’t feel lost when they start tertiary study, Macquarie University has instituted a special mentoring program involving current students. “The transition program is all about students helping students,” says Dean of Students Julian de Meyrick. “A student who chooses to take part in the transition program is lined up with an appropriate mentor who introduces them to the Macquarie academic community. They more or less show them what to do, how to do it and when and where to do it.”
Mentors meet up with the new student, show them around at orientation and discuss any issues about joining the Macquarie community. Thereafter the relationship usually continues via email.
Currently there are more than two hundred mentors at Macquarie University who volunteer their time to assist new students. According to de Meyrick not only new students benefit from the program, but the mentors themselves. “What we have noticed is the tremendous development that mentors get out of it. They get a much deeper learning and build their leadership skills, communication skills and their own confidence increases.”
Transition is the first step in a student’s university experience; once students are on campus, the focus shifts to engagement. De Meyrick and his team are continually involved in creating new strategies to get students more involved in university life, including working more closely with Careers Advisers to provide more information on the programs on offer for new students.
For further information visit www.deanofstudents.mq.edu.au or email deanofstudents@mq.edu.au