During the chat following this year’s Graduate English Symposium, some students mentioned that it might be useful practice for incoming grad students to be put in touch with students a bit further along in the graduate program. Students with more experience in the program might be able to offer advice, answer questions, recommend courses, and just be a friendly peer-resource for incoming students. The Program Director serves as the faculty advisor to every student in the program, but peer-mentoring (as we’ll call this) has proven to be beneficial in many fields, especially in education, and experienced students can invariably provide a different perspective on the program than anything a faculty advisor might be able to provide.

If you’re an MA student who was completed at least twelve credits in the program and if you’d like to be a peer-mentor to a newer MA student, please write to cloots@mercy.edu. In your email specify if you would be available for email contact, phone contact, or even zoom contact. Do not feel obligated to make yourself available for any medium beyond what you’re comfortable and happy to do. Alumni are also welcome to volunteer for this. Please make the subject-line of your email PEER MENTORING.

If you’re an incoming or newer student (or really are just any MA student who would like to be put in contact with a program-peer) then write to cloots@mercy.edu. Indicate if you would prefer email, phone, or zoom contact. Again, please make the subject of your email PEER MENTORING.

Near the start of the semester (which begins on 9/8) I will share here an “annual welcome” post and will include in it a view on how the peer-mentoring response is shaping up. Thank you, all.