Peer mentorship promotes a sense of community at the School of Law and fosters student development through communication, support, and guidance to law school resources. First-year students are matched with upper-division Peer Mentors in advance of their first semester. Each Peer Mentor is an upper-level law student who volunteers to support new law students and to welcome them to the Akron Law family.
First-year law students meet their Peer Mentors during Orientation, and throughout the school year, Peer Mentors check-in with their mentees regularly by phone, text, or email, and face-to-face (as permitted) at least once per month.
The primary goals of the Peer Mentor Program are to:
- Support first-year law students as they acclimate to law school;
- Help first-year law students navigate law school and make the most of the many opportunities;
- Foster a sense of community and engagement throughout the first-year class;
- Answer questions regarding courses, degree requirements, academic support services, career services, student organizations, law review, and competition teams; and
- Provide information about professional opportunities and academic pursuits outside of the classroom.
In pairing mentees with mentors, the program coordinators review student surveys and consider:
- Background and experience
- Academic interests
- Legal Interests
- Other points of commonality (i.e. race, gender, hometown, undergrad institution, etc.)
Upper-division students interested in serving as a mentor should complete this survey: https://akron.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_1Zdv9Ee65oOyqP4.