The Peer Advising program encourages peers to develop an appreciation for the diversity of Penn's community through training and exposure to varied student, staff and faculty experiences and perspectives.The program promotes Penn resources as a vehicle by which students grow and are enriched academically, socially and personally. Peer advisors contact advisees during the Advance Registration period in the summer and remain accessible to their advisees by email and/or phone throughout the rest of the summer and into the academic year.

Current College students who are not in their final year may apply to be peer advisors and are selected and trained by the College Office and Peer Managers.

For answers to questions about peer advising, please contact [email protected].

Peer Advisors

Peer advisors are an integral part of the College's Advising program and, along with the pre-major advisor, are the first point of contact for incoming College students. They provide a student perspective in the College and assist first-year students in making the transition from high school to Penn by sharing their strategies for academic success and knowledge of campus resources. 

Peer advisors provide the following kinds of assistance to first-year students:

• Provide a student perspective on academic life in the College.
• Share their knowledge of campus resources, strategies for academic success, and experiences overcoming challenges.
• Help facilitate conversations between advisees and pre-major advisors.
• Help advisees become familiar with the Advance Registration process.
• Provide information about opportunities and academic pursuits outside of the classroom.

Peer Managers 

Peer managers have demonstrated extraordinary dedication to the Peer Advising program. They bring vision, innovation, leadership and a strong commitment to the advancement of the College advising program. Managers mentor a group of senior peers and advise their own cohort of first-year students. Managers also assist the College Office with the recruitment, selection and training of new peer advisors.

Peer Manager is a paid position requiring regular attendance at meetings and other work as assigned during the school year; managers must also be available to return to campus for New Student Orientation and program planning activities in August.

Responsibilities of peer managers include those of peer advisors and:

Plan and Conduct Training Sessions

• Assist with planning and conducting training sessions during the spring semester and New Student Orientation
• Be available throughout the summer by email and telephone and during the academic year to assist senior peer advisors and peer advisors

Mentor Peer Advisors

• Work with all peer advisors to help them effectively advise their group of first-year students
• Maintain ongoing communication with peer advisors regarding program activities

Assist with Recruitment and Selection of Peer Advising Staff

• Assist with the evaluation and selection of new peer managers and peer advisors
• Promote the peer advising program and recommend new candidates

Ongoing

• Attend regular peer manager staff meetings with program coordinators
• Additional responsibilities as assigned

In the summer before coming to Penn, students are assigned a pre-major advisor who is a member of either the School of Arts and Sciences faculty or the Penn professional staff. Recognizing how important it is for incoming students to have a good working relationship with an academic advisor who can help them sort through the many options available to them, great care is taken to match each student with an advisor who can connect with them personally and academically. The first discussions in the summer before arriving on campus represent the beginning of a two-year conversation between advisor and student that leads ultimately to the declaration of a major and a plan for the student’s overall program. Students are encouraged to develop a good working relationship with their pre-major advisor and to seek counsel as often as necessary.

Each student has access as well to a College Contact, a member of the professional advising staff in the College Office in 120 Cohen Hall, who can serve as a back-up and source of further information for both student and pre-major advisor. 

College House Directors

Each College house has a director and staff available to answer questions and direct students to additional resources.

All students in the College have a College Contact who is a member of the professional advising staff in the College Office assigned to them when they enter Penn.  

Students are welcome and encouraged to speak with their College Contact about academic planning, finding the right resources, completing degree requirements, taking full advantage of academic opportunities or any issues getting in the way of their academic success.

Students are encouraged to stay in touch with the College Contact as they move through Junior and Senior year, towards graduation.

After declaring a major, students are assigned an academic advisor affiliated with the major department or program. The major advisor may be the undergraduate chair or another faculty or staff member in the major department or program. This advisor will assist in planning the major, identifying research opportunities in the major and discussing fellowship and post-graduate opportunities in the academic field.

Students should still meet with an advisor in the College Office periodically to discuss their overall progress toward the degree as well as special academic options and programs.

CaseNet is an academic support team in the College Office charged with providing a centralized response to all College students in academic difficulty.