What is a Mentor?

Mentors are coaches, role models, advisors, guides and referral agents for freshmen and new transfer students. Mentors assist new students in getting acclimated to campus life. The program offers two types of mentors:

Faculty and Staff Mentors - Faculty and staff mentors have a demonstrated knowledge of Texas State and desire to assist new students as they acclimate to our campus.  In addition, faculty/staff must have a working knowledge of the campus and it's various resources as well as a desire to help students adjust to college.

Peer Mentors - Peer mentors must have completed 24 course hours at Texas State and have a GPA of 2.5 or  higher.  They must also have a desire to assist new students during the start of their college expereince.

If you are interested in serving as a mentor, contact the VPSA Office at 245-2152 or complete the online mentor application available on the link, "Apply to be a Mentor/Mentee."

Why Should I Join the Mentoring Program?

Colleges and universities across the nation struggle every year with how to help new students adjust to the inevitable changes of higher education. At Texas State, we pair incoming freshmen and new transfer students with Texas State upperclassmen, staff, or faculty to aid in this adjustment. 

Being a mentor is a great opportunity to help others find pride and self-satisfaction, and raise your level of concern for the students of the Texas State community. Texas State mentors are support systems for new students. Mentors not only get an opportunity to tell their mentee about what "I wish I knew when I came to Texas State," but they also get the opportunity to shape the minds of new Texas State students and help him/her adjust to life on a campus of over 29,000 students.

New students benefit in many ways from having a mentor.  It can reduce the stress of coming to campus by having a friend/mentor already in place. This is also directly related to a higher retention of new students at Texas State and a higher GPA (as compared to their fellow non-mentored new students). Mentors can be an incredible support system for new students when Orientation Advisors are not around to guide the mentees through choosing classes and activities. Because of previous experiences on campus, mentors have the knowledge of where to refer their mentees if the mentors are unable to help.