Should you not find the information you are looking for here, please email Aulona Arbana, the 2020-2021 Student Coordinator. This page will be updated as questions are received.
Overview of the Program
1. What is the Peer Mentorship Program?
The Peer Mentorship Program (PMP) is a student-organized, faculty-supervised program that matches first-year law students with upper-year students, who will serve as a mentor throughout the academic year.
Mentee or Mentor Applications
2. I am a newly-accepted, first-year Windsor Law Student. How do I join the mentorship program if I would like a mentee?
If you are interested in being matched with a mentor, please fill out an electronic application attached at the bottom of this page or on the Windsor Law Peer Mentorship Facebook group. Only first-year students are eligible to be mentees, but you can be a first-year student in any program - single JD, Dual JD, or combined degree program (e.g. JD/MSW, JD/MBA), etc.
3. I am an upper-year Windsor Law Student and I would like to be a mentor for the 2020-2021 academic year. How can I join the program?
Thank you for volunteering your services! You can fill out a mentor application here. Both second and third-year students are eligible to be mentors.
Role of Mentees, Mentors, & Time Commitment Information
4. What is the time commitment of the Peer Mentorship Program?
The Peer Mentorship program recognizes that no mentee/mentor pair is alike. The purpose of the program is to foster strong relationships between Windsor law students and ease the transition for first-year students. As a result, there is no strict time requirement. Some pairs like to meet once a week for coffee, others operate on a contact-with-questions basis. The mentor aims to assist the mentee with any questions or concerns they have, whether in person, or on the phone/email, at a mutually convenient time.
Mentors will be required to check in with their mentees at a minimum of once a month and update the Student Coordinator on the progress of their relationship with their mentees twice a semester at minimum.
5. What is the role of a mentor?
The responsibility of a mentor is to assist a first-year student with their transition into law school. This may require providing academic, social, and emotional support to a first-year student. As a mentor, your responsibility is to keep in touch with your mentee to ensure that they are coping well under the stress and pressure of law school.
A mentor is not required to provide their mentee with their notes from previously taken courses (CANs - Condensed Annotated Notes), or to act as a tutor, psychiatrist, or parent. A mentor is there to provide support to a mentee and guide them to the correct resources when the mentee faces an issue. If at any point you are unclear as to your role while engaging in your mentorship duties, please speak to the PMP Student Coordinator, Aulona Arbana, or email her at lawpeermentor@uwindsor.ca.
Mentors will also be required to attend a mandatory training session at the beginning of the school year. Due to the covid-19 situation, this training session will be provided virtually.
6. What is the role of a mentee?
The role of a mentee is to learn as much as you can from your mentor about law school and the resources available to you. Your mentor has kindly volunteered their time to guide you and give you tips about surviving law school. The mentee must recognize the mentor is managing many other commitments including their own schooling, and we ask that you be respectful of the mentor's time.
Along with your mentor, please check out our blog (see the "Blog" tab on the upper left navigation system) for our Law School Survival Guide and tips for a successful law school career!
If you ever need someone to talk to and your mentor is not available, please see the PMP Student Coordinator during office hours once school begins, or email her at lawpeermentor@uwindsor.ca anytime.
The Pairing Process
- How are mentees/mentors assigned?
Mentee and Mentor applications are carefully reviewed by the PMP Coordinator. Pairings are assigned based on the information collected from each respective application. We aim to pair mentees with mentors in the same program, who have the ability to discuss the categories for which the mentee seeks guidance and support.
- When will I be assigned a mentee/mentor?
Mentees and Mentors will be paired and notified of the pairing in mid-august. This will ensure mentees have the opportunity to ask their mentors any questions they might have before the school year begins.
The Peer Mentorship Program has shown to provide not only a supportive relationship for first-year students but also to foster new friendships for both mentors and mentees. Law school can be very daunting, and we strongly encourage all first-year students to apply for a mentor to learn early on that law school can also be a lot of fun!