We then rank them in order of importance. Our entire effort at this level of identification is to know where to place the onus on the matching, which should lend itself to making you more comfortable within the relationship with your mentor. The program itself is designed to assist first-year students or transfer students with their transition into PSU, but any student interested in taking advantage of this opportunity can join. Some students who take advantage of this program may lack confidence in themselves, originate from underrepresented backgrounds, be economically disadvantaged, or simply feel disenfranchised or disconnected. The college experience at times can be very intimidating.
Many students are in a foreign environment for the first time.
Most students in the process of discovering themselves as adults are developing interpersonal skills, time management skills, and more important, worldviews. The classroom interactions with faculty, many of whom do not look, sound, or act anything like the adults you have had relationships with in the past, can also carry its own weight of difficulty. Students will have the opportunity to socialize in both academic and non-academic settings with all members of the program. There will be opportunities to develop relationships with academic professionals that may culminate in profound personal friendships. The mentors in this program have volunteered themselves and their time because they believe that they have a chance to contribute to the evolution of a great citizen into the world.