Service

Help Incoming Students Adjust to UCSB: Volunteer for the Honors Match Program

The Honors Match Program helps build a sense of community by pairing incoming honors students with current sophomore, junior, and senior mentors who want to share the knowledge and experience they have gained at UCSB. The program eases the transition to college life for new honors students and often results in friendships that last long beyond fall quarter, which is when the official mentoring takes place.

New students who choose to participate in the program are matched with mentors with similar interests and academic and career goals. Mentors are available to answer questions and help incoming students find their place in the UCSB community. Mentors are happy to pass along tips and useful information - anything from their favorite professors and how to register for classes to the best restaurants in Isla Vista and when to go to the gym.

Dana Homer, a senior biopsychology major, was matched with two incoming students last year. She took them to ice cream and a movie, and enjoyed just running into them on campus and going to Blenders for a break or going with them to buy a bike. In addition to the pleasure she got helping her new friends adjust to campus life, Dana enjoyed reliving her own freshman year through them: "It brought back great memories of my first year at UCSB," she said.

Whether you are a new student looking for a mentor or a sophomore, junior, or senior willing to help new students find their place at UCSB, you can get further information by logging onto http://honors.ltsc.ucsb.edu/peerment.php. Recruitment for new mentors begins in the spring.

^ top