Mentors and big brothers and sisters
Many universities try to pair up second and third years with freshers, like an older brother or sister to show them the ropes. Most of these schemes are voluntary on the part of the ‘older’ students and, if they’re not, they’re virtually useless. Even the voluntary systems rely heavily on untrained students who may have a whole family of younger siblings to look after.
It’s a nice idea though, and occasionally it works brilliantly, especially in the first few weeks.
Last updated on: 21 April 2008