Easing in Incoming Freshman

Incoming freshman take a tour around campus.
Photo taken from CLASC website.

As incoming freshman at CSULB, I'm sure everyone remembers the assessments, orientations and tours before finally taking that seat in our first official classes. With all of the nerves and anticipation of embarking on this new journey however, it may have been unlikely that too much thought was really put into who the actual individuals are who guide these freshman through their new university halls.

The Learning Alliance at CSULB is an academic learning community that helps to familiarize incoming freshman with the university through personalized attention from peer mentors and faculty.

Katie Becker,Communication Major and Spanish Minor at CSULB, has been a Peer Mentor for the Learning Alliance for a year now. As a Peer Mentor, Katie helps teach a seminar to incoming freshmen on ways to adapt to college life (both socially and academically). She also assists in academic advising and learning about the potential benefits of being a part of the College of Liberal Arts.

During the semester, Katie teaches in class to new freshman twice a week. In these classes they teach advising workshops and also hold out of class events for people to help them get to know each other better. Peer Mentors conduct out of class meetings to prepare for the different classes and activities that will be held throughout the year.

"I love being a peer mentor for the Learning Alliance because it's really fun to get to know the new freshmen and help them get acclimated to college life. Everyone else in the organization is really nice also so it's fun," says Becker. "Anyone can apply to be a mentor in the alliance now so I recommend people try it out! Its a great experience and really rewarding."

The Learning Alliance community currently consists of more than 800 students, and welcomes a new class of 200-250 first-year students every year. If you or anyone you know is interested in becoming a member you can find more information on http://www.csulb.edu/colleges/cla/alliance/prospective/.