Peer Advisors

Peer Advisors (PA) are students who have been selected and trained to offer academic advising services to their peers. Services provided by PAs are designed to help students adjust to college and pursue their educational goals. With training in academic rules and regulations as well as people skills, PAs serve as a role model for their peers and are an important part of the Academic Advising and Planning Center (AAPC) at the College of Charleston, supporting the department’s academic mission.

Role of the Peer Advisor

Peer Advisors strengthen our community and enhance the student experience by providing peer support that supplements the professional advising offered by the AAPC. Peer Advisors serve as ambassadors for the AAPC and help build a bridge to advising and campus resources through peer-to-peer learning, promoting informed decisionmaking among their fellow students. Peer Advisors do not serve as a student’s official academic advisor, instead serving as initial points of contact for students’ personal, academic or extracurricular questions. This can include fact-based advising relating to students’ transition to the college- including major selection, registration processes, policies/procedures, and overall academic success. All PAs must complete TEDU 205: Exploring Leadership, Building Peer Facilitation Skills, an eight-week Express course, as a condition of employment.

A Peer Advisor is not:

  • A professional academic advisor or faculty member
  • A tutor
  • A counselor or therapist
  • A recommender of "easy" courses or "good" professors

Learning Outcomes

Peer Advisors will:

  • Learn basic advising theory and models of advising
  • Develop professionalism and customer service skills
  • Develop problem solving skills and resource referral skills
  • Develop leadership skills
  • Develop active listening and interpersonal skills
  • Develop public speaking skills
  • Work with a diverse group of students, faculty and staff

Position Description

Review the position description (PDF) for Peer Advisors.

Apply for the Peer Advisor Position

This year's application deadline for peer tutors has passed, but you can click here to see what the application is like if you're interested in applying in the future.

  • Peer Educator Application: Be sure you meet the requirements listed in the Peer Advisor position description (PDF). You need to be signed in to your CofC email account to submit the application form.
  • Peer Educator Recommendations: Two recommendations are required. One must be from a faculty member, and one must be from a former employer, volunteer coordinator, or an individual who has had significant interaction with the applicant. Recommendations from a fellow student are not permitted. The link to the recommendation form can be found here (PDF).

Questions?

If you have questions about Peer Advisors after reviewing the information on this page and the position description, please contact our Peer Advising email account.