Insights from a UCL Transition Mentor

What does a transition mentor do and is it even fun? The short answer to both questions is that the transition mentor program is what we choose to make of it. 

The Transition Mentor Programme is a UCL-wide initiative in the first term of every academic year, where incoming students are assigned to a transition group composed of other incoming students from the same department. This group will be led by an experienced UCL student who will serve as the transition mentor, and their goal is to aid in the transition into university life. I use the terms ‘transition’ and ‘university life’ loosely. What exactly are incoming students transitioning from and to? Most students would have been enrolled in high school 3-9 months before the start of term, so the common assumption would be that the transition mentor assists in providing guidance on living a more independent university life. Yet it is common for members of a transition mentor group to have taken a gap year to work or travel. Perhaps like me, they had not been in full-time studies for almost two years due to being conscripted in a uniformed service outside of the UK. 

The reason why I have chosen to illuminate this nuance is to show that students join the UCL community from different backgrounds and experiences. The transition mentors assigned to each transition group do not only provide academic support, they give flexible support with many matters such as welfare and administrative concerns. Yes, transition mentors will be provided resources and a weekly program to follow, where we will organise a meeting with our transition mentor group, whether it be in person or online, and run through important information such as budgeting for university, study tips and much more. However, transition mentors also have to adapt some elements of these weekly programs to ensure that the immediate and most pressing needs of our transition mentees are met. Sometimes, this can be the difference between whether a student stays in university after their first term.

The responsibility is hence not something to be taken lightly. However, a productive transition mentor would not only assist their mentees, but they would also find the program a fulfilling experience. I wish to share some of my personal experience as a transition mentor to elaborate on this program from the eyes of a mentor, and I hope that this would encourage my peers to show creativity and initiative if they find themselves in a similar situation.

The first sessions

In my first year as a history student at UCL, I had a great transition mentor who ensured our group not only followed the weekly programs set for us, but also had enough time at the end of each session for questions & answers. Therefore when I first met my transition mentor group, I outlined that in every session, we would have Q&A so that I can provide relevant materials and advice to my mentees.

My group was initially hesitant at first, but over time, I was able to build a stronger relationship by answering questions fairly, and guiding them towards further resources. As one mentee asked about how printing works, I explained how I would use the printers in the Student Centre, and would later send the UCL printing guide to the group’s WhatsApp chat. Another student asked if they can receive extensions for their coursework, and I explained the options that are available and advised them to read up on UCL’s reasonable adjustments policy so they would be in a better position to judge whether they require an extension. Another asked where they could get cheap haircuts around campus. The answer is a barbershop on Goodge Street. As mundane as this seems, I strongly feel Q&A is the fastest way for mentees to be comfortable in the programme and smoothly transition into UCL quickly. 

One important difference between my group and other transition mentor groups is that one of my mentees required wheelchair access on campus. Thankfully during our first session, my group was able to find a sizable room that provided access for my mentee. However, due to a difficulty in room booking, I could not find a suitable wheelchair accessible room for our second meeting. After raising this concern to the Transition team, my group agreed to a meeting on Microsoft Teams. The outcome was not ideal but I was able to still go over the program and leave space for Q&A. As inclusivity is an important goal of this program, I determined in the following weeks to find wheelchair accessible rooms across campus, and booked these rooms days in advance. It was good to see my mentee show up consistently for the rest of the program. That same mentee was also a very funny individual who liked to crack jokes during our sessions, and I was glad to have their presence during our meetings. 

The later sessions

The later sessions tend to be far more fun once transition mentors have built a rapport with their group, which in turn allows for sessions to be better prepared. Q&A sessions tend to be more open, and with regards to our weekly program, I was able to get through the material more efficiently. There would also be social sessions where in collaboration with other groups and a senior mentor, my group could bond over a departmental quiz and slices of Transition team sponsored pizza.

Some of my friends who also worked as transition mentors found creative ways to run their sessions. In one group of economics students, the transition mentor shared their wisdom in investing using the knowledge they have gained from two years at UCL. When I asked my friend why they chose to teach their mentees this, they simply replied it was what the mentees wanted to know more about. Needless to say I was impressed by the creativity and assertiveness of my friend.

On my end, my mentees were interested in assessments for their course as history students in first year have one early exam and coursework deadline. I provided them with my own experience and also moved up the sessions from later weeks regarding academic support to ensure my mentees are better prepared to tackle their work at that point in time. 

I still aimed to keep sessions engaging. During the week of Halloween, I told my mentees to dress up if they wished. It led to this wonderful photo below where I was wearing a mask. One of my mentees later attended a Halloween party and won best dressed that night as a wizard.

The award ceremony

At the end of the transition mentor program, there is an award ceremony for mentors, and I was deeply honoured to have been awarded the prize of Transition Mentor of the Year for my work in the programme. Yet I also wish to point out that this programme was not built on the mentors alone, but also senior mentors and the rest of the transition team. 

Considering that I was passed over for this role the previous year at UCL, it is great knowing that I could help my peers and make a difference when I was given the opportunity to become a transition mentor. Perhaps my personal favourite experience was hearing my mentees ask me for more information on how they could be transition mentors in the future. I wish them all the best when they lead their own transition mentor groups, and my advice would be to be professional, be responsible, be engaging, and the transition meetings will be a ton of fun.