Overview
Are you interested in taking on a leadership role within the law school? Do you have a desire to pass on to new students the wisdom you have gained from your law school experience? This is your opportunity to pay it forward! Please consider serving as a Peer Advisor during the 2024-2025 academic year to provide advice and guidance to the next entering class.
Peer advisors are upper class students who primarily mentor, support, and provide leadership to 1Ls throughout their first year of law school. They are often also called upon to provide guidance to other new students as needed (transfers, visitors, and LLMs). Peer Advisors are assigned to each first-year section of day and evening students. They work with the Office of Student Affairs during our fall orientation program to introduce new students to the law school. In addition, they plan activities throughout the year to help students become acclimated to the demands of academics and student life outside of the classroom, to become familiar with resources available at the law school and on the larger campus, and to explore all that the Baltimore-Washington region has to offer them.
The Office of Student Affairs is seeking applicants who are enthusiastic, exercise good judgment, are creative, and are interested in building a strong sense of community at the law school. Our goal is to select 4 to 5 Peer Advisors for each first-year section of day and evening students.
How to Become a Peer Advisor
Peer Advisor Obligations
- Serve as mentors primarily to first-year law students throughout the academic year as they acclimate to the University of Maryland Carey School of Law community.
- Depending on their availability in the summer months, Peer Advisors will attend welcome night events for new students in June and July and address new student questions by email, social media, online chat sessions, and panel programs among other activities.
- Participate in a mandatory peer advisor orientation in mid-August just prior to fall orientation for new students. Veteran/Returning Peer Advisors will assist in the planning and implementation of new Peer Advisor Orientation.
- Participate in the mandatory fall orientation program for incoming students.
- Act as a guide throughout orientation by introducing new students to what they can expect during their first-year of law school and familiarizing them with student-life resources here at the law school and on the larger campus.
- Maintain regular contact with assigned first-year section and communicate information about student activities, academic advising, exam strategies, student leadership opportunities, summer opportunities, and course selection. Help plan and participate in group activities with your assigned section of students.
- Ideally, Peer Advisors will plan one event per month per semester for their section avoiding programming blackout, reading and exam periods. Select a fellow Peer Advisor from your section to serve as a liaison for your section. Liaisons will meet periodically with the Peer Advisor Coordinator who oversees Peer Advisor activities and programming.
Deadlines and Interviews
The 2024-2025 Peer Advisor Application deadline is Tuesday, March 26, 2024. All peer advisors, returning and new, must complete the application.
First-time applicants must interview to serve in this role. If selected to interview, the Office of Student Affairs will contact you.
- Interviews of first-time peer advisor applicants will be conducted on a rolling basis, between Tuesday, April 2 and Friday, April 5 and selections will be made shortly thereafter.
- Veteran/Returning peer advisors will not have to interview again but please complete the application form so that we have current information.
Peer Advisor Training
The Peer Advisor Training for 2024-2025 Peer Advisors will take place in May and August.
Please feel free to contact Peer Advisors at peeradvisors@law.umaryland.edu if you have any questions.