A staff of eleven returning engineering students serve as Peer Advisors who are trained and readily available to assist new students in understanding their academic requirements (both for the Core and their majors), as well as the many campus resources and engineering opportunities that are available to them.

Each new student is assigned a Peer Advisor in their major for individual mentoring and advising throughout their first year. Peer Advisors reach out to their students during the year to connect and provide assistance as needed. Students are also encouraged to contact their assigned Peer Advisor with any questions they may have about their requirements, the School of Engineering, or Santa Clara University. The Peer Advising resource exists as a supplement to students' faculty advisors, with whom new students will interact regularly as well. If you have questions about which Peer Advisor you have been assigned to, please contact Olivia Figueira.

Mandatory Fall Advising Sessions

All first-year engineering students are required to meet with their faculty advisor in the fall and spring mandatory advising periods prior to course registration. The fall quarter mandatory advising period takes place from November 4-15. To prepare for these faculty meetings, new students must attend one group academic advising session, facilitated by our Engineering Peer Advisors. There are several sessions scheduled between October 28-November 8 during this mandatory advising period. We strongly encourage students to choose a session led by their Peer Advisor. Registration for these sessions is available here. 

During these sessions, Peer Advisors will assist students in understanding their major and Core requirements, navigating the course schedule and registration systems, and identifying courses for their winter quarter. Upon completion of a session, students will receive a signed advising form with their identified fall courses, to take to their faculty advising appointments. Students should also be in contact with their faculty advisor to arrange an advising appointment, to be scheduled after their advising session. Your assigned faculty advisor can be found on eCampus. Students who do not complete this process will be unable to register until they have met with their faculty advisor. 

Peer Advising Events

Be on the lookout for information about several events each quarter tailored towards first-year and new transfer students hosted by Peer Advisors. Examples of typical events include:

• Academic Success Workshops
• Professional Development Workshops (research opportunities, career fair/resume prep)
• Social Events
• Study Abroad Info Sessions

Meet Our Engineering Peer Advisors!

Our peer advisors are returning undergraduate students representing many of the degree programs in the School of Engineering. Each Peer Advisor is currently an upper division student who is heavily involved at the School of Engineering, through research and student organizations. They are eager to assist our new students and share their knowledge of Santa Clara University academic requirements, campus resources, and engineering opportunities!