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 Spring 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 April 27-May 8. To prepare for these faculty meetings, all first-year and new transfer engineering students must participate in Advising Sessions, facilitated by our Engineering Peer Advisors from April 20-May 1. The process for Spring 2020 will differ from the fall. Instead of physically attending an Advising Session, new engineering students must do the following:

1. Watch the Spring Advising Session Presentation.
2. Have a one-on-one meeting with their assigned Peer Advisor.
3. Meet with their faculty advisor during the mandatory advising period.

If you do not complete the Mandatory Spring Advising process, there will be a hold on your eCampus and you will not be able to register for fall courses.

Each Peer Advisor has a designated sign-up form with several sessions between April 20-May 1. Your Peer Advisor will provide you with advising appointment sign-ups. It is strongly encouraged to attend a meeting with your assigned Peer Advisor. If you are not able to find a time to meet with your assigned Peer Advisor given their availability, please email Olivia Figueira at ofigueira@scu.edu and we will find another Peer Advisor within your major to meet with you.

During these sessions, Peer Advisors will assist students in identifying courses for their fall schedule. Upon completion of a session, Peer Advisors will send the completed advising form to your faculty advisor in preparation for your meeting with them. Please begin contacting your faculty advisor in the next couple weeks to arrange an appointment taking place after your advising session. Your assigned faculty advisor can be found on eCampus.  

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!