Welcome to the Peer Mentorship Program

Windsor Law's Peer Mentorship Program is an excellent opportunity for incoming students to build connections and learn about the law school experience from those who have been there, done that! Ask your questions, learn the insider tips and get to know some of your upper year colleagues before you even set foot on campus. 
 
This program pairs 1L students with an upper year mentor based on academic interests, shared experiences and personal preferences. Mentees and mentors will participate in structured, yet informal programming throughout the academic year and have the choice to begin chatting even before classes begin in September. 
 
Here's what you need to know to get started:
 

What is the Peer Mentorship Program?

The Peer Mentorship Program (PMP) is a student-organized, faculty-supervised program that matches first-year law students with upper-year students, who will serve as a mentor throughout the academic year.

I am a newly-accepted, first-year Windsor Law Student. How do I join the mentorship program if I would like a mentee?

If you are interested in being matched with a mentor, please fill out this form: Mentee Application Form.

Please note that only first-year students are eligible to be mentees, but you can be a first-year student in any program - single JD, Dual JD, or combined degree program (e.g. JD/MSW, JD/MBA), etc.

 

I am an upper-year Windsor Law Student, and I would like to be a mentor for the 2024-2025 academic year. How can I join the program?

Thank you for volunteering your services! You can fill out this form: Mentor Application Form.

Both second and third-year Windsor Law students are eligible to be mentors.

What is the time commitment of the Peer Mentorship Program?

The Peer Mentorship program recognizes that no mentee/mentor pair is alike. The program's purpose is to foster strong relationships between Windsor law students and ease the transition for first-year students. As a result, there is no strict time requirement. Some pairs like to meet once a week for coffee, others operate on a contact-with-questions basis. The mentor aims to assist the mentee with any questions or concerns they have, whether in person, or on the phone/email, at a mutually convenient time. Mentors must check in with their mentees at least once a month and update the Student Coordinator on the progress of their relationship with their mentees twice a semester

What is the role of a mentor?

A mentor is responsible for helping a first-year student transition into law school. This may require providing academic, social, and emotional support to a first-year student. As a mentor, your responsibility is to keep in touch with your mentee to ensure that they are coping well under the stress and pressure of law school.

A mentor is not required to provide their mentees with their notes from previously taken courses (CANs - Condensed Annotated Notes), or to act as a tutor, psychiatrist, or parent. A mentor is there to provide support to a mentee and guide them to the correct resources when the mentee faces an issue. If at any point you are unclear as to your role while engaging in your mentorship duties, please speak to the PMP Student Coordinator, Jessica Kabuli, or email her at lawpeermentor@uwindsor.ca.

Mentors will also be required to attend a mandatory training session at the beginning of the school year. This training session will be provided virtually.

What is the role of a mentee?

The role of a mentee is to learn as much as you can from your mentor about law school and the resources available to you. Your mentor has kindly volunteered their time to guide you and give you tips about surviving law school. The mentee must recognize the mentor is managing many other commitments including their own schooling, and we ask that you be respectful of the mentor's time.

If you ever need someone to talk to and your mentor is not available, please email the PMP Student Coordinator, Jessica Kabuli at lawpeermentor@uwindsor.ca any time.

How are mentees/mentors assigned?

Mentee and Mentor applications are carefully reviewed by the PMP Coordinator. Pairings are assigned based on the information collected from each respective application. We aim to pair mentees with mentors in the same program, who can discuss the categories for which the mentee seeks guidance and support.

When will I be assigned a mentee/mentor?

Mentees and Mentors will be paired and notified of the pairing by the end of July. This will ensure mentees can ask their mentors any questions they might have before the school year begins. Mentees who sign up throughout the year will still be paired on an ongoing basis. 

The Peer Mentorship Program has been shown to provide a supportive relationship for first-year students and foster new friendships for mentors and mentees. Law school can be very daunting, and we strongly encourage all first-year students to apply for a mentor to learn early on so that law school can also be a lot of fun!