Undecided/Undeclared Anteaters Blog

Posts Tagged ‘Peer Academic Advising UCI’

Picture taken from http://www.due.uci.edu/paap/

The title of this blog is the current quote for UCI’s team of Peer Academic Advisors (as seen above), who are the campus resource of this week. The phrase is a play on the quote “adventure is out there” from the colorful Pixar film, Up. Although the students in the Peer Academic Advising program don’t deal with grumpy old men and houses levitated by balloons, they do help undergraduates with whatever adventures (academic, career and even social) they have planned.

Peer Academic Advisors are junior and senior undergraduates who have gone through training designed to equip them with all information necessary to help other students. This ranges from a thorough knowledge of campus resources such as the Disability Center and LARC, the Learning and Academic Resource Center, to a general idea of what each student should be taking in order to complete their major on time. Each major has their own set of Peer Academic Advisors that are available constantly.

Image taken from http://www.due.uci.edu/paap/

You may be wondering what the difference between a Peer Academic Advisor(PAA) and a counselor for your major is, as at a glance it seems as if they have similar duties. The greatest difference is that a PAA is a student just like you who may be more accessible than a counselor. When I say accessible, I mean that a PAA’s job is to help you and answer your questions regarding how many units to take, or if a certain class is beneficial, while a counselor has other duties that must be attended to. It may be faster to go to a PAA. Also, a PAA may be more accessible in the sense that they are your peers. Sometimes adults can be intimidating, so sitting down with another student who goes to school with you can be an alternative way to get help without feeling nervous or intimidated.

Peer Academic Advising is just another way for students to get the help and answers they need. Each student is different, some need to speak with school counselors and some need to speak to other students, so both options are available. What matters is that you try one or the other and see which works, because I can guarantee there are going to be times when you don’t know if you should take 16 or 20 units, or if Intro to Horticulture is a good class for a Business major to take, and when that time comes you’ll have someone to talk to who actually has experience answering those kinds of questions.