Undergraduate Peer Advising

Program Director

Shamaya Pellum

Shamaya R. Pellum
Undergraduate Peer Services Program Director

P: 510-643-1745
E: spellum@berkeley.edu
Peer Advising
Peer Tutoring
College of Chemistry Scholars Program

The College of Chemistry Undergraduate Peer Advising program provides undergraduates with advising regarding the various academic programs and classes in the College. This advising gives a wealth of information that complements the advice offered by the Undergraduate Affairs Office Staff Advisers.

Indeed, Peer Advisers use their personal experience to provide informal mentoring about several topics including:

  • Selecting courses
  • Designing balanced workload
  • Other academic opportunities at Berkeley
  • Research
  • Overall academic plan

You can find the Peer Advisers stationed in 121 Gilman Hall. The peak times students visit Peer Advisers are usually during orientation, the first weeks of each semester, and Course Enrollment Period, but the advisers hold office hours during the entire semester (usually beginning in the second week of classes). If you cannot come to peer advising office hours, feel free to email your questions to: cocpeeradviser@berkeley.edu

You may also find helpful advice in the peer adviser blog. The blog features anecdotes and thoughts written by peer advisers on their academic experiences.

How to become a Peer Adviser

Peer Advisers provide in-person academic advising and mentoring, as well as online support on a variety of undergraduate concerns via email and blogging. Peer Advisers team with the College Academic Staff Advisers participating in outreach events, major fairs, study abroad fairs and other campus events pertinent to the undergraduate experience. The biggest time commitment for Peer Advisers comes largely during the course registration periods when students have many questions and concerns about course expectations.

Undergraduate junior and senior level students in the College of Chemistry may apply to be a Peer Adviser via their College of Chemistry Staff Adviser and receive 1-2 units of independent study credit for their service per semester.

Additional Resources

Peer Services Course Guide Website: An informative website produced by former peer adviser and alumna Angela Lee.

Peer Advising Articles
Topic, Author
Picking Yourself Up From Failure by Deepika Pangarkar
Brief suggestions for international students in College of Chemistry by Hanwei Liu
Pros and Cons of Being Pre-med in the College of Chemistry by Joyce Wahba
The Value of Networking in the Research World by Michael Nechayev
Chemical Engineers: Spend Your Junior Year Studying at Imperial College London by Kira Watkins
Changing to the College of Chemistry by Jiansong Xu
Tips for Getting Involved in Campus Research by Dennis Dunnigan Jr.
Classroom in the Community: Learning through Service by Ritankar Das
Summer Internship Search by Dennis Dunnigan Jr.
Study Abroad: A Balanced Experience by Nadeeka Karunaratne
Tips for Surviving (and Thriving) Freshman Year by Elizabeth McCarthy
The Importance of Being Lost by Neil Thomas
What to Look for in the Syllabus by Attila Virag