My reflection uses Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle to review my experience mentoring a first-year student as part of the peer mentoring initiative. My mentoring support took place through workshops, coffee meetings and on-campus conversations, focusing on academic guidance, confidence-building and adjusting to university life.
Throughout the mentoring process, I provided advice on coursework expectations, time management and preparation for assessments. I also shared personal insights into transitioning between academic years and offered guidance before group presentations, aiming to build my mentee’s confidence and independence.
My mentee provided positive feedback on my mentoring performance, noting that I demonstrated strong academic understanding and offered helpful guidance on course-related queries. They highlighted the value of my quick communication within our group chat, my flexibility in arranging meetings, and the clarity of the advice shared. They also commented that the mentoring programme was extremely beneficial overall. The only challenge mentioned was coordinating suitable meeting times around everyone’s individual commitments.
Initially, I felt confident in answering academic questions but less certain about broader coaching approaches, however, after our first meeting, I became more comfortable encouraging open discussion and adapting my communication style to suit my mentee’s needs and questions.
Several aspects of the mentoring went well. I feel that I established a supportive and approachable environment, provided useful guidance and maintained consistent communication.
This experience strengthened key interpersonal skills including communication and empathy. Feedback received reinforced the importance of reliability and clear guidance and highlighted how sharing personal academic experiences can enhance the relevance and impact of mentoring.
Overall, this mentoring experience was rewarding and has contributed to my development as an effective communicator. To continue improving, I plan to take learning courses on coaching and leadership communication and refine my scheduling to offer clearer availability. These steps will strengthen my mentoring abilities in both academic and professional environments.