• Schedule An Advising Appointment
• About the Center

  • Office Hours & Location
  • Staff Listing
  • Quick Question Drop-In
  • Peer Advisors
  • Student Learning Outcomes
  • Academic Advising Model
• Prospective Students
• Newly Admitted Students
• Current Students
• Student Resources
• Majors & Minors Fair
• Parents
• NACADA Region 3 Conference
• Support the AAPC
• Assessment
• Contact Us
• 2022 Advising Consortium
• Faculty Advising

Peer Advisors (PA) are students who have been selected and trained to offer academic advising services to their peers. Services provided by PAs are intentionally designed to assist in student adjustment and persistence toward attainment of educational goals. With special training in academic rules and regulations as well as interpersonal skills, PAs serve as a positive role model for their peers and are an integral part of the Academic Advising and Planning Center (AAPC) at the College of Charleston, supporting the department’s academic mission.

Role of the Peer Advisor

The Peer Advisor role strengthens our community and enhances the student experience by providing peer support and encouragement that supplements the current professional advising offered by the AAPC. Peer Advisors serve as ambassadors for the AAPC department and help build a bridge to advising and campus resources through peer-to-peer learning. In addition, PAs promote informed decision making among their peers. Peer Advisors do not serve as a student’s official academic advisor but instead serve as initial points of contact for students’ personal, academic or extracurricular questions or concerns. This can include fact-based advising as it relates to students’ transition to the college including major selection, registration processes, policies/procedures and overall academic success. All PAs must register for and successfully complete TEDU 205: Exploring Leadership, Building Peer Facilitation Skills, an eight-week Express course, as a condition of employment.

A Peer Advisor is NOT:

• A professional academic advisor or faculty member
• A tutor
• A counselor or therapist
• A recommender of "easy" courses or "good" professors

Learning Outcomes

Peer Advisors will:

• Learn basic advising theory and models of advising
• Develop professionalism and customer service skills
• Develop problem solving skills and resource referral skills
• Develop leadership skills
• Develop active listening and interpersonal skills
• Develop public speaking skills
• Work with a diverse group of students, faculty and staff

Position Description

Review the position description (PDF) for Peer Advisors.

Apply for the Peer Advisor Position

Our search for this year's peer advisors concluded on February 3rd, 2023, but click here to see what the application looks like if you may be interested for next year.

• Peer Educator Application: Be sure you meet the requirements listed in the Peer Advisor position description (PDF). You need to be signed in to your CofC email account to submit the application form.
• Peer Educator Recommendations: Two recommendations are required. One must be from a faculty member, and one must be from a former employer, volunteer coordinator, or an individual who has had significant interaction with the applicant. Recommendations from a fellow student are not permitted. The link to the recommendation form can be found here (PDF).

Questions?

If you have questions about Peer Advisors after reviewing the information on this page and the position description, please contact our Peer Advising email account.

Peer Advisors
Kate Crisafi	Jenna Wiggers	Ainsley Gossett