Implementing an Undergraduate Psychology Mentoring Program‪.‬

For students who come to college intending to major in psychology, several factors may affect how successfully they progress through the major. Generally, departments assign psychology majors to an academic advisor; advisors may meet with their new advisees at the start of a fall semester and, at the very least, meet them again to discuss course selection in the late fall and late spring. Most four-year institutions implement programs to ensure new students (particularly freshmen) make a smooth transition to college. Residence life and first-year experience programs typically sponsor a myriad of activities to foster social, emotional, and academic development (Maw, 2006; Mcpherson, 2008). Though these programs may benefit new students, they tend to emphasize cultivating students' social lives and informing students about academic support services (e.g., study skills, time-management). As students begin taking lower division psychology courses and working to meet core requirements of the psychology program, a host of factors affect their success, happiness with their course of study, and the likelihood they will remain in the major (Swing & Skipper, 2007). One intangible factor is the students' perception of "fit" or community they share with other students and faculty (Wasylow, Mellot, & Martin, 2006). Students who feel a strong sense of connection to their program are more likely to do well in psychology courses, to seek help from faculty, to involve themselves in departmental activities, and engage in research projects with psychology faculty members (Feldman, 2005). Although faculty members may be in a better position to monitor student progress if students are spending more time in the department, faculty responsibilities prevent even the most student-centered professor from closely tracking student adjustment in the program.