S2S Mentor
An S2S Mentor works with one or two others (from the same course wherever possible) to welcome a group of up to 25 undergraduate students arriving in TCD for the first time.
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Mentors meet with their groups during Freshers' Week, help everyone in the group get to know each other and host a question and answer session, a campus tour and a library tour. They then arrange for a minimum of 5 social meet-ups each term and maintain regular contact with their groups through email, and through social media.
Is this role for me?
If you're planning to be a registered undergraduate student in the next academic year and you know first hand what it takes to survive and thrive throughout TCD's first year experience then Mentoring could be for you! You do need to make a few commitments though - you'll need to be available for orientation, able to arrange meet-ups with your group throughout the year, and regularly check and communicate through your TCD email. You'll also need to complete a 4 hour training session in the Hilary term before orientation (dates available on application) and to pass an online module over the summer.
Frequently Asked Questions
Mentor recruitment opens in January for the following academic year and runs either until all training spaces are filled or the day before the last training session.
Yes, once you've applied to be a mentor you can log on to your profile at s2svolunteer.tcd.ie to change your selected training session. You can only change trainings up to 24hrs before the session is scheduled. If there is an urgent reason you cannot attend please email us at student2student@tcd.ie.
We're sorry, but that's really not an option. It creates disruption and isn't fair to the other attendees! You need to attend the full training session in order to be accepted onto the programme. If you really can’t make the full time needed for the session, please select a different session (there's lots of sessions with different time slots!) Find one that suits your schedule better and change it on your profile at s2svolunteer.tcd.ie or get in touch with us.
Absolutely! Once you've completed the online Blackboard module, you'll be able to express your preference for a Mentor buddy/buddies on your volunteer profile.
We always aim to have Mentors for incoming students from the same course. Occasionally we may ask mentors to step in to help us fill shortages from other related courses but this only happens if we don’t have enough mentors for a particular course, and you always have the choice as to which you would rather do.
No, you don’t have to come to another training session (although you’re welcome to if you would like a refresher). However, if you’re returning after a year or more away, of if your score on the Blackboard module was previously low, you will be asked to complete the Blackboard module again. You are also welcome to complete the Blackboard module if you’d like to refresh your memory or improve on your previous score.
The Blackboard module is a refresher of your in-person training, that you complete online over the summer. It’s also where you access your Mentor handbook which will be invaluable to you during your time as a mentor. Your percentage score from the Blackboard module is reported on any references you get from us (but a close eye on the Mentor handbook makes it easy to get 100%). If you don’t manage it first time, have a look at the feedback, check your answers and try again!
Anyone who has signed up to be a mentor for the first time or who is returning to mentoring after a year or more away will have to complete the module to be a Mentor. Also, if you scored below a certain percentage (usually 75-80%) last year, you may be asked to complete the module again before continuing as a Mentor.
Yes, everyone must complete the module before being assigned a buddy and a group to mentor.
Volunteer feedback
S2S Survey 2024
“Coming into Trinity, I felt quite lost and everything felt quite foreign. But the day of orientation, when our S2S mentors came and showed us around the place and introduced us to our peers- more than scared and confused, I felt excited and thrilled to start a new chapter of my life.” Anonymous 1st Year, 2022/23
“I found that whether or not you continually engage with your S2S group, the understanding that you get from attending S2S during orientation week is that everyone has the same questions and concerns as everyone else, something which made me much more comfortable when it came to engaging with others in the course.” Anonymous 1st Year, 2023/24