Although peer counselors should not be the main source of advice for students, according to William M. Todd III, dean of undergraduate education, he says he understands how they could be useful.

"I can imagine that a peer could offer insights that a Faculty member might not," Todd said.

Plugging the Holes

With an advising system that can be difficult to navigate, students are often the most accessible and informative source of advice.

"Peer counseling is certainly very necessary in the sciences due to both the rigorous nature of its requirements and also due to the demands which women in science place upon themselves," Bi said.

Bi said the large introductory classes in mathematics and laboratory science concentrations sometimes make it difficult for students to orient themselves without help from peers.

Others echo the belief that the advice of peers can fill in the gaps left by an often less-than-adequate advising system.

"The psychology department is huge--which can be great if you want to explore a lot of options, but terrible when you're trying to find someone who really knows about the specific options you're looking into," Cheng says.

Moreover, Cheng says, the graduate students and House tutors responsible for advising psychology concentrators may not study the same area of psychology as the advisee.

"I'd probably talk most to my adviser about my thesis and post graduate plans and look to other students for advice on classes," she says.

Oreskovich says the Women in Math program aims to add a new source of advice not replace an inadequate one.

"I think it's always nice to have extra advice. Both types of counseling, from Faculty members and peers, provide different things," she says. "Peers can afford perspective since they've taken the course. Faculty members provide the structure and the deeper knowledge of the system that the peers don't provide. Both are integral."