When two undergraduates in the Anthropology Department decided last fall that their concentration's advising system was lacking, they sent out an e-mail message to all concentrators proposing the creation of a peer advising club for anthro students.

The next day, their new club had 90 members.

Increasingly, students fed up with inadequate advising in their departments or just looking for a different perspective on academic advice are organizing clubs and programs to get the information they need.

In addition to the Anthropology Club, the Women in Math Club and Undergraduate Math Clubs are developing new one-on-one mentoring programs. The Psychology Department has organized a peer counselors program this year. Plus, established student mentoring programs have attracted increasing numbers of students this year.

Although Faculty members and administrators warn undergraduates not to rely on their peers' advice, dissatisfaction with the current academic advising system leaves many students feeling like they have nowhere else to turn.

According to a report released by the Committee on Advising and Counseling, the 1997 senior survey revealed a satisfaction rating of just 2.5 on a five-point scale for biology concentrators, while psychology and math concentrators reported a 2.64 and 3.31 satisfaction rating, respectively.

"I felt like I was on my own for choosing most of my classes, and I had to ferret out other students and sometimes past TFs to swap experiences with," said Elisa K.Cheng '99, a peer counselor for psychology concentrators.

Peer advising may never replace the need for official counseling, but students are overwhelmingly positive about the benefits of students advising students.

Bonding Over Problem Sets

The peer- advising clubs and programs have two related purposes--they offer not only academic advice but also the personal advice and support that harried senior tutors and departments chairs don't have the time to give.