What is the Student Academic Mentor (SAM) programme?
The Student Academic Mentor (SAM) programme is an undergraduate only programme that matches second- and third-year undergraduate mentors with undergraduate students from the same department who’d like a mentor. SAM is a student-to-student mentoring model, designed by students, for students. The idea for the programme first came from two undergraduate students in Economics, who wanted to help first years meet some people in the department and get off to a good start with their studies.
The SAM programme is helping students in 13 LSE departments (Accounting, Anthropology, Economics, Economic History, Government, International Relations, Language Centre, Management, Mathematics, Philosophy, Social Policy, Sociology and Statistics).
If you’re interested in mentoring but your department is not listed above, talk with your Academic Mentor, your Departmental Manager, Undergraduate Administrator, or someone else in your department. There may be other interesting opportunities to pursue (e.g. Law students should ask for details about the Law mentoring scheme).
Why be a mentor?
You have first-hand experience of the challenges of getting used to studying at university, and particularly in your department. As a student academic mentor, you’ll be able to help others learn their way around and make the most of their time at LSE.
If you don’t have much leadership experience, don’t worry. You’ll get plenty of training and support with all the skills you’ll need to be a good mentor: listening and speaking well, being organised, and connecting with others.
What’s more, you’ll receive formal recognition for your contribution – a Continuing Professional Development certificate, certified by CPDUK.
Please apply to be a mentor via our online form.
Management students: Are you interested in being a mentor? Sign up via this online form.
Your fellow students in your department have valuable knowledge and experience they want to share. They’ve had good times and tough times – and have made it through to tell their story! So why not connect with someone you can talk to who can answer your questions and give you tips on things ranging from getting ready for exams to managing your time, from choosing courses to saving money, and of course, the best places to eat around campus.
Interested? Please apply for a mentor via our online form.
Want to know more about SAM?
Whether you’re a student or staff member, if you’re interested in how you can be involved in student academic mentoring, get in touch with SAM coordinator Jenny Stowar or the general LSE LIFE team.
We also have a similar mentoring scheme specifically for Neurodivergent students.
Interested in other forms of student to student support at LSE?
SAM isn’t the only student to student mentoring programme at LSE. There are many other schemes across the school and at departmental level. If your department is not part of SAM do speak to them about what else may be available. You might also be interested in these other school wide peer support schemes: