{"id":31,"date":"2026-03-30T10:03:49","date_gmt":"2026-03-30T09:03:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.imperial.ac.uk\/learning-well\/?p=31"},"modified":"2026-04-28T15:10:18","modified_gmt":"2026-04-28T14:10:18","slug":"from-surviving-to-thriving-how-and-why-peers-can-be-your-best-support-and-resource","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.imperial.ac.uk\/learning-well\/2026\/03\/30\/from-surviving-to-thriving-how-and-why-peers-can-be-your-best-support-and-resource\/","title":{"rendered":"From Surviving to Thriving: How and why peers can be your best support and resource"},"content":{"rendered":"

co-authored by Dr Jon Fenton, Department of Physics & Dr Sue Sing, Centre for Higher Education Research and Scholarship<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

As part of the inaugural Learning Well Programme<\/a>, we hosted a student-panel discussion exploring the question: \u2018Why are peers your best support and resource?\u2019<\/strong> Students shared rich, personal insights into the wide-ranging ways peer support can be advantageous for Imperial students \u2013 academically, emotionally and practically. Our six speakers were from a range of departments and faculties and were at different points in their undergraduate and postgraduate journey. Interestingly, their perspectives shared many common threads and, often, these resonated with findings from the Learning Well research. (Note: this blogpost refers to quotes and stories shared in the panel discussion rather than the empirical data from the project.) They spoke passionately about the value of learning from, and with, peers, describing benefits that have helped them to navigate university life at Imperial.<\/p>\n

For initial transitions, e.g. from school to university; from undergraduate to postgraduate learning, our panel members shared how peers have played a significant role in demystifying <\/strong>and normalising<\/strong> the process of becoming and being \u2018an Imperial student\u2019.\"\"<\/p>\n

Peers have helped them to understand what learning means at university<\/em><\/strong> and that this new level of study requires a mindset shift.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s less about focusing on the subject knowledge (what you know) and more about your critical thinking and application skills (what you can do with what you know). <\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

A key example was shared by one panellist: soon after starting at Imperial she found that approaching assessments using the strategies she\u2019d used at school , discussions with peers (from the same year group and older years too) gave her new ideas about ways to approach the new types of questions she faced. In a separate example, an international student talked about the competitive ethos she\u2019d experienced at high school where she felt it had been the norm not to share with others as part of the learning process. She said it was only after beginning university that she started to appreciate the value of participating in open discussions and gaining outside perspectives to develop and widen her thinking.<\/p>\n

Connecting with peers (from any year group) who have recently been through similar experiences has offered invaluable reassurance as our students continue to navigate and adapt to the culture and rhythms of university life<\/strong>. Support has often come through practical tips and advice, or discussions that have helped to normalise<\/strong> the challenges and emotional aspects of \u2018being a university student\u2019, e.g. experiencing enduring confusion! At times, peers have provided useful steers on the amount of time and effort to commit to tasks, which can be challenging to define in this new learning context. One student summed it up well: \u2018peers help you balance your effort, your workload and time management.\u2019<\/p>\n

The PASS Scheme<\/strong><\/a>, specific to the Department of Life Sciences and set up by Dr Steve Connolly, is a valuable peer mentoring initiative<\/strong> that was highlighted in the discussion. This formalised arrangement involves groups of Year 1 students meeting up regularly with Year 2 and Year 3 mentors, who can facilitate discussions about topics related to academic experiences (as opposed to academic content). Two of our speakers had participated in their first year and explained that this offers new students a \u2018ready-made network of friendly faces\u2019, which can help with the \u2018initial shock\u2019 sometimes felt when starting out at university and can support you to \u2018overcome imposter syndrome and realise you\u2019re all in the same boat\u2019. The knowledge that others experience similar emotions, particularly when these feel challenging or overwhelming, has provided important validation and helped to normalise the experience of being \u2018an Imperial student\u2019. Their positive experiences of the scheme subsequently inspired them to become mentors themselves.<\/p>\n

On a practical level, students talked about staying on-task more effectively by studying with others and indicated that this strategy has provided them with tangible learning benefits<\/strong>, practical efficiencies<\/strong> and valuable social and emotional connection<\/strong> while studying:<\/p>\n