Mentoring program helps business students stay on track

Sept. 23, 2024 – DENTON – After the first week of classes during her freshman year at Texas Woman’s, Sherley Malik realized pre-med was not for her. She decided to switch her major to science but, by winter break, she changed her mind to business. She wasn’t sure how to change her major, how to change her classes, or if such changes would delay her graduation. 

“It was a period of being really confused on what to do and what steps to take,” Malik recalled.

With the help of her parents, Malik navigated the process and is now a thriving upperclassman who is heavily involved with the Merrilee Alexander Kick College of Business and Entrepreneurship and numerous student organizations.

Although Malik is a student who persevered, many first-year students who encounter such changes are vulnerable to dropping out of school. The National Institute for Student Success at Georgia State University notes that around 25% of first-year college students don't return for their second year to any school.

Rama Yelkur, dean of the business college, and Pushkala Raman, the college’s associate dean of academic affairs, found similar, alarming numbers about their own students. The dropout rate for first-generation business students was as high as 32% between their first and second semesters. Since students don’t start taking business classes until their sophomore or junior year, the business college staff wasn’t even seeing those students before they dropped out. 

A brainstorming session between the two led to the creation of a pilot program where high-achieving and highly-engaged upperclassmen mentored first-year students. The goal of Owl’s Nest Peer Mentoring was aimed at guiding new students toward a successful collegiate experience and improving engagement and exemplifying the day-to-day life of a business college student.

Could interaction with one’s peers keep first-year students engaged on campus? 

Undergraduate advisors Molly Koerner and Ryann Munthe were tasked with spearheading the program and finding a positive answer. Thanks to TWU Vice President for Enrollment Management Javier Flores, scholarships were made available to the 10 mentors selected through an application process.

Malik was one of those mentors. As a commuter student, Malik wanted to get more involved on campus.

“I want to be more well known on campus,” Malik said. “I want to be a prominent figure in the COB.”

She also wanted to be the mentor that she never had. Maybe she could have navigated her first year better with a knowledgeable mentor. 

Throughout the spring 2024 semester, Malik had check-in meetings with her mentees, they attended events together and she compiled weekly updates to the advisors. Malik had a class with one of her mentees and they started working out together every week at the gym. 

One of the challenges the advisors and mentors encountered was lack of engagement. A no response was not acceptable to Malik.

“I would text them every day,” Malik said. “Once they saw I was texting every day, giving them resources and information, they started responding and I got closer with them.” 

In return, her three mentees peppered her with questions. They wanted to know about internships, professors, joining clubs, how to become an RA.

“I took them to the internship fair and I said, ‘print some resumes out, let’s network with these companies,’ Malik said. “Career fairs we went to as well, because they had career questions.”

As the data trickled in, the numbers confirmed the impact the mentors were having. Seventeen of the 21 mentees registered for fall classes, improving the student persistence rate to 80.9%. Additionally, the advisors observed a noticeable improvement in the grade point average of these students, averaging 2.6, compared to a 1.55 average for those not in the program.

At the start of the Fall 2024 semester, Chris Cooper, Koerner and Munthe were recognized with the Outstanding Advising Program Award for developing and implementing the Owl’s Nest Peer Mentoring program.

With the positive impact of that initial semester, 40 mentees were invited to the program for that fall. Malik was paired with four new mentees and to this day maintains contact with her former mentees, all of whom have returned for their second year.

“I think I’m really stubborn on making sure these first-year students get the most of their experience because they have me to help them, and I literally give them all the tips and tricks,” Malik said.