The UCM's Student Building hosted the meeting of the Madrid University Student Mentoring Network on October 27th. This gathering, following a first seminar in March, aims to strengthen collaboration among Madrid's universities. The UCM's Vice-Rector for Students, Rosa María de la Fuente, emphasized the importance of "connecting, uniting, articulating," calling it "great".
The Mentoring program at UCM, launched in 2012 as a teaching innovation project, has seen significant growth, reaching 26 faculties and training 850 students who support approximately 4,000 to 5,000 first-year students. These peer-to-peer mentoring sessions, where advanced students guide newcomers, extend throughout the first semester and include international students. The program has also been implemented in UCM's five major halls of residence, adapting a previous intuitive model with the support of Complutense researchers.
A network of 53 coordinating professors, supervised by the Casa del Estudiante, underpins the program at UCM. In faculties like Medicine, there is one coordinator per degree, and even support is provided to third-year students during their hospital internships. The model is flexible, allowing faculties to adapt it to the first semester, from the student's arrival to their first evaluation.
Future challenges for mentoring at UCM include expansion to better support Erasmus programs and seeking specific approaches for student support during practical placements, such as in Education or hospitals.
Rosa María de la Fuente highlighted the importance of support during the initial contact with the university, citing data from the Student Observatory indicating that psychological distress triples the likelihood of dropping out. 44% of responses to the barometer identified "unwanted loneliness or the inability to face difficulties" as causes of this distress.
The Vice-Rector emphasized that a "sense of belonging" and connection to a group act as a "protective barrier" against these issues, helping students cope with daily challenges and the future.
The meeting on October 27th served to share experiences and "learn from what doesn't work." Representatives from other universities in the Network attended, including Marta García Mandaloniz (UC3M), Eduardo Serrano Gómez (CES Cardenal Cisneros), Fernando Viñado Oteo (Francisco de Vitoria University), Nuria Fernández Monsalve (UAM), and Isabel Carrillo Ramiro (UPM).
Marta García Mandaloniz mentioned that the new University Student Statute reinforces the right to quality orientation and support, acting as a "catalyst" for updating mentoring programs.
Eduardo Serrano Gómez highlighted the triple benefit of mentoring for students, mentors (acquiring skills valued in the job market), and centers. Fernando Viñado Oteo added that society needs to "generate healthy bonds" and that university is about "endeavoring to build something good, something beautiful, something true".
Nuria Fernández Monsalve pointed out the challenge of fostering personal relationships given the decrease in class attendance, and Carrillo Ramiro explained that at the Politécnica, each school adapts the program, focusing on mentor training and aiming to extend support throughout university life, including career integration.
The UPM representative concluded by reinforcing the message of the day: the importance of designing common programs that make students feel accompanied, guided, and mentored for as long as necessary, with the goal of Madrid having the best university students in Spain.
