This position is available for Academic Year 2026-2027.
Note: All on-campus position applications close at 2:59pm on the deadline date listed.
Position Description:
Academic Peer Advisors (PA) work for the Office of Academic Advising and Fellowships to support first-year faculty advisors in their efforts to help incoming students integrate into the Puget Sound academic and co-curricular community. Through individualized advising appointments, registration assistance, and referrals to additional campus resources when needed, peer advisors help foster college-level skills and academic success for all new students. Read all about past peer advisor performance and their impact in the 2024 PA Performance Review. Check out those student comments to get a sense for the impact PAs have!
Essential Job Functions and Responsibilities:
- Provide academic advising and overall college success services to new students during their year of transition from either high school to college or from another college to Puget Sound,
- assist first-year faculty advisors in their work to support academic success for these students,
- introduce new students to campus resources designed to help them succeed, such as the Center for Writing and Learning (CWL), Counseling, Health and Wellness Services (CHWS), and more,
- maintain personal contact with advisees and keep timely and accurate records of this contact over the course of the academic year,
- organize and present advising and registration-related workshops for advisees.
Other duties:
- Help advise during Passages and support Academic Advising during Academic Fair,
- plan and host pre-registration workshops and advising nights with faculty advisors and other PAs,
- participate in other special Academic Advising Office events, as needed.
Time Commitment:
PAs work an average of 9 hours per week and are responsible for working with assigned faculty advisors to help mentor 35-40 new students (advisees) for the full academic year. In a typical week, a PA takes part in the following activities:
- Attends a one hour mandatory staff meeting led by the PA coordinator,
- holds at least one hour of office duty to support advisees,
- devotes time as needed to advising, following up with advisees and maintaining related notes,
- documents outreach and contact with advisees, and
- coordinates with first-year faculty advisors and AA staff to support advisees experiencing academic difficulty.
Minimum Requirements (candidates must possess these requirements in order to be hired into this position):
Peer Advisors are expected to be responsible, mature, positive role models that are relatable and dedicated to helping all new students succeed. Strong organizational, interpersonal, motivational, and communication skills are critical. If you are a self-starter who likes helping others, works well on your own and as a dynamic team-player, then this job is for you. It is also critical that you are someone who can maintain your own academic progress while remaining committed to supporting our new Loggers as they establish a solid footing into college life. Peer Advisors must also have a working knowledge of all Google applications, including Sheets, Forms, and Docs. Experience with Zoom and Google Calendar are a plus.
Preference will be given to candidates who:
- Have junior or senior standing at the beginning of the fall 2026 term,
- present a record showing solid academic achievement (a GPA of 3.0 or higher, or a GPA on an upward trend),
- have spent at least one year in full-time study at Puget Sound,
Position Restrictions:
- Peer Advisors may not accept joint appointments in the following student development/employment positions: Passages Coordinator, Passages Leader, Residence Assistant, Resident Community Coordinator, Greek House Coordinator, Campus Visit Coordinator, or Dining Conference Lead,
- PAs must gain prior approval with the Assistant for Academic Advising before accepting employment as both a PA and any of these additional positions: CWL subject Tutor, ASUPS committee member, internship, or teaching assistantship,
- PAs must participate in all aspects of our mandatory training week, held Aug. 17-21 as well as important academic duties, from Aug. 22-25,
- PAs must attend a one hour weekly staff meeting during the academic year. Clubs, social activities and ANY other campus jobs must be secondary to attendance at PA weekly meetings.
Hours per week: 9 hours
Application/Selection Procedure:
1. Apply by Fri., Feb. 13
2. Carefully review the Peer Advisor position description (above), paying particular attention to the duties, responsibilities, and dates/expectations for the mandatory training week (August 17-21), and additional advising duties from August 22-25. Additional details about the PA position are available on the PA website.
3. Be clear about which campus jobs/positions are not compatible with the PA position (see above) and those that require advance approval from the First-Year Advising Program Coordinator.
4. As part of the online application, you will upload the following:
- Cover letter to include your major, any minor(s) or emphases, and your GPA. Your letter must address: 1) why you want to be an Academic Peer Advisor, 2) what unique qualities make you the best person for this job, and 3) how you plan to balance being a peer advisor with being a full time student, and participating in any sports, extra-curricular activities, or other campus jobs you are committed to next year.
- Current resume (Career and Employment Services can help you with this).
- Unofficial transcript (access from your myPugetSound; take a screenshot or download as pdf first).
5. Applicants need at least one reference from a Puget Sound Faculty member. Applicants are responsible for requesting this reference. https://forms.gle/1wLfC6zwAfteHnuJA. Let your referrer know that their completed recommendation is due by Fri. Feb. 13, 2026. Applicants are responsible for confirming that their reference is on file by the application deadline.
6. *Complete the Supplementary PA Application Form, which includes details about majors, minors, and more. It also allows us easier access to your file documents (resume, cover letter, and transcript).
7. Participate in an in-person individual interview (30 min): Held during the week of March 2-6. Interviews generally include one or two Academic Advising staff and at least one current peer advisor. If you are studying abroad this semester, qualified applicants will participate in a zoom interview. Advising will do their best to accommodate you in the time zone where you are studying.
8. Agree to a conduct check by the Dean of Students Office to ensure all candidates meet highest expectations of professionalism while representing our office.
Notification of hiring decisions will be sent no later than March 20, 2026
Interviews will take place directly with the hiring department. For questions, you can reach out to the hiring manager for this position.
Department: Academic Advising
Contact Name: Jacqui Elliott
Email: jmelliott@pugetsound.edu
If you are creating a resume for the first time, or would like some direction on updating your resume for this application, please review the Career and Employment Services Resume Guide or use Handshake to make an appointment with a career advisor.