Entering college means getting into a brand-new stage of life, however, it is difficult for freshmen to have specific learning objectives and clear career planning. To stimulate students’ growth and accomplishment, school of chemistry carried out peer counselors’ navigation plan. It was jointly held by the student work office of school of chemistry and the red pomegranate learning and development center, which recruited Party members, Party activists and members of the Communist Youth League from senior grades as volunteers, relying on the undergraduate red pomegranate Party branch and Jingying Party branch of school of chemistry, so as to offer guide and support to freshmen of 2021 in many aspects like ideology, study, life and psychology to achieve mutual assistance, mutual progress and common growth.
Participation
The activity involved 170 navigation volunteers and undergraduate freshmen of grade 2021 of school of chemistry who were from grade 2018, 2019, 2020. Given that time schedule differed from grade to grade, it combined online and offline. Freshmen could contact volunteers via telephone or QQ according to the information offered by sponsor, and volunteers would offer help according to freshmen’s real need, with unlimited time and place and diverse forms. Holding the volunteer spirits of “dedication, unity, mutual assistance and progress”, it was that vigorous and active spiritual outlook seen on contemporary youth, who put volunteer spirit into practice with their own actions, conveyed their love to freshmen, and did their best to help freshmen.
Guidance Content
（1）Ideological guidance
A nation will prosper only when its young people thrive. During important “seven one” speech, General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed,” Chinese youth in the new era should take realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation as duty, enhance the ambition, backbone, and confidence of being Chinese, and live up to the times, youth and enthusiastic expectation of Party and people.” On the new journey, we must try our best to guide youth well in ideological and political aspect. With the guidance of the college Party commit, 47 members of CPC took part in the activity, fully strengthening the vanguard and exemplary role of the members of the CPC, and guided freshmen ideologically, made introduction of the construction and life of student Party branch and League to make great preparation.
（2）Guidance For Study
There are great differences between courses in college and high school, which often leads to learning confusion from freshmen. Fortunately, guider could offer suggestions taking advantage of their previous experience. Guiders provided academical assistance to freshmen by introducing overview of discipline and major, such as analyzing courses selection handbook, sharing studying material and learning methods of professional courses, providing review suggestions of diverse discipline and so on. At the same time, guiders offered customized career planning guidance for corresponding freshmen to reduce freshmen’s confusion when facing various choice. Since the guider and the corresponding freshman were from the same major and allocated directionally, the guider could give advice according to characteristic of the major. Take career planning of normal university student as an example, it involved the time allocation of normal university students’ skill training, suggestion about “three kind of characters and one mandarin”, carrying out career guidance combining their internship experience and offering preparation suggestion on teacher qualification certificate examination. Other majors involved policies related to postgraduate research, sharing of postgraduate entrance examination experience, how to join in the research group for scientific research, suggestions on innovation and entrepreneurship plan of college students and suggestions on university certification, etc.
（3）Guidance For Life
Entering the university campus means the first time for many people to be independent. To help freshmen adapt to university life faster, guiders provided them with guidance for life. The first thing is to lead the freshmen to get familiar with the school, thus, guiders introduced the basic situation of the school, gave on-the-spot explanations to the freshmen offline if possible, provided relevant information around the school, the location and operation rules of the school print shop and self-study room, etc. In addition, guiders also provided freshmen with suggestions on student work, voluntary service activities, introduction of community organizations, summer social practice, etc.
（4）Psychological Guidance
Psychological factors play an important role in daily life. It is closely related to college students’ life and study, interpersonal relationship and personal emotion. Therefore, college students’ mental health is of great importance. University is the epitome of society, filled with all kinds of people and many things that we have never experienced, which may bring trouble to freshmen. It was that guiders providing timely help when freshmen need it to reduce some difficulties contributed to the mental health of freshmen. The guiders of the school of chemistry satisfied the needs of freshmen, provided emotional suggestions, helped freshmen deal with their interpersonal relationships with roommates and classmates, taught them time management, how to balance the relationship between study and work and relieve pressure and anxiety in the rush.
Feedback and Prospect
During the activity, the school collected relevant feedback from guiders and freshmen, adjusted the activity plan in time, and prepared for better holding activities in the coming year. Guider Xiao Renke, a member of the Red pomegranate Party branch and a 2018 undergraduate of school of chemistry, said, “After participating in the peer guidance program, communicating with the students, answering their questions and solving their doubts, providing my own views on course selection, review and planning, and helping them avoid detours made me feel very pleasant. I hope there will be such opportunities to share some feelings of college life with the younger grades in the future." Wei hailing, a 2021 undergraduate from school of chemistry, said, "I think the activity of this guidance plan is very meaningful. If you have academic or life problems at ordinary times, you can ask senior, also when you have any worries or troubles. She is a good listener and can give useful suggestions. She is like a guider who guides me when I struggle alone. When new students enter school next year in 2022, I also hope to become such a sister, guide younger brothers and sisters, help them and make them adapt to college life as soon as possible. "
Source: School of Chemistry
Reviewer: Sun Yulin, Xue Haoyue, Zheng Bowen
Translator: Peng Qiurong
Date: January 25, 2022
