Learn together
Are you an incoming Cyclone planning to major in journalism and mass communication, advertising, public relations or sports media and communication? Our Greenlee learning communities will help you navigate the transition to college life.
A learning community is a small group of students who share classes, explore activities together and are supported by a peer mentor. Depending on your major, you’ll be part of our journalism learning community or our advertising and public relations learning community.
How it works
Every first-year Greenlee student takes our orientation course, JLMC 1100. We offer two sections of the course – one for our journalism learning community and one for our advertising and public relations learning community. You’ll also be with some of the same students in our introductory principles classes (PR 2200, ADVRT 2300, JLMC 2400) and JLMC 1010: Mass Media and Society. These courses are often highly interactive and set up to help you form connections and friendships.
As you get to know your peers, learn about career possibilities and explore your academic goals together, you’ll receive support from a peer mentor – an upper-level Greenlee major who may also be a student media or student organization leader.
Outside the classroom, your peer mentor will organize fun activities to build camaraderie and help you engage with the professional world. These might include field trips, guest speakers, strengths assessments, workshops or social events. Sometimes, the two learning communities also get together for activities. These activities are optional but strongly encouraged.
Your learning community will also introduce you to Greenlee’s many exciting student media, clubs, and other organizations that can help you build skills, knowledge, confidence and experience during your time at Iowa State.
Peer mentors
Peer mentors are integral to the success of our learning communities. Greenlee hires peer mentors for each learning community. These Greenlee juniors and seniors offer experience and guidance to first-year students through these roles:
- Assist in the Greenlee orientation sections set aside for learning communities.
- Organize study groups, social and professional events and out-of class activities.
- Act as role models for students new to Iowa State and connect them with university resources.
- Greenlee peer mentor job description
Benefits for peer mentors
- Greenlee peer mentors develop leadership, organization and interpersonal skills needed to become successful, practicing professionals.
- Iowa State University peer mentor looks great on a résumé.
- Each Greenlee peer mentor works about eight hours per week throughout the semester and is paid for their training and mentoring time.
How to become a Greenlee peer mentor
Applications will be accepted each fall when the application period opens.
