Transition Coaching

Transition Coaching is provided to all undergraduate students in their first (or Finding) year and the middle (or Forming) years of their university experience.

Every first- and second-year �鶹�ƽ�� undergraduate student is assigned a Transition Coach - a paid, Peer-Educator certified upper-level undergraduate student leader - who provides an additional layer of support through social and community networking, engagement opportunities, and peer initiatives. These are students who typically enjoy:

Serving as mentors
Supporting students navigating the university landscape
Being creative
Working on a collaborative and mission-driven team

ExpandSection Expand

Our team of Transition Coaches:

Plan, implement, host, and evaluate transition-focused in-person events/initiatives based on your student caseload population
Promote and staff general transition programming
Collaborate to create conversation sessions to supplement the F3YE Transition Curriculum
Conduct regular check-ins with a caseload of ~150+ students
Schedule designated office hours
Perform administrative tasks as assigned by supervisor

We are looking for undergraduate upper-level students who:

Have experience planning or implementing initiatives, projects, etc.
Can stay on-task independently
Work well on a team
Finish what they start
Display strong communication skills
Can make others feel at ease through small talk and light social interactions
Understand that sometimes flexibility is needed when working with others
Have a willingness to try new things
Are in good university standing (academic, honor, conduct, etc.)
Want to support their undergraduate peers

Student who also have experiences with mentoring programs and/or public speaking are preferred.

As a result of serving in this leadership capacity, Transition Coaches will not only become certified Peer Educators, but they will also be able to:

Develop leadership, mentoring, event planning, collaboration, and presentation skills to apply to future endeavors
Serve the �鶹�ƽ�� community and meaningfully shape new and continuing students’ experiences
Create connections with fellow peer leaders, professional staff, and new students

They also work between 6 - 10 hours per week at an hourly rate of $15.

ExpandSection Expand

The hiring process for the Transition Coach process consists of two steps:

Online application, which consists of basic demographic information, four short answer questions (3 - 4 sentences each) and two short essays (150 words or less).
In-Person interview with the Director and Graduate Assistant

At this time our goal is to hire 12 Transition Coaches, who will each be assigned one of our three transition group populations:

Fall 2026 Class of 2030 Students
Fall 2026 New-to-W&M Students (Transfers, Exchange, JDP Host)
Fall 2025 & Spring 2026 Class of 2029 & New-to-W&M Students

The 2026-2027 Transition Coach Hiring:

Wednesday, March 4 - Online Application Open
Sunday, March 22 - Online Application Due
Thursday, March 26 - In-Person Interviews Offered
Week of March 30 - In-Person Interviews Held
Wednesday, April 8 - Transition Coach Position Updates Out (Offer, Alternate, No Offer)
Wednesday, April 15 - Transition Coach Final Decisions Due (Accept/Decline)

The 2026-2027 Transition Coach Training:

Tuesday, April 21 from 7 - 9 PM (Eastern) - Transition Coach Overlap Training
Sunday, August 16 - Return to Campus / Residential Student Move-in
Sunday, August 16 Dinner thru Tuesday, August 24 - Transition Coach Fall Training

First Time in College Coaches

Anna '27

Major: International Relations & Public Health I believe that the first year at college is a transformative yet also scary new chapter in everyone’s life. I remember the positive impact that upperclassmen and student leaders at �鶹�ƽ�� had on my freshman year and as a rising senior who was once a nervous freshman, I hope to continue the same positive impact and support for incoming students.

Anuska '29

Major: Economics & Public Policy As someone who took months to fully adjust and find my place within the �鶹�ƽ�� community, I’m familiar with the struggles that can come with navigating a completely new environment. One of the biggest comforts to me during my transition period was knowing that there was always at least one person there to support me.

Brooklynn '28

Major: Psychology As a first-generation college student, when I got to campus I felt like I had no one to lean on for help navigating this new college life...I don't want anyone else to make the mistake I did as a new student here of not reaching out for help.

Darius '27

Major:

Haley '29

Major: Computer Science I had a rough transition and really struggled to find my place on campus. Being able to ensure others are able to find a supportive network on campus would be super fulfilling and I am still looking to grow my own network.

Mike '27

Coach Mentor Major: Geology Having been a Transition Coach this past year, I am constantly reminded why I applied in the first place: being a resource, mentor, and friend for all new students during such a transitional period of their lives

Sabrina '27

Major: Data Science I’m extremely interested in applying my empathy and communication skills in a setting that helps our undergraduate population have a much smoother transition than I did, and knowing that I helped make just one student feel at home here would mean so much to me.

Questions?

Wondering how to connect with your Transition Coach or become involved?
Want to know more about undergraduate transitions at �鶹�ƽ��?

Connect With Your Transition Coach Learn More About Transition Coaching Curious about Transitions at W&M

�鶹�ƽ��