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Abstract
Providing students with access to mentoring is now a national priority, as demonstrated by the prevalence and diversity of formal mentoring programs at postsecondary institutions (Crisp, 2017). The proliferation of formal mentoring programs has resulted in postsecondary institutions designing and implementing eMentoring programs. Despite their proliferation, these eMentoring programs remain understudied resulting in very little being known about the programs or people involved, which indicates the need to have a better understanding the outcomes of university mentorship programs for is of key importance (Gershenfeld, 2014). The purpose of this study is to understand the experiences of transfer student protégés in a student-driven, eMentoring program at a public research university in the southeastern United States. An interpretive qualitative research design was used to answer three central research questions: (a) how do transfer students experience wanting to participate in a student driven, eMentoring program?, (b) what experiences or insights do transfer students have while participating in a student-driven, eMentoring program?, and (c) how do transfer students reflect on their eMentoring experience? The six research participants were recruited via purposive sampling based on the following criteria: (a) current degree-seeking student; (b) transfer student; (c) completed a 16-week mentoring relationship with an alumni mentor; and (d) conducted at a minimum of four mentoring sessions with their mentor throughout their mentorship. The key findings of this study consist of the following: (a) transfer shock; (b) no previous mentors; (c) career confidence; (d) appreciation for mentorship; (e) sense of generativity; and (f) engaged alumni. The results of this study may help educators, policy makers, and practitioners identify opportunities to better serve and support transfer students. Also, it may help institutions develop policies and processes to design a more transfer receptive culture for transfer students. The results may assist others in understanding the influence factors that contribute to the success of transfer students at public, Research-1 universities. INDEX WORDS: Mentoring, eMentoring, transfer, student, protégé, alumni, mentor