For many students, figuring out which classes to sign up for and which clubs to join can be overwhelming. However, some wisdom from older students may lend clarity and direction.

The Peer Undergraduate Guidance Program (PUG) matches freshmen and sophomores with upperclassmen mentors to help with anything from academics to housing. According to Student Association (SA) Vice President of Academic Affairs (VPAA) Amanda Baker, mentors are matched with mentees through a survey based on interests and major.

PUG began last year under former VPAA Don Greenberg. Baker says her goal for the program is to make it more prominent on campus by advertising and increasing the program’s numbers.

“I want to start out with 100-200 mentors or more and as many mentees as possible, and really expand it further and further,” she said.

According to Baker, mentors will be available to provide mentees with information on whatever they need. The upperclassmen mentors involved will be volunteers.

“What we’re trying to do is give freshmen, sophomores and transfers the ability to talk to upperclassmen who have been through it before,” Baker said. “For juniors and seniors, they get the ability to talk to the underclassmen, give back and really help them in ways they didn’t have help with in the past.”

Dana Perez, a sophomore majoring in biology, said she was excited to sign up for PUG.

“I always find signing up for classes really difficult,” she said. “So having an upperclassman who’s gone through my major to help me pick classes based on professors and how much they enjoyed the class would be an awesome resource.”

Alex Moehring, a senior double-majoring in English and human development, joined the program last year as a mentor. She said she thinks PUG is a good opportunity for students in any of the five undergraduate schools.

“Binghamton has a lot of mentoring programs, but most of them are SOM,” Moehring said. “I think this program is unique because I’m in Harpur and CCPA and we don’t have programs like that.”

Mentors and mentees can sign up for PUG on the SA website. Once applicants sign up and are matched together, mentors must attend a training session. According to Baker, the training will aid mentors in how to begin connecting with their mentees.

“Mentors attend a brief training session that lets them know that this isn’t meant to be a job — it’s supposed be something you want to do and can put as much time as you want into it and to begin the connection process,” Baker said.

According to Moehring, PUG is an opportunity she said she would have valued as a freshman.

“I can remember back to a lot of times when I was a freshman and I could’ve used the advice of a sophomore or upperclassman,” Moehring said. “I am so happy to be a part of it so I can share my knowledge with underclassmen.”