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A closeup of an engineering student working with a mortar and pestle in the Tickle College of Engineering soil lab

Tickle College of Engineering LLC

The Engage Living & Learning Community (LLC) provides a supportive environment for first-year students who have been admitted to the College of Engineering. Engage is founded on the common coursework taken by first-year engineering students, Engineering Fundamentals, a curriculum that includes project-oriented, hands-on team activities and explorations in physics and computer applications.

Students choosing to live in the Engage community will benefit from living in the same residence hall as other first-year engineering students taking the same courses. This makes it easy to share notes, form study groups, and develop camaraderie. Engage students will participate in EF 102, Introduction to the Tickle College of Engineering, to build essential skills for the successful study of engineering. Engage students will develop strong bonds and personal relationships with their fellow future engineers and begin networking early with professors and upper-division students. Engage LLC students have the opportunity to participate in fun and educational trips, activities, and physics exam review sessions.

Engage LLC students interact under the guidance and direction of continuing engineering students living in the community with them, the Engage leadership team, and will be matched with a peer mentor from the Engage leadership team.

Visit the Engineering Fundamentals Program page for additional details.

The Engage LLC will be located in Geier Hall for 2025-2026. All LLC locations are subject to change.

Community Requirements

Eligible students must be admitted to the College of Engineering.
All Engage LLC students enroll in Engineering Fundamentals courses their first semester. Engineering students who are in 1794, Chancellor’s Honors, or Honors Leadership programs may choose to apply to live in the Engage or Honors & Scholars community.

Visit the Engineering Fundamentals Program page for additional details.

Contact

Tickle College of Engineering
Amy Biegalski, Erin McCave, or Engineering Fundamentals
Phone: 865-974-9810

Peer Mentors

Peer mentors are continuing students who live on-campus in an LLC with whom they share a relevant academic, pre-professional, or interdisciplinary interest. Peer mentors are role models who assist predominantly first-year students. As a peer mentor, you are expected to become familiar with academic and co-curricular campus resources relevant to the mission of the LLC and assist students as they acclimate to their academic college at UT. Peer mentors benefit from leadership experiences, serving as a role model on the floor. This program is managed by University Housing and is offered in partnership with selected academic colleges who sponsor a Living & Learning Community.

Our LLC peer mentors concentrate on the advancement of student success, relevant to their respective academic college. The student leaders in these roles meet with college-specific academic advisors, subject-specific librarians, and promote co-curricular engagement associated with the relevant academic interests and leadership opportunities. LLC students should reach out to their respective college-specific peer mentors for advice on communication with professors, availability of academic support services on campus, and/or insight on successful study habits.

Peer Mentor Expectations

  • Peer mentors serve as an approachable and friendly role model to encourage civility, appreciation of academic success, and co-curricular involvement of students residing in the LLC.
  • Peer mentors must be invited to benefit from leadership development opportunities and share in communicating observations about students in the community.
  • Peer mentors must never have received a sanction equal to or greater than disciplinary probation by the Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards.
  • Peer mentors must maintain a minimum 2.5 Cumulative GPA.

Application Process

University Housing staff and program liaisons will meet to select peer mentors based upon the applications received. Peer mentors must reside in the LLC residence hall where the LLC is located. Decisions will be announced via email to those selected.

Peer Mentor Scholarship

Peer mentors who are part of the LLC Peer Mentor Partnership Program will receive a $1,000 scholarship for service during the course of the academic year ($500 if only serving one semester). Peer mentors will be informed of useful techniques to facilitate small group discussions, stress reduction, academic support, academic policies relevant to their LLC, and communication skills which will develop their leadership skills and serve the greater good of their LLCs, cultivating an environment that advances student success.