Resources for Students
For your best future, find a mentor
Long after graduation day, you will be helped along your journey not only by the knowledge you acquired at 91原创 but also by the advice and guidance you were given by experienced faculty members. With careful, constructive and close mentorship, our graduate students gain the career skills and confidence that cannot be learned in the lab, or instilled through textbooks or lectures.
With the support of solid mentoring relationships, students are more productive in terms of research activity, conference presentations, predoctoral publications, instructional development and grant-writing, according to research by the University of Michigan鈥檚 Rackham Graduate School. The well-mentored students鈥 academic success is evident in higher completion rates and a shorter-than-average time to degree.
First, it鈥檚 important to understand the dynamics of the mentor-mentee relationship and discover how you can do your part to make this a partnership that will have an impact for a lifetime.
The science of mentoring
Mentorship matters -- especially for students in science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine (STEMM). Studies have shown that mentorship can boost students鈥 sense of discovery and curiosity, create a better training environment and even help ensure equitable treatment of every graduate student, no matter their identity.
91原创鈥檚 Graduate College has turned to worldwide experts for guidance on building effective mentorship practices. Training and activities are based on the evidence-based, interactive Entering Mentoring model developed by researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, now facilitated by the Center for the Improvement of Mentored Experiences in Research (CIMER). This training gives mentors skills in collective problem solving and connects them with resources to optimize mentoring practices. The Entering Mentoring curricula is expressly designed to align with National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) guidelines, which seek to ensure the standards for preparation of mentors involved in training grants.
Mentorship is a set of skills
that can be learned, practiced, and optimized - whether you are a mentor or a mentee.
Diversity through mentorship
Effective mentors are crucial assets in the overall development of all undergraduate and graduate students in STEMM. But they can be an especially effective allies for many members of underrepresented and marginalized populations. Mentors can show you new pathways into the field, and ensure that you truly feel valued.
That鈥檚 important for your own success, but also to the sciences as a whole. Studies show that successful integration into STEMM environments can continue to be a challenge for STEMM professionals identifying as African American, Latinx, American Indian, first-generation, sexual or gender minority individuals, and individuals with disabilities. Through mentorship, that disparity can be overcome.
Being the best 鈥榤entee鈥 you can be
By being purposeful and committed to your role as a mentee, you will begin to internalize the 鈥渞eal world鈥 skills that will serve you well in graduate school and beyond. You will become better prepared for the psychological and social challenges that inevitably arise, and discover ways of working better as a team, even as you hone your networking skills in anticipation of post-graduate opportunities.
Today's mentees, guided by mentors who have been trained in the art, will discover fewer feelings of isolation, 鈥渋mposterism鈥 and stress, and find they are better able to balance the many demands of work, school and personal life. In those times when they seek a role model, they will have one by their side.
Ongoing collaboration and discussions are what sustain an effective mentoring relationship, along with some crucial elements of a successful mentoring relationship that you should keep in mind:
Support Functions
Effective mentorship provides psychosocial and career support, as well as networking opportunities tailored to the needs, interests and priorities of mentees.
Expectations
Effective mentorship involves mentors stating expectations explicitly and the creation of a safe space for mentees to make their expectations explicit.
Trust
Trust develops when mentors and mentees work together to identify and respond to their mutual goals, needs and priorities, which can change over time and thus require adjustment.
Education
Mentorship is a learned skill, and mentorship education influences mentor and mentee attitudes, self-efficacy and behaviors.
Self-Reflection
Effective mentorship entails critical and honest self-reflection at multiple stages of the mentorship process.
SOURCE: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine
A PERSONAL CHECKLIST
Don鈥檛 think of having just one mentor 鈥 work to establish relationships wherever they might be beneficial. But remember that it is important to be proactive when you are putting together your own 鈥渢eam鈥 of faculty mentors.
Start with a reflective self-appraisal of your goals and motivations. Take time to discover your unique needs as a graduate student before you decide who might meet those needs.
Ask yourself:
- What were/are my objectives in entering graduate school?
- What type of training do I desire?
- What are my strengths?
- What skills do I need to develop?
- What kinds of research or creative projects will engage me?
- What type of careers might I want to pursue?
For more information
on becoming a successful mentee, visit Rackham Graduate School鈥檚 .