Mentoring

Back to School Series - Mentors

Hey, Students (and others) - do you have mentors?  If not, you need to get going.

The first mentor you might have in college is your faculty advisor.  Most campuses have faculty that are assigned as part of their work expectations to advise students.  Now, some faculty are GREAT mentors, and some are not. You can change your advisor so don’t think this is set in stone.

Make an appointment to see your faculty advisor.  Drop-in during their office hours or contact them to find out when they might be available.  

Your first appointment is to get to know each other.  This is where you will present your long term thinking.  What are your goals after college? What are your goals for this academic year?  (Obviously, this works for non-college students as well. I found that I reached a goal to retire - and then didn’t have much for goals - just hang around until I die!!!  [Ugh])

Let your advisor know if you are thinking of an internship, or thinking of a part-time job.  If (say) you want to be a computer programmer, see if you can help with computer support on campus.  Maybe a local company needs somebody part-time with computing. Getting experience is very important when it comes time to get that first real job.  

Then follow up - maybe every two weeks.  (Hey, as a faculty member, my office hours were largely by myself - so having students stop by was good for me).  Don’t be a ‘toady’ - but let the mentor/faculty advisor know you by name. Something may come up for an internship or part-time job relating to your major - and you want your faculty advisor to remember your name!!  The adage of “out-of-sight / out-of-mind” is true. If you are in the faculty hallway stop by and say ‘hi’.

Now, you also need to know a bit about the faculty advisor.  What does he or she like? Are they into sports? Do they go to campus games, concerts, and events?  Do they jog or exercise? Do they have a family? This is a good time to practice your soft skills of making interesting small talk.  And … really be interested in this person!! Don’t just go through the motions.  

Your classroom instructors can also be good mentors.  They will get to know you and also should be open to working with you.  Of special interest to you should be instructors in your major field.

The data suggests that students change their majors with some frequency.  It might mean that as you take a class in a subject that you discover that this isn’t quite what you wanted or expected.  Talk to your advisor about your concerns about your major field. They might be able to help you out. Maybe everybody has trouble with a particular instructor and he/she might advise you to stay in the program - at least through the semester.

Some classes and majors do have a “flunk out” class (or classes).  If you want to be an electrical engineer major your first course might have a large number of students taking it to ‘try it out’.  

As your life goes on, you will need other mentors.  In your first job, somebody should be around to help you learn the ropes.  On other stages in life, you will need other mentors. And, along the path, you should mentor others.

Do you have mentors currently?  Have you had mentors in the past?  How have they helped you?  

Have you been a mentor to others?  Was it a good experience?

Share with us!!

Karen