APS Observer - Student Notebook

Choosing Your Mentor:
What Every Graduate Student Should Know

By Bunmi O. Olatunji

It goes without saying that success and productivity in graduate school is dependent upon many factors such as well above average grades, active research involvement, and for some, invaluable clinical experience. These factors all demand time and a considerable amount of effort. One factor that students often overlook is the relationships that they establish with other students and faculty, which also demands time and effort. This is especially true of the mentoring relationship that students can establish with a respective faculty member. This invaluable alliance is one that can often serve as the foundation of a gratifying graduate experience. A "mentor" may mean different things to different students, and what defines a mentoring relationship is highly dependent on the student's needs. Generally speaking however, a mentor is one that provides advice and encouragement to the student. A mentor will facilitate a student's growth by collaboratively developing a climate of trust and companionship with the student. Essentially a mentoring relationship is not only a professional relationship; it is also a personal alliance that develops over time.

CHOOSING A MENTOR: GENERAL ISSUES TO CONSIDER
Identifying Your Needs

Before you can pinpoint what you want in a mentor it is important that you identify your needs as a student. All students are unique individuals and consequently require different mentoring styles to compliment their personalities. Some students are more independent and may require little assistance from their mentors. Their mentoring relationship may consist of brief meetings and momentary check-ins. Other students may require more direction from their mentors; their mentoring relationship is more likely to consist of structured and consistent interactions. Lastly, some students may require both structure and freedom depending on the task at hand. Once you have identified your needs as a graduate student, you will then know what to look for in a mentor.

Characteristics of a Good Mentor

Different mentors can also be expected to have different mentoring styles, and although the mentor as well as the mentoring relationship may change over time, there remains a set of "mentoring traits" that are common to all good mentors. First, a mentor must be a good listener and observer. As students it is often difficult to communicate needs and challenges. A good mentor is one who is able to "read between the lines," and thus conveys an intuitive understanding of a student's needs and challenges. This may include helping the students get adjusted to graduate life, come up with ideas for their thesis project, or putting the finishing touches on doctoral dissertations.

A good mentor is understanding and open-minded. They appreciate the notion that successes as well as failures are learning tools in and of themselves. A good mentor is optimistic and encouraging. Most importantly, a good mentor is available. The amount of attention that a student may receive from a mentor is dependent on the students' needs; a good mentor, however, must be there to guide and help students gain confidence in their learning ability.

Searching for Your Mentor

Now that you have a general idea of what to look for, the most important thing that you can do is to seek mentors that have research and/or clinical interests that are similar to yours. Having similar interests surely makes any relationship easier! Furthermore, It is very important that you start your search early. This will give you ample time to find a mentor that will serve you best. Finding a good mentor is very much like buying a car: you have got to shop around! One of the best things you can do is talk to past and present students about their mentoring relationships. This will give you an idea of how certain mentors interact with their students. Also, be sure to talk to potential mentors and ask specifically how they interact with students. This may give you a fuller understanding of their mentoring style.

Other factors that you might want to consider include the success of past students (e.g., publications and presentations, where they are now, etc.), reputation of the mentor in the department, and availability of the potential mentor. Once you have utilized all these resources and having already gained an understanding of your own needs, the search should produce a mentor that is fit for you.

THE MENTORING RELATIONSHIP:
WHEN IT'S WORKING AND WHEN IT'S NOT

Once a mentoring relationship has been established, certain factors reflect the extent to which the relationship is working and the extent to which it is not. A functional mentoring relationship is founded on a sense of trust, respect, and understanding. When you have these variables as the foundation of your mentoring relationship, a climate is created in which you can be open and honest with your mentor. Additionally, it is important that you feel comfortable when approaching your mentor. You should be able to communicate freely; feelings of intimidation are natural at first; however, if they persist, you may need to honestly reevaluate the relationship. When a mentoring relationship is not working out, don't be afraid to end the relationship and seek out other mentors. Simply enduring a bad mentoring relationship is a waste of both yours and your mentor's time.

ENHANCING THE MENTORING RELATIONSHIP

Once you have chosen your mentor, you must do your part to make the relationship work. It is important that you recognize that your mentor often has other responsibilities, whether it is as a professor, a research advisor, a clinical supervisor, and a mentor to other students. A mentor's time is often very precious, and it is in your best interest to recognize this and maximize the time that your mentor has available for your needs. You must get involved in you mentor's work, do what is expected of you and do it before it is expected. Pay close attention to deadlines and show initiative, this will make the mentoring relationship very profitable for all that are involved. Be punctual and efficient, this reflects your general ability to be productive as a graduate student and eventually as a professional. Failure in these domains could result in the "sudden" unavailability of your mentor. Lastly, be thoughtful. Recognize that you mentor is providing time for your needs and for that you should be grateful.

CONCLUSION

Every now and then an extraordinary student will come along who will not need the assistance of a mentor, and an "advising relationship" may just be enough. For the majority of graduate students, however, that special mentoring relationship with a faculty is a must. The positive and productive interactions within a mentoring relationship allow students to maximize their potential. If you do plan on pursuing such a relationship, you are in a sense taking an active role in the outcome of your graduate experience. I suggest that in the process of choosing a mentor, you do it systematically and with care. First you must undergo some introspection, get to know yourself and what you need to be successful. Second, know what to look for in a mentor and how to go about finding it; the latter may require some investigative skills on your part.

Sometimes what appears to be a mentoring relationship made in heaven may turn out to be quite the opposite. Chances are regardless of what you and your mentor do; the relationship just may not work. Do not be afraid to acknowledge this and sever the relationship before all is lost. Remember that you must do what is best for you.

Lastly, be sure to do your part to make the mentoring relationship work. Being a graduate student is hard enough without going it alone. In addition to finding support from fellow graduate students, developing a good mentoring relationship with a faculty member can make the graduate experience less challenging and more meaningful. If properly developed, an enduring and mutually profitable relationship is formed. In addition to the professional and personal guidance that a mentor can provide; the mentoring relationship may also serve as a long lasting friendship.

Hot Sites

For more information about choosing a mentor for graduate school, and some great links, go to:

http://gradschool.about.com/library/weekly/aa081201a.htm

Thanks to Bunmi for finding this site.