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Mentee Advice

Some advice on how to make your mentoring search and experience more meaningful…

Set Goals. Think carefully about what you want out of the mentorship, and what kind of mentor you’d like. That way, you can search for mentors that better match your interests. Also think carefully about what kind of questions you’d like to ask your mentor. The more you know your own goals, the more your mentor can help you.

Long Distance Relationships? Think carefully about what kind of interactions you’d like with your mentor. For example, if you’re set on having in-person meetings with your mentor, try to request a mentor who is in the area. If you’re fine with long distance, and are really set on going to New York after graduation, maybe contacting a mentor in New York would be better.

Don’t Be Discouraged. It may take several requests before you get a mentor match. Just keep on requesting, and don’t be discouraged.

Don’t Delay. One you get a mentor match, try to contact your mentor within a week of getting matched. Keep on top of things.

Establish Some Ground Rules. When you make contact with your mentor for the first time, take some time to establish some ground rules about how you’d like your relationship to be. For example, more personal advice vs. more career advice/professional advice, once per week vs. once per month, e-mail vs. in person, etc.

Be Proactive. If your mentor hasn’t responded to you in a while, don’t be shy about e-mailing or calling them again. They may have just gotten busy or missed your e-mail. Remember, they signed up for the program because they want to mentor a student.

Make It Personal. Be sure to get to know your mentor on a personal level. While they are excellent career resources, you can learn a lot from their personal stories as well.

Keep It Consistent. Even if you can’t make contact with your mentor that often, try to keep it consistent (i.e. e-mail them every couple of weeks). If there are long periods of time between your interactions, it may be easy to let the mentorship die altogether.

Let AMP Help! If you ever get stuck trying to get a mentor or making contact, contact the AMP team for advice and help. We’re a resource for you as well: Email us!.
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