What to Expect From Your Mentor

Guidance about conducting research and scholarship such as joining a research team, building a research team, setting culture and boundaries in research teams, connecting with opportunities to present or publish research, being directed to resources to help learn or deepen research skills.

Help establishing professional relationships. A mentor might arrange meetings, lunches or introductions with colleagues and relevant industry contacts.

Guidance about hiring and promotion processes such as giving more information about tenure and promotion if you are interested in academia, how to self-advocate for raises or promotions in your respective area of work, how to find a good job fit, interviewing for a new role, or other relevant industry processes depending on your career path.

Advice on work-life issues such as how to ask for parental and/or other leaves, balancing school and working full-time, how to set boundaries within your personal and professional life, balancing family obligations and school, or how to advocate for yourself to ask for grace and assistance from your respective program.

Serve as your advocate. Your mentor can help represent your needs and concerns to the Department Chair or Dean; protect you from inappropriate demands on your time, department policies; etc. Your mentor can also educate and encourage the department to take mentoring seriously.

Encourage direct and frequent communication. Your mentor should help challenge and coach you on how to more effectively communicate interpersonally, and model best practices for impactful, efficient communication. They should also reach out regularly to check in on you and encourage you to do the same.

Provide guidance about publications such as pertinent journals and meetings, how to deal with reviewer revision requests, how to handle paper rejection, writing efficiently, and effective collaborations.

Guidance about teaching, presenting, and communicating effectively with leadership such as suggestions for how to be an effective Teaching Assistant, helping you practice and prepare for professional conferences and presentations, and how to manage up in different professional relationships you may have.

Support your Individualized Development Plan (IDP)

• Establish regular meeting schedules
• Set your agenda for each meeting
• Identify, agree upon, and establish anticipated milestones
• Request consistent feedback
• Use IDP to establish and revisit expectations

IDP form: general-idp

Do I need a Mentor Team?

While you do not need a mentorship team, you may want one. Rather than finding a single mentor to shoulder all your needs, working with your mentor to build a mentoring network will expand your opportunities for professional and personal growth. Here are a few examples of who to consder for your mentor team:

• Faculty member
• Department staff
• Research advisor
• Advanced graduate student
• Faculty from other universities
• Professionals working within the student's field of study

Changing Mentors

There may be a point and time in your graduate career where you will want or need a new mentor. Whether organic or emphasized, it is important to understand the potential complexity of this split. For clarity, changing advisors is not an indication of conflict and should not be assumed as such. Below are some suggestions to consider when consider a change in mentors:

• If applicable, try to work through differences with your current advisor before deciding (see conflict management section for more information).
• Seek advice.
• Approach the potential new faculty member about being your new mentor.
• Be professional.
• Discuss and arrange a timeframe for completing any remaining work
• Update any paperwork or personal listings that contain information about your advisor.

Mentorship Transitions

Upon graduating, there may be a time when the mentoring dynamic you have had in your graduate experience comes to a close. Here are some tips to consider during this process.

• Discuss a clear plan early in the process to confirm plans prior to and after graduation.
• Complete any remaining tasks and duties.
• Discuss the potential of a continuation of contact between mentor and mentee.
• Have a conversation about how the relationship can fluidly develop and evolve into something new.

Graduate students typically carry responsibilities in addition to their duties as a student. That can include children, jobs, spouses, parents and more. In addition, there are other common challenges faced by graduate students that require both resilience and support.

Time constraints

Multiple and sometimes conflicting responsibilities create time constraints for graduate students. Students with caregiver responsibilities often need to be home in the evenings. After-hours study group assignments or research projects can present difficulties, as can having to return campus for evening lectures or departmental meetings. Take advantage of resources like The Graduate School’s tips for goal setting and time management video.

Isolation

Students with family responsibilities might find it difficult to attend some social, academic and professional functions. As a result, they may feel isolated from their cohorts and departments, missing out on the “academic business.” Here are some ways to prevent or mitigate isolation and loneliness:

• Introduce yourself to peers.
• Seek out graduate students and faculty who can share strategies and resources for balancing family and academic life.
• Attend departmental events.
• Join or create program groups to promote communication.
• Get involved with external organizations connected to your study and interests.

Fears of being put into a box 

There may be times when a student’s identities are assumed to be a topic of interest. That assumption can lead to feeling pigeonholed into an area of focus that does not match their intended career trajectory. Coupled with feelings of guilt and responsibility towards that identity, students can feel the work's burden.

Recommendations for Resilience and Support

• Help your mentors and others understand that you might need to be away from class sometimes or are able to work in the department during certain hours.
• Ask professors to distribute assignment schedules in advance so students with family responsibilities can integrate them into their schedules.
• Alert your professors and peers if you use a cell phone to stay connected in case of a family emergency.
• Seek out graduate students and faculty who can share strategies and resources for balancing family and academic life.
• Ask your peers to be flexible with study group times or invite them to meet at your home.
• Use email, listservs, live chats or discussion boards to facilitate group discussions.
• Be open with others about your family responsibilities.
• Demonstrate your professional commitment and productivity by being highly focused and productive when you are in the classroom, office or lab.

Explore additional resources for “Balance and Resilience”| (graduate.gsu.edu)

Sometimes, conflicts will occur between you and your mentor. While it can be uncomfortable to navigate such situations, if handled correctly, resolving conflict can strengthen your relationship. When handling conflict, do your best to have the conversation in person and consider the following:

What were the causes of the conflict?

Consider possible underlying causes such as:

• Backgrounds
• Generational
• Positional
• Power dynamics
• Experiences

The causes may also be behavioral, such as:

• Communication differences.
• Not responding to emails.
• Mentee/Mentor avoiding each other.
• Mismatch of expectations.
• Not following through on deadlines.
• One person is directing all the meetings.

Path to conflict resolution

• Identify an appropriate space for discussion.
• Agree to ground rules and boundaries for the discussion.
• Specify needs from both parties clearly.
• Exercise flexibility when handling the problem and do not take any matters personally.
• Brainstorm and develop a plan of action that works for both of you.
• Clearly articulate expectations.
• Create a development plan.