Mentorship in Doctoral Education: Make or Break the Experience
This piece was originally published in the February 22, 2022 issue of the SSWR DSC Monthly Monitor available here.
In higher education, mentors can come from many avenues, graduate assistantships, work-study programs, service organizations, and various other intersections. At times, students may seek out a mentor to fulfill a specific need, in terms of skills, research interests, or general mentorship needs. However, in doctoral education, students are often matched with faculty based on their research interests. Though programs may match students differently, most use additional criteria or a pre-existing relationship to aim for a good fit.
The resulting mentor-mentee relationship can differ greatly between students, even within the same program or university. Good mentorship relationships are characterized by open communication, clear expectations, and a sense of mutual respect and support. Current doctoral students describe their relationship with their mentors as holistic, supporting, and recognizing one another as people beyond the academic institution. Others share that their mentor serves in a more formal capacity, approving projects and program next steps. Increasingly, programs urge students to seek multiple mentors to fulfill specific skill or professional development needs. Yet, most students described working with a single advisor in their program.
In a recent survey conducted by the SSWR DSC Communications Committee, students shared several important aspects of their advisor relationship that they appreciated, emphasizing timeliness, responsiveness to questions, writing supports, genuine care, and fostering a trusting relationship. Though there were aspects that could be improved with their mentor, such as helping students find additional mentors, balancing fostering independence and guidance, and adding praise in with areas of improvement,others described wanting to know more about additional research projects they were involved in and roles they held in addition to teaching and service in their college or department.
Here are three tips for improving your own mentor(s)-mentee relationships:
Try mapping out your mentors! Who are they? What roles do they serve? What specific skills or professional development opportunities do they support you with?
Set a time to meet regularly to discuss your professional development needs in addition to more task-oriented advising meetings! Try to talk once a month about where you are at in relation to your goals!
Talk openly about mentorship and how aspects are working or not in your current relationship, if possible!
Mentorship Resources:
Michigan State University (n.d.) Best Practices for Mentors and Mentees in Academic Settings. https://ofasd.msu.edu/mentoring/best-practices-for-mentors-and-mentees-in-academic-settings/
Montgomery, B. L. (2017). Mapping a Mentoring Roadmap and Developing a Supportive Network for Strategic Career Advancement. SAGE Open, 7(2), 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244017710288