Graduate Peer — Mentoring Program

Thank you for your interest in the peer-mentoring program. The main goal of this program is to create additional opportunities for graduate students to connect and establish positive relationships with other students. Peer Mentoring is important for graduate students because of the knowledge and skills that are shared, but also because of the many other aspects of professional socialization and personal support that are needed to facilitate success in graduate school.

Objectives

Among the objectives of the interdisciplinary mentoring program are:

Enable experienced graduate students to share their knowledge and experience with new graduate students and expand their professional network.
Assist new students to adjust to their roles and positions as graduate students and address their needs, concerns, or questions in the professional and personal realms.
Help shape the careers of new colleagues and enjoy opportunities for self-renewal.
Provide a valuable service to the university by promoting collegiality through mentoring.

Roles and Responsibilities

Mentors are Responsible for:

Taking the initiative to contact their mentees and stay in touch with them. Mentor matches are encouraged to meet once per month over the academic year.
Devoting time to the relationship and being available when requested.
Assisting new graduate students with their various questions, needs, or concerns.
Sharing their knowledge and experience to benefit new graduate students and following up on their progress at Boise State.
Maintaining the confidentiality of the information shared by their new graduate student. Treat all interactions and discussions in confidence. There is no evaluation or assessment of the new graduate student on the part of the mentor, only supportive guidance and constructive feedback.

Benefits for mentors may include:

Satisfaction in assisting in the development of a peer
Ideas for and feedback about the mentor’s own academic training and research
Recognition of one’s own professional skills by the mentee
Creation of a stronger interdisciplinary community in our graduate programs
Develop leadership and management skills
Increase your social and academic confidence
Foster a sense of community and belonging

Mentees are responsible for:

Devoting the time to the mentoring relationship and interacting with the mentor
Making use of the opportunities provided by the mentor
Keeping the mentor informed of progress, difficulties, and concerns
Exchanging ideas and experiences with the mentor
Seeking help and support when needed

Benefits for mentees may include:

Gain practical advice, encouragement, and support
Learn from the experiences of others
Increase your social and academic confidence
Become more empowered to make decisions
Develop your communication, study, and personal skills
Develop strategies for dealing with both personal and academic issues
Identify goals and establish a sense of direction
Gain valuable insight into the next stage of your university career
Make new friends across year groups

Questions & Feedback

If you have any questions, please contact professor Kristin Snopkowski (kristinsnopkowski@boisestate.edu). I will check in with mentors and new graduate students periodically and invite them to provide feedback on the progress of their relationships at the end of the academic year so that the Graduate College can evaluate the program and use the feedback to improve the mentoring program in the future.

Acknowledgments

This mentorship program was created by Jesús Trespalacios and Marie-Anne de Graaf. This mentorship program also benefited from insights from other institutions with well-established peer mentoring programs, such as:

University of Colorado-Boulder
Washington University-St Louis
Texas A&M
Interdisciplinary mentoring program – Boise State University

[She] was a great resource and could speak to the program in ways that helped me.

It has been good to connect with graduates further along in their program than myself.

I felt it was very beneficial to be able to meet with my mentor regularly and ask questions about anything. He helped me understand and be better aware of certain processes and procedures within the program. He answered questions that I had about formatting when it came to completing research projects and papers. He shared his own experiences so that I am better able to understand upcoming events and projects within the program. He answered questions about publishing and dissertation writing. He offered help and suggestions to improve my thoughts and ideas for projects. He was easy to talk to and I enjoyed our regular meetings. It was very nice to have someone that I knew I could go to with questions or ideas, and he would know and understand exactly what I was talking about.

Mine is the best! [She] has talked me through so many pickles and just stressful moments and helped me understand the program when I was confused! Totally changed my remote learning experience. 4 stars for [her]!