Mentee
This resource is created to help you and your mentor facilitate discussions that aim to develop a beneficial mentoring relationship. We hope this helps you plan better, avoid pitfalls, and finish on time.
Understanding Mentor-Mentee Roles and Responsibilities
Mentoring is a reciprocal relationship and its success relies on the mutual fulfillment of the roles and responsibilities of the mentor and the mentee.
The Mentor:
Facilitates the mentee's development as an independent learner
Collaborates with the mentee to set targets and goals for completing the TDCP
Communicates and instills lifelong learning skills in the mentee
Provides constructive feedback and valuable advice in a timely fashion
Serves as a resource for information regarding policies, publications, professional networks, and career opportunities
Submits a report to the Chair on the mentee's progress at the end of the semester
The Mentee:
Develops their research plan following the department's research focus
Takes the lead in setting targets
Maintains regular communication with their mentor or adviser
Values the mentor's time and schedule
Takes responsibility for keeping informed about the administrative rules and requirements related to the TDCP process and completion
Submits progress reports on their work
Enrolls every semester during the course of the TDCP
Creating Your Graduate Research Plan
Together with your mentor, you are expected to develop a research plan following your department’s research focus. To accomplish this, you are strongly encouraged to create the following:
General Timeline
This includes:
Submission and turnaround periods
Target completion of your thesis, dissertation, or capstone project
Note:
You are expected to lead in setting these goals and target deadlines and communicate them with your mentor.
Progress Milestones
This consists of:
Mutual updates of progress made
Challenges encountered during the writing stage
Be sure to share with your mentor updates about:
Progress of writing
Completion of proposal
Ethics clearance and application
Final manuscript submission to the reader
Data collection, including preliminary findings
Conference presentation, including new connections made during the conference
Status of publication submissions
Communicate with your mentor any relevant information that could affect the completion of TDCP, such as personal difficulties or changes in career.
Assessing Your Progress
These tools are used to evaluate your progress as a mentee and to evaluate the overall success of the mentoring process. The General Timeline and Progress Milestones can be used to substantiate these assessment tools.
This is conducted once at the end of each semester (with optional mid-semester evaluation if needed) while the research is ongoing. The mentor and the mentee will provide updates on the progress made and challenges encountered.
The mentee submits a TDCP Mentor Evaluation form at the end of each semester. The Chair is responsible for overseeing all Progress Reports and Mentor Evaluations. Based on feedback from the mentor and mentee, the Chair may suggest helpful interventions to improve the situation.
This is conducted before graduation. Both the mentor and the mentee will provide progress reports to evaluate the overall success of the mentoring process.
Taking a Leave of Absence (LOA)
You may need to take a leave of absence (LOA) while writing your thesis for a variety of reasons, including personal, medical, or professional ones. If you need to take an LOA, be mindful of the following:
Policies and Expectations
To be able to take an LOA, you need to meet the following requirements:
Be in good academic and disciplinary standing
You will not enroll in another school while on leave
You are well within the residency limit of five years at the master’s level and seven years at the doctoral level
Inform your mentor before submitting the LOA request and discuss with them the following matters:
purpose of taking an LOA
intended period of absence
proposed revised TDCP timetable
scholarship constraints, if any.
To finalize your LOA, complete a Request Form.
If you wish to take an LOA for a semester you have not yet enrolled in, you need to complete the form by specific deadlines:
Ten (10) weeks after classes start during the regular semesters
Three to four (3-4) weeks after the start of classes during intersession
If you have already enrolled, complete a Load Revision Form to withdraw from classes officially
Completing a Leave of Absence form is not equivalent to withdrawing from courses officially
Visit the Office of the University Registrar's website for the complete guidelines on Load Revision
Resuming Studies and Returning to Ateneo de Manila University
Before resuming studies and returning to the University:
Submit a progress report to your mentor and department chair/ program director (cc OAVP-GradEd) at least one month before your return to update them on your progress and discuss your re-entry plans.
Discuss any anticipated difficulties in resuming and finishing your research work on schedule.
Extended LOA
If your LOA extends for more than two consecutive terms, you must request a reinstatement. This request should include:
Progress report and timeline of activities approved by both the mentor/adviser and the Department Chair/ Program Director
For health-related reasons: Medical certificate and doctor’s clearance upon return
This resource highlights key information from the Graduate Research Mentoring Framework. Read the full document here.