Mentoring

We value fostering community amongst our graduate students and faculty.  Research has shown that graduate student retention and success are positively correlated to a sense of belonging and community.  As part of our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion within our department we have created two mentoring programs for incoming graduate students in the hopes of creating a sense of belonging and community.  

First Year Faculty Mentors

Our first year graduate students are paired with a faculty mentor to give support before they find a research advisor.  This faculty mentor is meant to be someone who first year students can go to for questions and advice as they acclimate to the department and graduate school.  We purposely pair students with faculty outside their research interests so students feel comfortable to speak freely and take full advantage of this mode of support.  Students are free to request a second faculty mentor at any time, if they so desire.

Graduate Peer Mentors

For our graduate student Peer Mentor Program, two to three incoming first year students are matched with two graduate students (one pre-comp, one post-comp). These mentoring groups meet monthly over the course of the year, both on and off campus, to provide our first year students an opportunity to speak candidly about their experiences and ask questions to our more experienced graduate students.   

Summer Prelim Mentoring Program

The summer prelim mentoring program provides the funding and infrastructure for older graduate students to meet regularly with small groups of new students to discuss problem-solving techniques, exercises and effective study habits.  This program aims to relieve some of the anxiety and stress associated with these exams and to create a collaborative environment among the students.

We believe these programs give first year students a built-in support system as they go through this transition to graduate school and we have seen great success in these programs over the many years we have implemented them.  If you have any feedback on how we can improve these programs or create new ways of fostering a sense of belonging and community for our graduate students please let us know via this form.