Question 1

What are the benefits of being a mentor?

Accepted Answer

Learning how to mentor will benefit any future career path. Being a mentor can help you learn how to share your knowledge and uplift your team.  It can help you clarify your story and point of view through talking with students about your research and the experiences that shaped your interests and led you to graduate school. Mentorship can be emotionally rewarding and fulfilling work and help you feel more connected to the community around you. Additionally, you can connect with talented and enthusiastic undergraduates who can become research assistants or thesis advisees. Mentorship is an opportunity to help someone reach their dreams.

Question 2

What are the benefits of being a mentee?

Accepted Answer

Mentees have access to graduate students who have successfully navigated the path and requirements to apply and gain admission to graduate programs in psychology.  Graduate students can give mentees an insider view on the realities of graduate school and research as a career. This mentorship relationship can help a mentee reflect more deeply about their career goals and what it would take to acheive these goals, reducing uncertainty. 
Additionally, mentors can encourage and facilitate professional connections and self-advocation, increasing mentee confidence.  A mentee can build a supportive one on one relationship with a graduate student who supports their goals and dreams.

Question 3

What should we talk about at the first meeting?

Accepted Answer

The first meeting is usually about getting to know each other.  You can discuss background, goals, and expectations of each other.  Some questions that either mentors or mentees can ask are:
1) Where are you from and how did you end up at UCSB?
2) What are some hobbies or activities that you enjoy? 
3) Why did you become interested in psychology?
Some examples of questions that mentors can ask mentees are: 
1) What are you interested in as a potential career? 
2) What areas of psychology are you interested in?
3) What classes are you taking or have you taken?
4) What is your favorite class that you've taken at UCSB?
5) Are you interested in gaining research experience by working as a research assistant? 
6) If you are in a lab, how has your experience been?
Some examples of questions that mentees can ask mentors are:
1) How did you know you wanted to go to graduate school?
2) What was your undergraduate experience like? 
3) What are your research interests? 
4) What are your expectations for our meetings? How often should we meet? Should I reach out to you or will you reach out to me?

Question 4

What should we talk about at the second meeting and beyond?

Accepted Answer

Here are some ideas for topics to cover in future meetings depending on the mentee's interest:
1) day in the life of a grad student- what is it really like to be in graduate school?
2) how to find a graduate program
3) how to apply to graduate school
4) how to identify your research interests
5) how to get into labs as a research assistant
6) how to read empirical papers efficiently
7) how to build relationships with professors

Question 5

How can I build a strong mentor/mentee relationship?

Accepted Answer

Building a strong mentorship relationship starts with showing up. Treat your meetings with your mentee or mentor as a priority and a commitment.  If you won't be able to make it to a meeting make sure to let your mentee or mentor know.  Good mentor/mentee relationships are founded on open communication and honesty, so make sure to reply to emails from your mentor or mentee in a prompt manner.  Don't hesitate to reach out to your mentor or mentee to check in, set up a meeting, ask a question, or get advice, but make sure respect your mentor's or mentee's time and other committments.  Also, showing up to meetings prepared with questions or a topic in mind to chat about is always a good idea.  Be yourself and be honest about your goals and interests. Lastly, be open-minded to learning new things!

Question 6

What do I do if my mentor is not responding?

Accepted Answer

If your mentor does not respond to your email then email them once more (sometimes graduate students get very busy and emails get buried!) If you don’t hear from them after reaching out a second time then email accessgrads@gmail.com. We will help.

Question 7

What do I do if my mentee is not responding?

Accepted Answer

If a mentee is not responding it up to the mentor how to proceed. If you want to let that mentee go after a few attempts to reach out to them without hearing back, that is okay.

Question 8

How often should I meet with each mentee?

Accepted Answer

This is up to the mentor and can vary depending on student interest and goals. Anywhere from 2-4 times per quarter is great!

Question 9

When should I reach out to my mentees?

Accepted Answer

Mentors should reach out to mentees at the beginning of each quarter and again about halfway through the quarter.

Question 10

Who should reach out first? Mentor or mentee?

Accepted Answer

It depends! Both the mentor and mentee can reach out if they would like to set up a meeting. However, be respectful of each other's time. 2-4 meetings per quarter is usual.

Question 11

What are the current statistics for Access Grads?

Accepted Answer

For the 2024-2025 academic year Access Grads has 56 graduate student mentors and 100 undergraduate mentees.

Question 12

What has the experience been like for previous mentors and mentees?

Accepted Answer

Check out some of our testimonials from mentors and mentees in the program in previous years! 
 
"My future was like a blank page stamped with "psych major" and, beyond that, I was kind of lost. The mentorship program helped me understand what to expect and what I want to do. I don't have my future perfectly planned out but I have a better idea of what I want and it helps take that weight off." - ACCESS GRAD Mentee 2018-2019
"The biggest benefit for me was that this program just made me happy. I bonded closely with both my mentees and while one of them was already my research assistant (RA) the other became an RA in my lab and is now a thesis student with me, too. I really enjoyed getting to know them outside of the lab context, because it helped them express what they wanted to do in college which helped me organize my own research, such as start a thesis project with one of them." - ACCESS GRADS Mentor 2018-2019
"I think mentorship is one of the most crucial and beneficial relationships that undergraduates can make to help them grow during college, and mine served me very well in understanding more about graduate school life, application, and the pathway to get there. I can say with full confidence that I would not be applying for my PhD in the Fall without having this mentorship relationship." - ACCESS GRADS Mentee 2018-2019
"THANK YOU for the program. Going in, I had lots of enthusiasm but ZERO direction regarding grad school. The program has helped me immensely and provided me with a much clearer idea of what postgrad life will look like." -ACCESS GRADS Mentee 2018-2019
"Please continue this mentorship program for as long as possible, it is so incredibly important for undergraduates to have this tangible example of what they can accomplish academically." - ACCESS GRADS Mentee 2018-2019
"The ACCESS GRADS mentorship program is a professional, intimate experience. You get so much first-hand knowledge by being a mentee as well as a close relationship with a passionate graduate student. I'd recommend this program to any student pursuing an advanced degree in psychology." - ACCESS GRAD Mentee 2019-2020
 
"The program has helped me immensely in understanding what the graduate school process is like. We as students do not receive much guidance at all in this area, especially regarding logistics (how to apply, etc.), so I highly appreciate the opportunity to be in this program." - ACCESS GRADS Mentee 2019-2020
 
"As a first-generation college student, the ACCESS GRADS mentorship program has helped me become more familiar/comfortable with the graduate school application process. This program has provided me with many helpful resources that I would not have had access to otherwise."-ACCESS GRADS Mentee 2019-2020
 
"The ACCESS GRADS program has helped me more than I thought possible. Through the program, I was able to find a position as a RA and enhance my resume. It also helped me decide which graduate school programs to apply to." - ACCESS GRADS Mentee 2019-2020

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