Mentorship Schedule - Fall 2023

This schedule outlines a plan for this semester, however the form this mentorship takes is up to the student and mentor - based on the student's needs and the mentor's resources you can decide what works best (e.g. regular Zoom meetings or occasional email check-ins).

End of October/Early November: Introductory meeting

Meet to get to know each other and begin to make plans for how the mentor can help the mentee achieve their short and long term goals. 

Key topics to cover: 

• Student’s long term career goals, if known

• Student’s short term career goals 

• Student’s goals for career development/exploration this semester 

• Student’s class schedule & availability to work on career development this semester 

• Mentor’s expertise

• How the mentor may be able to help the student

• Mentor’s availability

• Preferred methods of communication

October: Create Mentorship Plan of Action 

Follow up with each other via email or in a separate meeting to discuss what steps mentor and mentee should take this semester. We would suggest deciding on 3 small or large action items for the semester that mentor and mentee can work towards together. Below are some examples of mentorship action items: 

• For a student wanting to get involved in research at UMN: 

  • Create a list of labs that interest the student (mentee & mentor) & meet to look over this list together and further discuss what the science/lab environment might look like in these labs

  • Write & send emails to faculty associated with these labs to inquire about undergraduate research positions (mentor offering edits to these emails) 

  • Meet to discuss what it’s like to work in a lab and/or shadow the mentor in their lab 

• For a student unsure about what type of science they are interested in/unsure about long term career goals: 

  • Create a list of topics & careers in science that sound exciting/interesting (mentee) 

  • Meet to look over this list and discuss ways to connect with folks in these positions/areas of research 

  • With the mentor’s recommendation/help, send emails to set up informational meetings or shadow

November: check in, continue work on action items

Meet to discuss action items if applicable, otherwise check in via email or in a meeting about semester events and progress on action items. As the semester progresses goals may change and time available may change. Be sure to adjust goals to work best for the student. 

Late November/December: end of semester meeting

Meet to discuss how the semester went for the student and what should happen moving forward. 

Key topics to cover: 

• Have the student’s long or short term career goals changed over the course of the semester? 

• Are there new/different careers or scientific topics that the student would like to explore? 

• Does the student have any new questions about science/careers in science based on their experiences this semester? 

• Were you able to achieve the action items/goals for this semester? If not, are these goals still important to the student to continue working toward? If these action items were completed, how were they helpful/unhelpful in moving the student toward long term goals? 

• What’s next for the student? What are there goals for the summer/next semester for career development/exploration? 

• Are there ways the mentor can continue to help the student moving forward?