What is a mentor? 

A mentor is a person who acts as a professional guide for students as they transition into and out of graduate school. They provide individualized constructive feedback and support to help the student grow academically, personally, and professionally during their time at Georgia Tech.

Mentoring Program 

The School of Material Sciences and Engineering offers graduate students mentoring that connects students with faculty, the Associate Chair of MSE Graduate Studies, MSE Graduate Studies’ Office staff, and other students.

Students and mentors can connect in-person or virtually.

How do I get started? 

Incoming students will be asked prior to orientation if they would like a peer mentor. If a student indicates that they do, our Graduate Student Advisory Group (GSAG) will match the student with student volunteer mentors. 

PhD students and MS thesis seeking students will be mentored by their research advisors and committee during their time at Georgia Tech. MS non-thesis students can request a faculty mentor via our MSE Graduate Office by contacting our Associate Chair of Graduate Studies, Dr. Preet Singh, or our Academic Advising Manager, Laura Alger.

Both Dr. Singh and Laura are always available to mentor and advise students as needed.

 Resources for Faculty

• The Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Education maintains a page on Advising and Mentoring Students that contains many resources and best practices for mentoring students and postdocs. The page also provides help for developing mentoring plans for grant proposals.
• The Georgia Tech Catalog describes the Institute's Expectations of Advisors and Advisees. This is official Georgia Tech policy and should be followed in every advisor-advisee relationship. Having clear and consistent mutual expectations reduces conflict with the supervisor and improves the productivity and satisfaction of the advisee.
• Recommendations from the Council of Graduate Schools' report on Supporting Graduate Student Mental Health and Well-Being: 
  1. Be transparent and clear about expectations, including expectations that students will take the time needed to rest and care of their health and well-being.
  2. Model the importance of work/life balance and self-care.
  3. Recognize and support student agency in making decisions about careers, including careers outside of the academy.
  4. Express concern and care for students who appear to be struggling, and be prepared to connect them to appropriate campus resources.
• Consider these tips from other Georgia Tech faculty.
• The Georgia Tech Office of the Vice Provost for the Faculty offers workshops and resources on mentorship.
• The National Academies produced a podcast series on The Science of Effective Mentorship.

Resources for Graduate Students

• How to Get the Mentoring You Want: A Guide for Graduate Students (from Univ. of Michigan)
• Annual completion of a program of study has been shown to catalyze mentor-mentee discussions on career and skill development.
• The Georgia Tech Catalog describes the Institute's Expectations of Advisors and Advisees. This is official Georgia Tech policy and should be followed in every advisor-advisee relationship. 
• Recommendations from the National Academies Report:  
  1. Inquire about a potential mentor’s approach to working with students and expectations for students, and reflect on how approaches and expectations align with the student's own working style and expectations.
  2. Adopting general guidelines that include establishing learning objectives and responding in a timely and productive fashion to dissertation, requests for letters of recommendation, and other key career development milestones.
  3. Seek multiple mentors to provide diverse forms of support and encourage other students to do so.
  4. Seek advice from trusted faculty and peers on how to respond to negative mentoring experiences, including when it may be necessary to change mentors.
  5. Ask for opportunities to report honestly and confidentially on mentorship experiences, perhaps through ombudspersons.