Most people know that mentorship is a highly effective strategy for achieving excellence in college. Sadly, many don’t know what it takes to find a suitable mentor to give you the upper hand you’re hoping for.
Read this quick guide to learn why not all mentors are the same and what qualities to look out for when choosing the right one for you!
Not All Mentors Are Created Equal
Working with a mentor is an undeniably powerful strategy that could give you a winning edge in college.
However, you must first understand that not all mentors are made the same, and some can give you more appropriate support than others.
Your success with a mentor depends on the relationship you build with them. Still, you’ll save yourself a lot of time, energy, and frustration by being a bit more selective about who you seek mentorship from in the first place.
The same is true regardless of whether you want to work with a professional mentor from Equity Metrics, a professor in your field of study, or a peer mentor in your school.
By knowing what qualities to look for in a mentor, you’ll likely find the right one and can hit the ground running to build a productive mentor-mentee relationship.
What To Look For In A Mentor
Terrion and Leonard (2007) offer a few helpful qualities to look out for in peer mentors: their ability and willingness to provide mentorship, university experience, academic achievement, and prior mentoring experience.
It’s not hard to imagine that the same criteria can also apply to other types of mentors you might work with, such as professional mentors or those from your college’s academic staff.
Let’s take a closer look at each quality and why they matter:
1. Ability And Willingness
First and foremost, any potential mentor must be able and willing to guide you.
On the one hand, an unwilling mentor won’t give you their best effort.
Conversely, a willing mentor overburdened with other responsibilities can’t give you their best simply because they don’t have the time or capacity to do so.
2. University Experience
The goal of mentorship is to help you thrive in your college’s academic and social environments.
So, for a mentor to give you the guidance you need, they should have first-hand experience in those environments.
3. Academic Achievement
A mentor’s academic achievements can help you in two different ways.
Firstly, such achievements lend credibility to any guidance they give you.
Secondly, they demonstrate the mentor’s subject matter expertise, which is particularly important in mentors you seek for academic guidance.
4. Prior Mentoring Experience
Whether you seek a mentor for academic or social support, their prior mentorship experience carries plenty of weight.
Experienced mentors, like those from Equity Metrics, offer a broader perspective from having worked with many different students.
Meanwhile, experienced mentors from your college can quickly filter out the noise and give you the most essential advice upfront.
Final Thoughts
Finding the right college mentor not only takes time but it also requires careful consideration.
Remember that you don’t have to do it all yourself; you can find help if you know where to look!
Colleges typically organize programs and resources to connect students like you with willing and able mentors. Or, you can speed things up by engaging Equity Metrics for individualized mentorship services you can rely on.
So, leverage them to jump-start your search for the perfect mentor!
References
Terrion, J. L., & Leonard, D. (2007). A taxonomy of the characteristics of student peer mentors in higher education: findings from a literature review. Mentoring & Tutoring Partnership in Learning, 15(2), 149–164. https://doi.org/10.1080/13611260601086311