Tom recently posted about graduate students mentoring undergrads at Johns Hopkins. Graduate school offers many opportunities to mentor, whether that means chatting with your undergraduate students during office hours or introducing new graduate students to your department. Here are a few things I've learned about mentoring during graduate school. 1. Treat the person you're mentoring as a less-experienced peer. One of the things that most impresses me about my own mentors is how well they do this. They show … [Read more...] about The Art of Mentoring as a Graduate Student
undergrads
Finding Mentors Who Share Your Faith
Last week, I gave some general thoughts on finding good mentors as an undergraduate. This week, I'll talk a bit about finding mentors who share your beliefs. This is not in any way to minimize the value of mentors who have different views about life. I've learned valuable skills, knowledge, and virtues from mentors who had completely different assumptions about the way the world works. It's often quite helpful to have a mentor who will challenge your deepest beliefs about the world. But, as in most things, it's also … [Read more...] about Finding Mentors Who Share Your Faith
Week in Review BONUS Edition: Starting Off Right
Happy Labor Day! The beginning of the academic year has generated a plethora of "starting off right" articles, for everyone from new undergraduates to new professors. (Count ESN as part of the trend, too, with our Best Advice for Undergrads post.) Here's a quick collection of links about starting off on the right foot. 1. Make College Count by Derek Melleby. Friend of ESN Derek Melleby has a new book coming out for students entering college —Make College Count: A Faithful Guide to Life & Learning. And, of course, … [Read more...] about Week in Review BONUS Edition: Starting Off Right
Reading Lists and Primary Literature
In my post last week about advice for undergraduates, Katie Weakland shared a comment that I thought was particularly apt: I suggest meeting your major professors early in your career - your first semester - and asking them to mentor you and/or let you do research with them. The early you can get your feet wet with research the better. I also suggest reading the primary literature in your field as soon as possible. Meeting your professors and starting research early are both very important (I have stories I could … [Read more...] about Reading Lists and Primary Literature
Week in Review (Updated)
[Editor's note: This is a new weekly feature from your blog contributors. Each week, we'll be posting articles, books, news, etc., that Tom, Mike, and the ESN community have been pondering. If you have a book or article you'd like us to add to next week's Review, add it in the comments or send it to either Mike or Tom. Thanks!] The Harvard disadvantage - The Boston Globe takes a very personal look at students from poor backgrounds at Harvard and their struggles to fit in with the children of privilege. In the … [Read more...] about Week in Review (Updated)