Career & Tools
The University of Michigan's Rackham Graduate School's "How to Get the Mentoring You Want: A Guide for Graduate Students" is a great resource to figure out how to navigate mentor relationships in graduate school.
The University of Michigan's Rackham Graduate School has compiled an excellent resource for graduate students called How to Get the Mentoring You Want: A Guide for Graduate Students.
This guide is filled with helpful advice and a fun collection of Ph.D. comics as you learn about the benefits of having a mentor.
Browse through the guide to learn how to find a mentor, what to expect from your faculty advisor and how to make the most out of your mentoring relationship. You'll learn tips on how to address problems and challenges that might arise and what your responsibilities as a mentee are. The guide also includes a checklist to help you set expectations, build a mentoring plan with a list of commitments for both mentees and mentors, and plan for your first meeting with a potential mentor.
One thing that really stood out throughout this guide was the fact that graduate students need to be the ones taking the initiative. Faculty advisors are extremely busy. So, it's up to you to make sure that you stay on track to meet your milestones. You should also prepare to take the lead in your meetings with your advisor. If you notice that you are not getting the support you need, go in search of another faculty advisor or build a network of faculty mentors. Then, tap into the different strengths of each of your faculty mentors (i.e., one may provide a lot of feedback, one may be good at answering graduate school questions) to help you find the answers and support you need.
Explore more tips by reading through the full guide.