Peer Mentoring

The Doctoral Student Peer Mentoring Program connects students who are new to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with established peers in the doctoral program. The goal is to build a year-round professional and personal support network among doctoral students across academic units on campus. The Doctoral Student Peer Mentoring Program will match peer mentors with mentees through an application process. Students participating in this program will determine an appropriate method of communication (i.e. email, texting, phone, in-person, or web conferencing) through which to connect.

Program Structure

  • Attend program orientation.
  • Meet at a minimum of once a month.
  • Minimum of two mentees per one mentor/Maximum of four mentees per mentor.
  • Mentor-Mentees will be of similar interest and/or related fields of study.

Benefits

  • Graduate mentors will receive resources and training related to mentoring.
  • Graduate mentors will receive a certificate for their participation and will be invited to act as program affiliates.
  • Graduate mentees will network with new and established students across campus.
  • Graduate mentees will receive guidelines and best practices for making the best out of their mentoring experience.

Mentee Requirements

  • Must be a current doctoral student at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC).
  • Must complete the registration form below.
  • Must commit to one (1) hour uninterrupted time per month (minimum) to receive mentorship.

Mentor Requirements

  • Must be at least one year into a doctoral program at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
  • Must complete the registration form below.
  • Must commit to one (1) hour uninterrupted time per month (minimum) to mentoring.
  • Must commit to maintaining your mentees’ anonymity and confidentiality for the duration of the program.

Program Expectations

For Mentees

  • Think about your program’s goals in advance.
  • Be prepared before every meeting.
  • Be respectful of your mentor’s time.
  • Be willing to learn from other’s experiences.

For Mentors

  • Be willing to share your experiences (as well as career advice, personal development, networking tips, etc.) with your mentees.
  • Be willing to learn from your mentees’ experiences.
  • Give respectful feedback.
  • Remember that you don’t have to be an expert in everything.

Mentees and mentors must register using this form.