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TAKE CHARGE OF YOUR EDUCATION: TIPS FOR GETTING GREAT MENTORSHIP

Joyce Y. Tung, PhD

There’s an old Seinfeld episode called “The Fatigues” in which Jerry dates a woman who has a mentor.  She tells Jerry, “You must have someone like that. You know, [someone] who guides you in your career path.”  In the course of the episode, Jerry’s girlfriend replaces her mentor with Jerry’s occasionally unscrupulous friend, George, who goes on to abuse his influence over her by having her prepare a presentation he needs to make for work.  Of course, eventually everything goes wrong and George gets what’s coming to him for exploiting the mentorship relationship.

I find this episode interesting for two reasons.  Though the show may poke fun at the idea of having a mentor, it nevertheless provides a relevant definition of the term mentor, someone “who guides you in your career path.”  Second, it illustrates the consequences of bad mentorship.  Finding and choosing the right mentor can make a huge difference in your graduate school experience.  A good mentor will train you in all aspects of becoming a scientist, not only how to solve scientific problems or find reagents and resources, but also how to set up collaborations, write papers, prepare oral presentations, and make yourself visible to other scientists in your field.  Without good mentorship, you may be left to try to learn many of these things on your own.  I believe that there are two main aspects to getting the best mentorship possible:

Choosing a thesis advisor
            In graduate school, the person you interact with the most is generally your thesis advisor.   Most fellowships and jobs will expect reference letters from your thesis advisor, and it is generally your advisor who decides when you are ready to graduate and who will mentor you along your graduate career path and beyond.  Therefore, it is very important that you choose your thesis lab wisely.  I know a number of students who were so unhappy with their thesis labs, they ended up changing labs anywhere from two to four years into graduate school.  They had to find new advisors and start completely new projects, which put them years behind their classmates, to say nothing of the stress they underwent. 
While the science being done is certainly one important criterion for choosing a lab, you should also consider how your personality will fit in with that of the lab, and whether the professor’s mentorship style suits your needs.  When evaluating a potential thesis lab, don’t hesitate to ask yourself, the advisor, and the people in the lab as many questions as you deem necessary to make a well-informed decision; most people will give you very honest answers.  A few ideas for questions are listed below.

Questions to ask yourself

Questions to ask the advisor and lab

Ask for help
            Of course, in a perfect world, once you’ve chosen your thesis lab, your advisor will provide you with all the mentorship you will ever need.  Unfortunately, we live in our imperfect world, and you may occasionally find that you need more guidance than you are getting from your advisor.  Many students are hesitant to approach their advisor for additional help because they are afraid it will be viewed as a sign of weakness.  Flailing around wildly because you don’t know what you’re doing is weakness, but knowing when you need help and knowing how to get it is not.  Here are some tips for getting the help that you need.

Be proactive
            In high school, your teachers may have reached out to help you if they noticed you were having trouble, but in graduate school, you’re expected to take care of yourself.  A classmate of mine was having trouble with her project, and almost never saw her advisor, who always seemed to be too busy with meetings, travel, grant writing, etc., to meet.  For a while, she attempted to struggle along on her own but eventually got so frustrated with her advisor’s absenteeism that she cornered her advisor and asked to be put on her calendar for at least one hour every other week.  She was surprised when her advisor readily agreed—apparently her advisor had no idea that she needed more guidance.  Most professors are so busy with their own work, they don’t always notice when individuals need help, so ask for what you need, and ask for it repeatedly if necessary. 

Be organized
            Part of getting the most out of a mentoring relationship is staying organized and respecting your advisor’s schedule.  Even the most enthusiastic and caring advisors are not superhuman: they cannot read and write at the speed of light and they cannot add more hours to the day, so don’t act like they can.  If you give your advisor a draft of your proposal the day before it’s due, how will she be able to read it in time?  If you ask your advisor for a recommendation letter two days before your fellowship application must arrive at the NIH (National Institute of Health), how will he be able to write a strong letter?  Stay organized, and give your advisor plenty of time and notice when you have important requests.  Many advisors are happy to lend their expertise, but it’s up to you to make sure that they have the time (and remember) to get it done. 

Be aware of other people who can help
Sometimes, no matter what you do, your advisor simply cannot or will not give you the help/guidance/advice you need.  Well, don’t give up!  There is no rule that you can’t be mentored by other professors, postdocs, or students, and often these additional relationships can be just as rewarding as your relationship with your advisor.  Your thesis committee is one excellent resource for outside-the-lab mentoring.  These professors are already familiar with your project and have an established relationship with you.  Failing that, you can certainly cultivate a mentorship relationship with other faculty members.  One classmate of mine regularly sought out guidance from one of her rotation advisors whose lab she did not join.  Another friend got scientific advice from a collaborating professor and even joined his weekly lab meetings.  I have often turned to postdocs and senior graduate students in my lab for their experimental expertise, but they have also given me a lot of wonderful advice about writing presentations, dealing with difficult co-workers, and preparing myself for a career in science.  At the end of the day, mentorship does not have to come from one person, and it rarely does.  Take the initiative to build yourself a mentorship network, and you will always have someone to turn to when you need it.

Communication, communication, communication
            You may have noticed that I spend much of this article encouraging you to ask for things, like information, more guidance, and advice.  It is true that in graduate school, you are training to become an independent scientist, but that doesn’t mean that you should work in a vacuum.  Part of being independent is recognizing when you need help and actively seeking out that help, instead of waiting for someone to come find you.  Learning how to communicate effectively with the people around you will really facilitate getting the best mentorship possible because people will be aware of what you need and how they can assist you.

            At the University of California San Francisco, where I went to graduate school, we are beginning to implement a mentorship program designed to help both students and faculty identify what they ought to bring to and expect from the mentorship relationship.  We would like to teach incoming students to ask the right questions when choosing a lab, and empower them to seek out the mentorship they require, similar to what I’ve tried to describe here.  We also want to provide the faculty with some training in managing and motivating individuals with different personalities.  It is our hope that as more schools begin to recognize the benefits of cultivating mentorship relationships (more efficient labs, shorter times to graduation, improved future career success, increased recruitment and retention of students), mentorship programs will begin to spring up across the nation.  Until then, remember that the responsibility to get the best mentorship lies with you, and you are your best advocate.  Take charge of your graduate education, and you will be well on your way to a successful career. 

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