https://twin-cities.umn.edu/
612-625-5000
Mentor registration is open from July 26 - September 25, 2023, and student registration is open from August 24 - September 25, 2023. Questions? Contact Katie Sobolewski at csementor@umn.edu.
Registration advice for mentors
All scientists and engineers are welcome to participate as a mentor and the program is open to both U of M alumni and non-alumni. Retired STEM industry professionals are welcome to participate as well. Registering does not guarantee you a match.
The registration form you fill out will be used by students to choose their mentor. Students will see up to 15 matches (without names or contact information) to choose from based on their major, career, and additional interests. The more information you provide in your registration form, the more information students have to make a good choice.
Things to keep in mind:
- As much as possible, try not to choose “other” for any of the drop down questions. The software cannot match based on “other” so you won’t be seen by as many students. If your degree, industry, or specialty doesn’t neatly fit into one of the options, think about what type of student would be most interested in you as a mentor. What major would they likely be pursuing? What from the list of industries would they most likely be interested in?
- When completing the job description field, think about what a student would want to know about your job. What type of projects do you work on? Are you a supervisor or manager? How does your current role relate to your degree? Try not to use company acronyms or jargon.
- Use the other information field to expand on what type of student would be the best match. Would you be best matched with someone interested in leadership or management? Someone entrepreneurial? Someone interested in graduate school? Were you an international student and could help someone navigate that? Did you change industries during your career?
Registration advice for students
The CSE Mentor Program is open to current CSE sophomores, juniors, and seniors. The registration form you fill out will be used to create your list of potential mentors. You will see up to 15 potential mentors that match your major, career interests, and/or certain exclusions.
Things to keep in mind:
- As much as possible, try not to choose “other.” Choosing “other” for your career, career specialty, or second specialty will limit your matches because the software cannot match based on it. Try to choose the broadest possible response to give yourself the most options.
- Selecting “no” to the question “Mentor may live outside MN” may limit your results. Long distance mentors can be excellent partners and mentoring can effectively be done through phone, email, and video conferencing. Think hard about whether you feel strongly about having a local mentor.
- Selecting “no” to the question “Mentor may be retired or not currently working” may limit your results. Retired mentors often have a wealth of experience and information to share, and often have more flexibility in scheduling. Think about what you want to learn from your mentor. Would having an early or mid-career mentor fit better or would a retired mentor be able to offer the advice you’re looking for?
- Selecting “no” to the question “Mentor may be a non-U of MN graduate, but is an expert in their field” may limit your results.