2022
I have figured out how to plan the rest of my time at UMBC now.
My mentor really helped me through the semester.
My meeting with [my mentor] really helped make clear which courses I should take, activities I should be involved in, and identify potential sustained research PIs at UMBC.
Gained invaluable knowledge from the two professors that mentored me, from guidance on classes to future plans and opportunities at UMBC
[My mentor] provided fantastic advice to me during the graduate school preparation and application process, and she made sure that I knew I had her support.
Short and concise, lots of information and advice, great way of meeting future professors and build a relationship to maybe pursue research position under a professor at UMBC
It’s really useful to be able to talk to a faculty advisor to get ideas on difficult courses and what progress you should be making at a given point in the semester.
I always appreciate my mentor’s advice on topics like graduate school and jobs.
[My mentor] is great! Very helpful and willing to listen, gives great feedback and is always supportive.
My mentor was always very helpful and informative in our meetings, and I am extremely thankful to have had him as my mentor.
I didn’t have many questions but [my mentor] was always welcome
The meetings were helpful for giving me good advice.
My mentor made clear to me what I should be doing to be prepared for graduate school.
My mentor has offered me guidance to a plan not just to get past this year of school but for my entire lifetime of being in mechanical engineering both in guidance and knowing the responsibilities and how to encourage proper studying and ensuring I balance safety with all things that I do. [One mentor] has offered me a lab position to research with her team…I have learned an invaluable amount from both.
Mentorship is a great way to connect with UMBC professors.
[My] mentor was very eager to help and give advice, showed me around her lab and gave me a tour of what its like to be a grad student research assistant.
2021
Mentors gave good advice for future classes.
[My mentor] gave me good advice and gave me a better idea of the graduate program at UMBC.
I have definitely enjoyed my conversation with my mentors, as they have been very helpful in providing advice towards my career goals and class decisions.
My mentor helped me apply for two research opportunities for summer 2021 and offered me other alternatives for doing research on campus if I was not accepted for the research opportunity.
My mentor meetings were able to provide me guidance and answer my questions when needed.
Everything has been great…
Mentoring is a great activity for undergrads.
Having my mentor has been the best part about this program.
My advisor was very helpful, though I required minimal advising as I near graduation because I have it all sorted out.
I had issues contacting my mentor after the end of spring 2021, however we were able to figure out an alternative.
Only issue was that [my mentors was] busy with managing classes and etc. so it was a bit difficult to meet with them.
I appreciate having a mentor to talk about my future, but I think I would prefer if I could find a mentor that shares more of my academic interests.
He gave me good advice and gave me a better idea of the graduate program at UMBC, but his interests differed from mine a bit.
2020
They were kind and gave good advice about what classes to take and encouragement.
My mentor helped me get research experience before I graduated and is going to continue to be my mentor through grad school.
My mentor has always been willing to support me and encourage me to start building experience in mechanical engineering as early as possible by offering research opportunities on campus and guiding me to other internships out of campus.
My mentor offered me a lot of wisdom that was applicable to life in general, not just my academic career. I am thankful for those conversations.
I wish I had used this opportunity more, as I really enjoyed my meetings with my mentor. They were very informative and motivational.
Meetings with my mentor have been quite helpful.
It was very helpful in building bonds and getting to know other mechanical engineering scholars.
I like the meetings I have had in the past two semesters with my S-STEM mentor because they made me feel like I always have an advisor that I can consult in my academic career and who’s always encouraging me to pursue opportunities in my field.
Meeting with my mentor has always been highlights of my semester, it is encouraging to get advice and wisdom from the faculty.
My mentor provided useful and informative advice. It was also good to have someone to talk to about my college experiences
Both meetings helped give me advice for what to do in the future.
The spring meeting felt more like checking the box because of the pandemic, but the fall one was very helpful.
The in-person meetings were great, this spring was online and not as helpful, but it was only because of the circumstances.
Due to my extremely busy schedule, these meetings were often pushed back very far into the semester [and] at that point they were relatively useless. I also see fault in having students schedule the meetings, as it should be the mentors scheduling check-ins potentially every 2–3 weeks to catch anything before it is too late. Students should also have the option to schedule extra meetings or move meetings if something were to come up that they needed to discuss immediately.
It is difficult to find time to meet when a lot of UMBC students are commuting. It is much easier to stay in contact with mentor/mentees by email or phone.
Possibly more communication through email from myself and my mentor.
My meetings with my mentor were always positive, but I would have appreciated if they had reached out during the semester apart from our required meeting to check-in.
I do not think being required to meet in person is the best way to have a mentor. I think email communication is a much better option.
2019
I’ve liked my mentors throughout this program. I have had multiple mentors as well. They are really helpful in listening and asking questions. We didn’t meet as much so maybe that’s why I didn’t rank them higher. I really appreciated the support though.
The meeting I had with my mentor during my first semester as an S-STEM scholar was very helpful. I felt very supported and encouraged afterwards. The meeting I had with my mentor during the Spring 2019 semester was extremely brief. Although I admittedly didn’t have any major concerns to address with my mentor, I would have appreciated if they had asked me more in-depth questions about how I was doing/ how successful my semester had been so far or even followed up about what we had discussed the previous semester.
My mentor gave me advice on what classes I should take and how to prepare for them. They also shared their research experience with me which was very interesting.
They gave me some advice on how to improve my college experience and how to be successful. They also made me feel more comfortable about everything and my future.
My mentor gave me valuable advice about finding a job and assisted me with some schoolwork-related issues.
They encouraged me to apply the summer research programs and provided opportunities to learn more through departmental seminars.
They guided me through some systems that I didn’t understand.
They pushed me to be better.
My mentor is fantastic, I can’t think of any ways they could be more helpful to me.
None, they are great! Always can reach out whenever I need.”
2018
“The mentor meetings are a great way to keep in touch with your advisor and to make sure you are on the right track.”
“I really enjoy the mentoring meetings. Great listening and insight.”
“I always enjoy my mentor meetings with Dr. _______; she always is very insightful on answering the questions that I have.”
“I enjoyed the one-on-one mentor meetings because they allowed for discussions with a professional already in your field of study.”
“My mentor helped me get an internship!”
“My mentor informed me about what requirements I still had to complete before the summer.”
“I learned a lot while talking to my advisor about engineering and life.”
“My mentor was more than willing to help me succeed in as many ways as possible. I received very good feedback and it has helped me in getting through
college.”
“Mentor meetings are always very effective because they allow for open discussions about anything going on, from issues in classes to advice in studying,
etc.”
“My fall meeting was really helpful with my career and grad school goals. I appreciate having a mentor who I can go to when I have questions. I think it is
important for all students to have that sort of personal connection with faculty.”
“Mentor meetings were extremely helpful in determining future plans at UMBC.”
2017
“My mentor meetings with Dr.xx have always been good.”
“During mentor meetings my mentor always helps me with my scheduling and always reminds me to keep up with my grades so I always know how I’m doing in each class.”
“I found talking to Dr. xx incredibly helpful.”
“They were very useful in helping me organize my future classes, especially because I come from a community college.”
“The mentor meeting is a good idea because it encourages the scholars to develop relationships with their mentor.”
“My mentor is really flexible with meeting times and I feel like if I have questions I can either email or talk with her via email and get answers within a day.”
“My mentor was very helpful and wanted me to succeed; she also introduced me to a lot of opportunities about internships, research, and scholarships.”
“Working with my mentor was extremely beneficial; helped me with choosing classes and choosing grad schools.”
“Mentor meetings are a nice way to see what opportunities are open to undergrads.”
“It was very hard to track down my mentor in order to have a meeting but when I did the meeting went well.”
“The mentor meetings did not seem to have any added benefit. I would tend to go to my advisor rather than my mentor with
questions.”