Mentor FAQs

What if my mentee is not responding to me? 

Mentors are expected to communicate with their mentees on a regular basis. If there is no response from the mentee within one week of contact, please notify the TMP team. A member of our team will contact the student to determine their interest in continuing mentorship.

Can I meet my mentee in-person? 

In-person meetings are not authorized within our program as our insurance prohibits this form of contact. All mentoring is done virtually. 

What if my mentee asks questions and I don’t know the answer? 

We encourage mentors to work with their mentee to connect with campus and/or community resources. You can do this by looking at the student’s college website and find contacts in the areas where they need assistance such as mental health, financial aid, academic or transfer.

For example, you can ask them if they have joined the TRIO or MESA programs at their school which offer additional support. You can empower them to make an appointment with a staff advisor and help them understand the information and plan next steps.

Checking on the student’s progress is an important part of being an effective mentor. You can also approach other mentors within our Project as a resource. Mentors can connect through the GroupMe chat app, which they receive an invite to shortly after their orientation and onboarding. Additionally, you may reach out to a member of our team for guidance. If you feel a mentee requires support in an area outside your expertise, we can always match them with another mentor.

After meeting with my mentee for the first time, I realize we are not a good match. What do i do? 

No worries, not every match is perfect! Simply let a member of The Mentoring Project team know about the situation, and we can match the student with a different mentor.

What if my mentee wants me to act as a facilitator for a business idea and pitch it at my workplace?

This request is not within the scope of your role as a mentor and not something we advertise within our services. We never want to put our mentors in a situation where they feel uncomfortable or unsafe. In this kind of situation, we ask that you communicate this boundary to your mentee and update a member of The Mentoring Project team on the state of the mentoring relationship.

wHAT IF MY mentee wants to visit my place of work?

In-person meetings between students and mentees are not within the scope of our program.

Can I connect my mentee with people in my network so they can receive additional support? 

Yes! If you know someone who could be a helpful resource to your mentee, you are more than welcome to connect them.

I feel like I’m done mentoring my mentee. how do I communicate this to a student? 

If you reach this point, you can fill out the mentor evaluation form and select the option that expresses this feeling. A member of our team will reach out to the student to let them know your choice and connect them to additional resources or mentors if needed.

Can I receive gifts from my mentee?

Yes! While we do not require student’s to show gratitude to their mentor in this way, it is permitted if the student wants to do so.

My mentee wants to meet me (virtually) on a need basis, what can I do? 

If this works with your schedule then it’s great. Otherwise, communicate your availability with your mentee and establish a plan that works for both of you.

When do I have to fill out an evaluation form? 

If you do not receive a reminder from a member of our team, we ask that you complete an evaluation form after 3 scheduled meetings with your mentee. If the student does not require or express interest in more than three meetings, we ask that you also complete the form at that time.

Does texting my mentee count as a session? 

Texting your mentee can count as a session if this is the method you both use to convey substantive information. In other words, if texting is just used to plan a time to meet, then it does not count as a session.