Education Professor Azadeh Osanloo meets with a student. Photo: Darren Phillips.
A faculty mentor is an NMSU professor who advises you on your project, gives feedback, and directs you to future opportunities in your field. Any faculty member can be an undergraduate mentor. As you consider who to ask to mentor you, consider these factors:
- Your mentor should have some experience or knowledge about the subject of your project
- Your mentor should help you track and monitor your progress
- Faculty who have seen your academic work (for example, in classes) will be most likely to agree to mentor you.
As we note elsewhere, this is your project or research experience. Your mentor is a resource, but they will also be relying on you to call upon your own expertise, skills, and initiative. In certain circumstances, you may be collaborating with them closely on related research. In others, you may be working independently and reporting back in regular meetings for feedback and guidance.
You are developing your own professional identity in this working relationship, and the self-motivation and resourcefulness you demonstrate will help them see you as a future colleague. From your first meeting with your faculty mentor to the last, arrive prepared to talk about the work you are doing and ask questions you may have. Faculty mentors are a wealth of information and experience, and they are eager to help you achieve your goals.