While mentoring undergraduates is important, particularly as they conduct their independent work, the mentoring that faculty do with graduate students is often at the very foundation of graduate students’ studies across the different stages of their programs. 

Doctoral students need different kinds of support at different stages of their programs. Early on, mentors can support students’ transitions into graduate school and demystify the unspoken assumptions and expectations about graduate education that students and faculty often hold. In addition, mentors can help students to make their research and professional goals more specific, affirming them along the way and supporting them when inevitable "bumps in the road" arise.

As students transition from coursework to independent research, mentors can help them with the development of crucial skills such as teaching, mentoring, researching, managing projects, and writing. Mentors are also often well-positioned to model and discuss with their mentees how to cultivate "balance" in life and work. 

Fortunately, there is no one or "right" way to mentor, but a growing body of research and evidence-based practices exists to promote intentional, inclusive, effective, and ethical mentoring in academia. This handout features an acrostic comprised of some key concepts to consider as you develop your mentoring practice, and the following pages include additional ideas. We invite you to adopt and adapt these tools in ways that feel authentic to you. Whatever form (or forms) your mentorship takes, we hope that you recognize this important work as a unique opportunity to shape the next generation of scholars, leaders, and thinkers.