How to Make the Most Out of Your Mentorship Sessions

By Emi de Grandpre

Having a mentor to provide guidance about university applications and life is an exciting opportunity that not everyone gets. Because of this, making the most of each meeting is important in ensuring that you are taking advantage of this unique opportunity. For this reason, here are a few helpful tips to ensure you make the most of your mentorship sessions, develop a strong relationship with your mentor, and leave feeling prepared and confident.

1. Be intentional about each session.

I have found that a productive mentorship meeting starts with setting an intention for the session. What would you like to discuss today? What questions do you hope to have answered? How would you like to leave the session feeling? I found it helpful to set a general topic or goal for each session to ensure you and your mentor stay on track and accomplish what you intended to. It is natural for concerns about university life or applications to snowball into a general feeling of stress or anxiety. Breaking down your concerns into individual topics to be addressed in each session can make the whole process feel more manageable. Setting an intention for each session will allow you to keep track of your progress and continue to build on what you have covered in previous sessions.

2. Come prepared.

The second piece of advice I have for making the most out of each session is to come prepared. More specifically, if there are tasks that you and your mentor are working on together, or goals you have set, ensure you are equipped with all of the necessary tools and information to begin to tackle those tasks. Similarly, if there is a task that your mentor asks you to work on in between sessions, it is important that you work on it so that you can continue to move forward and have a productive session. While sometimes life can get in the way of completing assigned tasks on time, coming prepared to each session will ensure that neither you nor your mentor’s time is wasted and that you both leave with a feeling of accomplishment.

3. Send your mentor some of your main questions in advance.

There are some questions you may have that your mentor may not be able to answer on the spot. After all, mentors are busy university students and do not necessarily have the knowledge to answer all of your specific questions. If you do have more complex concerns, sending your mentor the questions prior to the session can allow them time to do research, reach out to a friend who might have more info, or consult another mentor. That way, you can ensure your mentor has time to offer complete and accurate answers to all of your questions.

4. Be open, curious, and positive!

Finally, approaching each session with an open mind and being eager to listen and learn can help you get the most out of it. The end of high school can be a turbulent and confusing time; you are likely hearing all sorts of input from parents, friends, guidance counselors, and more. While this can be overwhelming, remember that BTC mentorship sessions are a unique experience to hear from someone who was in your shoes just a couple of years ago. It is the perfect opportunity to ask all of your questions, take in new information, and make connections. Approaching each session with openness, curiosity, and positivity will allow you to be more receptive and will make mentorship sessions an even better experience for both you and your mentor!

Altogether, these 4 suggestions will help you get the most out of your mentee experience. Your contributions to sessions as a mentee are just as important as those of a mentor. Together you can both make the mentorship period the most informative, productive, and positive experience possible!