Mentorship

Participating in a graduate program can be the most intellectually stimulating and exciting time in the academic life of a STEM student. The Master’s or PhD degree program brings with it a wide world of opportunities and challenges, and by the end of their degree program, most STEM students will be the foremost expert on the topic of their thesis or dissertation. For all the opportunity that graduate school provides, applying not only competently but competitively can be a daunting task for even the most talented students. In many cases, this process requires professional skills that are not often taught in the countries that STEM for Development supports. As a result, the scientific talents of students from developing countries does not correspond with their representation in international graduate degree programs.

To address this challenge, STEM for Development mentors students throughout their studies, and offers a free, personally-tailored, one-on-one mentorship program that is available to our most promising STEM students during the graduate application season. In application season 2022-2023, this program was led by a team of five mentors, with 35 students receiving admissions to graduate programs. In 2023-2024, the number of mentors will increase to 40-45, as many of the students who were mentees in the previous year become mentors in the next!

SFD Graduate Application Mentorship Program

• Each year, STEM for Development organizes a nine-month professional mentorship program to help guide STEM students through the graduate program application process. Beginning in June and lasting through the end of the application season in March/April of the next year, the program launches with a short lecture series and group work to help students develop the fundamentals necessary to complete an effective application. The program then pairs the most promising and dedicated graduate applicants with one-on-one mentors. Alongside continued educational webinars, the mentors guide their mentees on all aspects of the application process, beginning with CV development and identifying promising research advisors and programs, and expanding to include guidance on how to write and respond to research advisors, develop effective statements of purpose and interviewing skills, and negotiate following an admission. While the SFD mentor team supports students at each stage of the application process, all interactions are driven by the interests and motivations of the mentees, with the goal of instilling self-reliance and professional skillsets.

Continuing Mentor Support

• Not everyone is ready to apply to graduate school, and not everyone will earn an admission during their first application season. As an organization whose central goal is to grow our talented students, STEM for Development mentors are dedicated to providing continuous mentorship between application seasons for those mentees who do not receive admissions. This support can range from day-to-day advice on navigating professional challenges in the workplace, to continuous improvement of communications and professional products, to strategic planning for the next application.

If you would like to receive mentorship through our program, please navigate to the Become a Member section of this website to receive notification when our program begins. If you are interested in providing your time or expertise to support the above activities, please reach out to us at the Contact Us section of this website.