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Academic Advising Mentor Position Q&A

March 7, 2016

Interested in becoming an Academic Advising Mentor? Learn more about the position below!

 

What are your day to day tasks?

  • The primary task Academic Advising Mentors perform is meeting with students (mostly freshmen and sophomores) to discuss their academic path and answer questions they may have about school policies. Additional roles include answering student emails, advertising for and holding informational workshops, managing the Natural Sciences' social media websites, and performing additional projects/tasks assigned by academic advisors.

What is your favorite part of the job?

  • My favorite part of the job is the one-on-one interactions I have with students. During these meetings I feel like I am making a difference.

What is the difference between you and the Academic Advisors?

  • Academic advisors meet with students at all class levels, but generally see Juniors and Seniors, or students with more complex questions/issues. They can also place and remove holds.
  • ​Academic Advising Mentors are current students. They also meet students (mainly Freshmen and Sophomores) and answer routine questions.

Is your schedule flexible?

  • Yes. The hours you work are based off of the availability you report before the start of the semester. This way, you can schedule your work hours around your classes and any other commitments you may have.  You can work a maximum of 18 hours a week.

What should I highlight on my application?

  • Some things you can do to enhance you application is highlight your desire to help others, exceptional communication skills (written and verbal), and experience that involves working with diverse groups of people/students.

Do you have some tips for my applications?

  • Make sure that your resume and cover letter are proofread and do not contain grammatical errors. If possible, frame your experiences in a way that highlights the qualities desired for the Academic Advising Mentor position. You can visit the Center for Career and Professional Advancement for resume and cover letter help/review.

What are some challenging parts of the position?

  • One challenging aspect of this position is that there is a lot of information to retain, ranging from school policies to degree requirements for various majors. In order to provide concise and accurate guidance to students, we must be able to recall information, and know where to locate it. Depending on the time of year, there can be an influx of students, which can be overwhelming, especially because only 2 Academic Advising Mentors work at the same time. Also, there are times when we work on multiple projects at once, on top of regularly meeting with students, so we need to be able to manage our time and balance our work while still being attentive and meeting the needs of the students.

What kind of person is fit for this position?

  • Someone who works well in a team, enjoys working with others, is organized, and has good time management skills.