Quote:
Originally Posted by Katie_UPS
I've mentored for three years, and each year it gets worse. My first year it was fine, but I was a knowledge-less mentor. My second year, between robots and some other things, I had to drop two classes. Now I'm a semester behind. My third year I was a "mentor" but I wasn't around enough to become someone meaningful for my students, because I actually put school first.
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I'm a mentor in name only and have been for the last four years. I'm still considered an official part of the team, and I support the team at competitions, but right now, my role has actually served more as a minion to one of our mentors than as an actual mentor to students. He runs ideas by me, and I'll take care of some of the more behind-the-scenes or off-season related activities.
I try to make a point to make it to Kickoff (where I help lead brainstorming afterwards), at least one meeting where I remind everyone about scholarships and it's where we get the group input for Woodie Flowers, and then competitions. For awards and such, I'm in email/text communication with the students that are in charge of that. If I make it to another meeting, that's great. If not, I wasn't expected anyways.
Most of us who tell you not to mentor in college truly have your best interests at heart. And we're not telling you to not be involved with FIRST while you're in college. But it really does need to take a back seat to what you're studying.
And for Kettering B-section students especially: I know how much free time you have on work term. Yes, you're not in class and can mentor more freely than you can on school term. But you could also use this time to pick up a hobby or learn something you didn't have time to do over school term. Take advantage of student discounts. (For instance, there's swing dancing groups in Ann Arbor that offer discounts to students. Go take a lesson. Or five.) Meet other people. Use this time to become a "more well rounded person". You need to come before robotics.