Transitioning to Mentor in College

[Jon Stratis]

Originally Posted by NorthernTaco

On top of that, you need to realize that you are no longer a student, and you won't be helping anyone if you still act like one. You will only be a year older than some of the students on the team that you are mentoring, and while it may seem natural to try and just be best friends with them, you need to remember that you are a mentor now and need to give yourself some distance if you want any respect.

This part of your response made me stop to think a bit... It's 100% correct for a young mentor fresh out of being a team member. Being a mentor is a different role, and that affects your interaction with the students. For older mentors, however, almost the exact opposite is true! Kids are typically raised to have a healthy respect for people in their parent's generation, and that can create a barrier between the mentor and the students that needs to be removed to create a good, open working environment for the team. It prevents the students from pushing for their ideas, and creates a "yes-man" attitude where the mentor is always right.

I think the point is, there's a zone of interaction you're aiming for. You don't want to be too friendly, or you won't be respected as a mentor, but you also don't want to be too aloof or superior either, or you'll be more of a dictator than a mentor. When there's down time (like group lunch/dinner during the build season), spend it with the other mentors. When you're working with students to help solve a problem, don't say "this is the solution" - talk them through the thought process so they come up with something themselves, and then if applicable present 2-4 other possible solutions for them to consider. Remember, as a mentor your experience and knowledge doesn't mean you know how to build a better robot, it means you're able to articulate to them the pros and cons of different solutions so they understand the decision they make, instead of just choosing "option C, because that's how we take tests these days".