Attn: Present & Future College Students, Think carefully before you mentor

[Jeff Waegelin]

I definitely agree that being a college FIRST mentor is an exercise in time management. My freshman year, I handled this pretty poorly, skipped classes, and ended up with my first C ever. That semester pretty took a big chunk out of my GPA, and I've spent every semester since trying to recover from it. That being said, the last 2 years, I've managed to get a 3.5 and a 3.8, while putting in a lot more time in FIRST than I did as a freshman. I basically sacrificed any vague resemblance of a social life, but, I did what I needed to so I could excel in school and mentor my team.

My biggest advice to anyone considering being a college mentor, though: don't expect it to be another 4 years of high school FIRST. I tried that for one year with my old high school team, and it was an unmitigated disaster. After switching to a team closer to school, I was able to start fresh, in a new role. I realized that it was no longer my job to do everything on the robot, but rather to pass on what I learned to the students. Realizing that I now had a team of high school students who looked up to me, respected me, and learned from me was one of the most rewarding feelings ever. It's a completely different experience, but one of great value, if you realize and accept that new role.