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How to Be a Mentor

Mentors for the Freshman Mentor Program are current UT Dallas students who are looking to share their story and experience with a new Comet. Successful and engaged UT Dallas undergraduates are encouraged to apply for the opportunity to mentor an incoming student.

Being a mentor provides valuable experience for students who seek to develop their communication and leadership skills, strengthen their connection to UT Dallas and create a meaningful campus legacy.

Application

Mentor applicants have learned from their own experience as an incoming student about how to succeed in a college classroom, utilize vital campus resources, approach faculty and staff on a new campus and get involved as leaders at UT Dallas. Prospective mentors undergo a vetting process which includes an application, interview and two professional or academic references.

Training

Selected mentors participate in small group and online training sessions to prepare them to mentor their assigned mentee. Mentors will be trained on topics including on-campus resources, leadership, mentoring ethics, communication, conflict resolution and more. Training sessions occur throughout the school year, with a few training times offered prior to the start of each semester.

Mentors Reported:

This experience made them a stronger leader on campus.

This experience made them feel like a part of the mentoring community.

Mentoring was a good leadership opportunity.

Requirements for Mentors

  • Mentors must be in good academic standing and possess a cumulative GPA of at least a 3.0.
  • New mentor applicants must supply two personal references and participate in a phone interview.
  • Students selected to serve as first-time mentors must complete a series of online training modules.
  • Mentors must attend in-person training sessions at the start of both fall and spring semesters.
  • Program staff will enroll all mentors selected for the program in the University Engagement and Applied Leadership course (UNIV 2074/3074/4073) for the fall semester and in a follow-up course (UNIV 2075/3075/4075) for the spring semester. These courses are both zero credit hour classes, allowing program participation to be reflected on the academic transcript.
  • Program participation requires attendance of monthly small group sessions (six sessions per academic year). Participating mentors may sign up for these sessions based on the availability of their schedule.

Contact Information

For more information, email us. To keep up with our programming, follow us on Instagram @fmp_at_UTD.

Are you a transfer student interested in being a mentor? Check out the Transfer Mentor Program.