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Thriving in Graduate School with Peer Mentoring

Throughout the past few months, Core Programs has sent out newsletters offering wellness, intellectual, and professional development strategies to help you thrive during—and beyond—graduate school. As part of our continued efforts to connect you with ideas and resources that support you in being your whole self, we dedicate this newsletter to the topic of peer mentorship.

Who is a graduate peer mentor? What do they do? Why is connecting with a peer mentor critical to your success? We looked toward the insights and wisdom of several experienced graduate student mentors by organizing an event called Thriving in Graduate School with Peer Mentoring in November.

Here is what they had to say:

  • A peer mentor draws from their authentic voice as an experienced graduate student to listen and connect with you on a human level.
  • A peer mentor opens a space for the mentee to drive the mentoring relationship in terms of frequency of meetings, what to talk and not talk about, and any goal setting.
  • A peer mentor does not try to be your best friend or counselor and encourages you to grow a mentoring and support team of faculty, colleagues, and when needed and appropriate, licensed mental health care professionals.
  • A peer mentor is not a problem solver, yet will reflect back to you potential options and refer you to campus and community resources.
  • A peer mentor has “gone through it too” and you do not need to put on your best face when seeking peer support.
  • A peer mentor acknowledges that while all grads and professional students go through imposter syndrome, it is experienced differently based on race, gender, class, sexuality, nationality, and ability.
  • A peer mentor shares wisdom on cultivating healthy norms (validating small and big milestones) versus unhealthy norms (“the comparison game”) in graduate school.
  • A peer mentor appreciates and learns from the knowledge and experiences of their mentees.

Core Programs extends a warm thank you to the following grad students who participated in the Thriving in Graduate School with Peer Mentoring event, held on November 12, 2015.

Julie Cass, Physics Peer Mentoring Program
Federico Fabbri, Grads Guiding Grads (G3)
Sarah Vorpahl, Women in Chemical Sciences
Ben Wiselogle, Husky United Military Veterans (HUMV)

ArtsUW

ArtsUW is comprised of the Seattle campus arts units and offers art exhibits, musical, dance, and theater performances. There are multiple student perks. Enjoy some arts this season!

Write Well

I am coming back to the regular stream of school after 35 years. I would like to improve my writing skill to the level of my cohorts. —Anonymous

Congratulations! And welcome back to school. Students returning to school after a significant amount of time have unique challenges. The most relevant resource for you would be the Odegaard Writing and Research Center. In Odegaard Library, they offer one-to-one tutoring sessions on any piece of writing.

You can make an appointment or drop in. See their website for details and hours. In Allen Library, they also offer Drop-in Consultations for Graduate Students. Sessions are exclusively drop-in and are specifically targeted for graduate students working on long-term projects. See details and hours. They also offer a variety of other programs that might suit your needs. There are also writing centers across campuses and many departments host their own. Here’s a list of resources on the Seattle campus. Bothell has a Writing and Communication Center and Tacoma’s Teaching and Learning Center offers writing consultations. Good luck! Ask the Grad School Guru is an advice column for all y’all graduate and professional students.

Real questions from real students, answered by real people. If the guru doesn’t know the answer, the guru will seek out experts all across campus to address the issue. (Please note: The guru is not a medical doctor, therapist, lawyer or academic advisor, and all advice offered here is for informational purposes only.) 

Submit a question for the column →

On and Beyond Gratitude

As the time for much-needed breaks and celebrations approaches, Core Programs encourages you to think expansively about honoring yourself and the familial (biological and chosen), collegial, professional, and community-based relationships that support your continued success in graduate school. You can start out with the following reflections:

How do you want to show up for someone? Who has shown up for you? Whether this be a loved one, graduate peer, faculty advisor, campus staff or community member, acknowledge their support and show reciprocity in ways that matter to your relationship.

What are ethical and accountable ways to share strengths and skills you bring to your graduate programs—in addition to the talents you will acquire upon graduation—with your communities on and off campus?

Sometimes showing gratitude is just listening and not taking up space at all. This is one step towards building meaningful relationships with communities whose voices and lives are not always heard or validated. It’s a powerful way to show humility and respect.

#BlackLivesMatter #NativeLivesMatter #TransWomenofColorMatter #SyrianLivesMatter #UndocumentedLivesMatter

Finally, in what ways do you wish to honor the hard work you are doing in graduate school? We know the long weekend can provide additional time to get much needed work done, or make progress on a bigger work project. Giving yourself permission to take breaks and set boundaries around work makes the work itself even more joyful and sustaining. How to buy cryptocurrency with credit or debit card and withdraw it to your card or cryptocurrency wallet easily

We are grateful you are here.

Jaye, Ziyan, and Kelly
Core Programs Team

Counseling Center

The Counseling Center offers free services (through the Services and Activities Fee) and can help with adjustment issues, depression, anxiety, relationship concerns, and a variety of other challenges. 

Money money money

I’m entering the last year of my program and my financial resources have run dry. Though I receive loans through the UW, they do not provide the income I need. What options are available to me to help bolster my income for this quarter? —Anonymous

1. Your first stop should be Graduate Funding Information Services (GFIS). They’re the go-to for all funding resources. 2. You can also search the UW job database for student positions (category: Academic Student Employee) and 3. Husky Jobs, which posts academic positions and general job advertisements. 4. If you are interested in a TA/RA/GSA position, contact the department in which you are interested directly for more information. Keep in mind that you can look for positions outside of your home department. Though most departments hire through their own student populations, other departments—particularly those that don’t have graduate students or administrative units that hire graduate staff assistants—will recruit widely for positions from relevant degree programs across campus. 5. Check the Graduate School’s Fellowships and Assistantships page. 6. Consider part-time work that’s flexible and fun to do. Graduate students often work as nannies, tutors, pet-sitters, etc. 7. Always let your department know that you are in need of help. They will know of any opportunities that might not be heavily advertised or for a very specific niche. Good luck!

Ask the Grad School Guru is an advice column for all y’all graduate and professional students. Real questions from real students, answered by real people. If the guru doesn’t know the answer, the guru will seek out experts all across campus to address the issue. (Please note: The guru is not a medical doctor, therapist, lawyer or academic advisor, and all advice offered here is for informational purposes only.) Submit a question for the column →