Mentors and Advisers
Many students state that their advisers are the most important source of support that they have. However, a good mentoring relationship is easier said than done. It can be difficult to find an adviser, and it can be just as difficult to form a relationship that will allow you to get the advice, and when needed, support you need.
Tips for finding an adviser
- Start early and be persistent.
- Talk to students who have done similar work (you can start with our database!)
- Speak with your own professors who may be able to connect you with colleagues
- Review department websites - YSPH as well as individual departments at the medical school and research centers such as CIRA
- More often than not, Plan A does not pan out as we expect. By casting a wide net and following the trail of contacts you may form a network of support that finally leads you to the right person or organization.
- At each meeting, whether in person, over Skype, with Yale or host contacts: take notes, get at least three names of people to follow-up with, and send a thank you note, even just one line, immediately afterward.
- Be flexible with those you are contacting. Professors, NGO directors, physicians - both in the US and abroad - have many demands on their time, and meetings will often be rescheduled at the last minute.
Getting the most out of the adviser-student relationship
- Form a productive student-adviser relationship, with both Yale and host advisers. This paper provides a helpful discussion and framework for doing so, both from the student and mentor perspectives: “Clinical research and global health: mentoring the next generation of health care students” by Shah et al.
- Faculty often have to prioritize activities based on funding and publication. They are likely to pay attention to a group that can outline deliverables and a timeline. Tell them exactly how much time being an adviser will take (i.e., I would like to meet with you thirty minutes per week), and if you are sure that a publication will come from your project, it may be appropriate for your adviser to be senior author.
- Talk to students who have worked with your Yale and host advisers to find out what worked and didn’t work for them in terms of communication and building a mentoring relationship.
- Have a network of support. In most cases, your adviser will not be at your side and may not always be able to respond to your email promptly. In the worst case, you might find your adviser is unresponsive. Your host adviser may have varying levels of availability, and it is common for students to find that host advisers have left the position or are no longer able to mentor them. How does one prepare for this? Diversify!
- At Yale: Form relationships with others who work closely with your adviser, such as graduate students and post-docs (particularly if they have worked at the site you’re going to). Some faculty also have research assistants and managers who can be very helpful sources of information.
- At your host site: The same advice as for Yale applies, particularly if you are working with a large research team or in a university. However, you will do best by expanding outside of your immediate research team and forming relationships with coworkers and others in your community. If you are working with an organization you may find that other staff or volunteers can provide you with rich advice or help you brainstorm solutions. Outside of your coworkers, you may find other organizations working in the same community. Also seek out Peace Corps volunteers and other ex-pats - chances are, they’ve had many of the same questions and doubts as you, and most are happy to help.