A Model for Pre-Doctoral
Undergraduate Mentoring
Christine Edmondson, Ph.D.
Teaching Innovation and Pedagogy
Conference: Engaging Learners
January 14, 2012
Christine_edmondson@csufresno.edu
Pre-Doctoral Students
• Students who have expressed an interest in
and begun to work toward doctoral level study
in their discipline.
• Undergraduate or graduate
• May or may not be in a formal student
development program
Sharing Pre-Doctoral
Mentoring Experiences
• Summary of mentoring pre-doctoral students
– Best Experience
– Challenges/Growth areas
Background
• Inspiration to Be a Mentor
• Experiences
– Undergraduate Psychology Majors*
– Department Honors Program
– McNair Scholars Program
– NIMH COR Scholars
– Master’s Students
• Model was developed through my experiences
A Few Thoughts About Diversity
• Ideally, diversity would be integrated
• I am not an expert on diversity in mentoring
– Integration of diversity is not systematic
– Recommendation:
• Develop your own awareness, sensitivity, and skills for
welcoming diversity
– A personal development process
• Inspire, Empower, and Connect
– Anne Chann (2010)
– http://www.mentor4diversity.com/
Pre-Doctoral Mentoring
Processes
Discernment
Identification
Preparation
Application
Discernment Activities
• Engage in Activities
• Gather Information
• Make Decisions
Student Obligations
• Agree to self disclosure
– About past and present experiences
– Thoughts and feelings
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Respond to faculty direction
Request and respond to feedback
Engage in self reflection
Acknowledge “warning signs”
Overview – Faculty Role in
Discernment
• Understand student’s talents, growth areas,
and potential barriers to success
• Develop a trusting relationship
• Provide Supportive Feedback
Understand Student’s Talents, Growth
Areas, and Potential Barriers to Success
• Talent
– Genius, Very Intelligent, & Smart
– Intrapersonal and interpersonal
• Growth areas
– Skills, personal development, resources
• Potential Barriers
– Lack of Talent
– Mobility issues
– Deficits in emotional stability or interpersonal
functioning
– Significant resource deficits
Develop a Trusting Relationship
• Power & Privilege
• Consider Student’s Interpersonal Style
• Encourage Initiative and Independent
Problem-Solving
• Affirm Talent
• Self Disclosure
Provide Supportive Feedback
• Avoid crushing their dreams, but be ready to
redirect them
• Use objective behaviors to describe problems
• Ask student for input
• Follow problem description with concrete
feedback
• Sandwich Technique
Identification Activities
• Envisioning Ph.D. Training and Postdoctoral
Work
• Information Gathering
• Feedback
• Initiate Exploration of Interest
Identification – Envision
• Faculty may encourage students to envision and
information gather when
– Highly talented, high achievers
– Highly talented, under achievers
• Students may come to faculty envisioning
doctoral training
– Highly talented, high achievers who are highly
motivated
– Highly talented, under achievers who get inspired
– Less than highly talented students who get inspired
Identification – Information Gathering
• Interests
• Achievement
• Talent (see discernment)
Identification – Supportive Feedback
• Highly talented, high achievers
– Direct to exploration
– Gather information
• Highly talented, under achievers
– Consider information gathered and extent of
under-achievement
– Direct to Academic Remediation*
– Direct to exploration
– Gather information
Identification – Supportive Feedback
(continued)
• Very intelligent/smart overachiever
– Provide feedback about talent (without conveying they are less than a
genius)
– Direct to exploration and attend
– Strategize about how to encourage consideration of something else
– Gather information
• Smart moderate to low achievers
– Provide feedback about achievement and explain how it is a significant
barrier to doctoral study
– Avoid communicating that you think they lack talent
– Redirect right away by directing student to explore other options
– Don’t respond to requests for support in mentored scholarship
Identification – Initiate Exploration
• Exploration is a process of determining if the
student is truly interested in doctoral study and
identified discipline
• Faculty activities
– Direct student to gather information about areas of
expertise
– Provide an overview of the preparation & application
process
– Begin a dialogue about life during and after a PhD
program
– Direct student to gather more information about life
during and after doctoral training
Identification Outcomes for Student
• Continue pre-doctoral preparation
• Exit pre-doctoral preparation process
– Faculty recommendation
– Student decision & faculty response
• Relationship with a faculty member
• Plan for career development
Preparation Activities
• Understand Experiences Required for Doctoral
Level Study
• Evaluating Student’s Previous Experiences
• Planning Future Experiences
• Participation in Activities
• Feedback
Experiences Required for Doctoral
Level Study
• Extensive participation in scholarly activities
– Mentored research/scholarly work
• Disseminated to national audience
– Entry level scholarship
– Advanced coursework
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Develop leadership skills
Enhancing academic preparation**
Awards and Recognition
GRE Preparation
Graduate Program Exploration
Evaluating Previous Experience
• High School
• Employment
• Scholarly Work
– Coursework
– Extracurricular – entry level or advanced
• Service Learning
• Leadership Experience
• Student’s Ideas about Future Activities
Planning Future Experiences
• Scholarly work
– Mentored Research
• Academic Plan
• Leadership
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Planning/Organizing Events or Programs
Clubs and Student Government
Training/Teaching
Supervision/Management
• Applications for Awards and Recognition
• Professional Networking
Participating in Experiences
• Student participates
• Faculty meets with student
– Frequency
• Weekly if mentoring research or working together in another capacity
• Monthly if supporting, but not working together
– Coaching
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Graduate program Identification and professional networking
Develop relationships with additional faculty members
Application for awards and recognition
Getting the most out of mentored research and leadership
experiences
• GRE Preparation
– Gather information
– Provide Feedback
Feedback
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Affirm successes
Organization, time management, stress
Areas of growth
Encourage continued work toward doctoral
training or redirect to another career
Preparation Outcomes for Student
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Professional and leadership skills
Enhanced self-awareness
Knowledge of discipline
Knowledge of scholarly process in discipline
Increased number of professional relationships
Knowledge of opportunities for leadership and
recognition
Knowledge of doctoral program application process
Awards and Recognition
Meaningful relationship with faculty mentor
Realistic and appropriate career goals
Application Activities
• Back-up Plan
• Complete GRE/MCAT/LSAT
• Selection of Graduate Programs for Application
Submission
• Selections of References
• Personal Statement
• Application Binder
• System for Managing Submission of Applications
Application Outcomes
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Applications Submitted
Admission or Rejection
Awards and Recognition
Plan for future
Conclusion
• Student benefits even if their application is not
successful
• Faculty benefits
– A colleague for life
• Local community
• Professional community
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Peer mentor for other students
Pipeline for additional pre-doctoral mentees
Research and other project assistance
Presentations and/or publications
Case Studies
• Jenica W.
– African American in process
• Georgianna N.
– Puerto Rican in process
• Valerie R.
– Mexican with Clinical Ph.D.
• Tiffany R.
– Phillipino with Counseling Ph.D.
• Sunde N.
– Caucasian with Clinical Ph.D.