Mentoring: An Invaluable Support for College and Career Advising from K-12 Through College

Few resources can be as impactful yet cost-effective as mentoring when it comes to supporting the college and career advising needs of students. As demonstrated by the wealth of hyperlinked, evidence-based research contained in this article, effective mentoring can sometimes mean the difference between college and career success and perceived failure.

When understood as often comprising a foundational element of student college journeys successfully undertaken on behalf of both individual and community development, mentoring can be conceived as a way of participating in the continual renewal and re-vitalization of society itself.

This article is an excerpt taken from my new book: College as Rite of Passage and Hero's Journey During an Age of Upheaval. For further insights on mentoring and related topics, go to: College Student Development | College as Rite of Passage, Michael Weddington (college-as-rite-of-passage-book.com) Copyright ? Michael Weddington, 2021.

The Value of Mentoring Young People: Evidence-Based Perspectives

One of the most important roles in life we serve for one another is that of mentor. Anyone can have a mentor or mentors, and anyone can ideally serve as one. As opposed to parental figures, the mentor generally serves a specific purpose; that of advising, counseling, or training a given individual (a ‘mentee’) within the context of a particular process or challenge that individual is confronting. What typically gives a mentor credibility in the eyes of the mentee is that they have ‘been there and done that’. They have already traveled the road to which the student is drawn. They have an idea of where the obstacles lie; what to maybe do when stuff happens. They represent wisdom by lived experience.

Many studies have been conducted on the value and efficacy of mentoring young people. They aggregately point to one conclusion: Mentoring makes a positive difference in the lives of young people. A meta-analysis of 112 articles published between 1985-2006 found that mentoring is associated many favorable outcomes, including those related to behavioral, attitudinal, health, relational, motivational and career effects. Academic and workplace environments yielded especially positive results.

One of the most comprehensive studies ever taken to explore the perspectives of young adults regarding their experiences with mentoring was conducted in 2013. A nationally representative sample of 1,109 individuals ages 18 to 21 participated by phone, online survey, and one-on-one interviews, as administered by Hart Research Associates on behalf of MENTOR and Civic Enterprises. The study found that young people with mentors reported setting higher educational goals and were more likely to attend college. Among at-risk youth (those unemployed and out of school, or who came from dysfunctional households), 76% who had a mentor aspired to enroll in and graduate from college vs. 56% who had no mentor. At-risk youth with mentors were also more likely to report participating in sports, extracurriculars, or other beneficial activities than youth lacking mentors.

The same study found that nearly all young adults (95%) reported their formal, organized mentoring relationships (related to topics like college and career preparation) to be “helpful”; more than half (51%) found them to be “very helpful”. Regarding youth who participated in informal, less structured relationships (focused more on developmental topics like how to stay motivated and make wise choices), 99% found them “helpful” and 69% said they were “very helpful”.

Another positive finding in the national study referenced above is that young people who are mentored usually want to ‘pay it forward’ by becoming mentors themselves. A full 86% of mentored respondents reported wanting to mentor others.

Research on the Value of Mentoring College Students

There are also several studies that associate positive outcomes with the mentoring of young people already enrolled in college.

One comprehensive meta-analysis that critically reviewed 42 studies undertaken between 1990 and 2007 found that 40 of them uncovered entirely positive effects of mentoring students, especially with regards to graduation rates and grade point averages (the other two found comparatively limited positive effects).

A national study jointly conducted in 2013 by Gallup and Purdue University interviewed some 30,000 U.S. college graduates about their college experiences and life after graduation. What they found was that mentored college students (particularly by faculty) tended to report higher well-being, employee engagement and more positive perceptions of their alma mater than non-mentored students.

Another survey study of 80 participants at a University in the Southern U.S. found that freshman students completing their first semester of college reported a more successful academic and overall adjustment to college if they had developed a close relationship with a mentor, even when compared to developing concurrently close relationships with peers and within the local college community.

Research suggests that mentoring is positively associated with college persistence, academic performance, and even post-college outcomes. What kinds of mentoring, then, are especially effective during the college experience?

College Student Mentoring: What Works, What Needs Work

Mentoring can occur in many different forms. One-on-one, group, online (especially during the time of COVID-19), and peer are among the most common types within college environments. Relationships can be specific and episodic (a friendly academic advisor, for example, taking the time and care to help a student map out their college course program and schedule over a few sessions), or more general (an older peer mentor who makes time to periodically listen to and provide welcomed counsel on a variety of academic and school-work balance challenges their mentee is struggling with, for example).

In 2018, Gallup and the Strada Education Network released a comprehensive report that explored the relationship between mentorship and student success in college. The study was based on surveying 5,100 college graduates across the U.S. Some findings:

• Only a quarter of respondents ‘strongly agreed’ that they had a mentor who encouraged them to pursue their goals and dreams. Almost 20% strongly disagreed with this statement.
• Faculty members—by far—were cited as a mentor who encouraged respondents to pursue their goals and dreams (64%), with campus staff members (10%), friends (9%), and family members (7%) trailing behind.
• First-generation and/or minority students who had a mentor were less likely than White students to identify their mentor as a professor.
• Students who felt their faculty mentors cared about them as a person, and who made them excited about learning, were especially inspired.
• Graduates reported faculty and staff (non-career services) members to be more helpful with career advice than their career services office on campus (49% vs. 30% deemed ‘very helpful’ or ‘helpful’ in each case).
• Most graduates (88%) surveyed received at least some input regarding career advice from either faculty, staff, or career services.

What makes for a successful or unsuccessful mentoring relationship?

A qualitative study (2013) conducted across two academic health centers (one in Toronto, one in San Francisco) explored this question. 54 faculty members who both served in mentor and mentee roles were interviewed in depth. Successful mentoring relationships were characterized by reciprocity, mutual respect, clear expectations, personal connection, and shared values. Unsuccessful relationships demonstrated poor communication, lack of commitment, personality differences, perceived (or real) competition, conflicts of interest, and mentor lack of experience.

Another article meant for undergraduate science students (but applicable to every mentorship relationship) argues from a literature review that effective mentors generally share four characteristics: a selfless, altruistic orientation; an upbeat attitude; a sense of humility, and finally, consistency. The same article suggested that the chances of mentorship success increase when both mentor and mentee mutually agree upon a clear plan and structure for the relationship.

Lack of trust and limited ‘cultural congruence’ are two reasons why African American students sometimes do not employ White faculty members as mentors. To help bridge this mentorship gap, researchers at a Research I university in the U.S. conducted a case study in 2014 and presented an inclusive ‘cluster-mentoring’ model to benefit Black undergraduates across disciplines of learning. Their study describes a self-reinforcing web of four elements—student peer-advising, faculty- student academic mentoring and advising, culturally sensitive initiatives, and organized parental support—as a guide to improving and expanding the academic and leadership development of Black undergraduate students.

The theme of needed cultural sensitivity was echoed in a 2017 literature review that covered the mentorship of Hispanic students. Chief findings included the desirability of pairing Hispanic students with mentors who were respectful of and culturally conversant with the students’ cultural values and nuances. Sources of mentorship suggested were graduate students, members of college organizations, fraternities, sororities, and Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) programs featuring large numbers of Hispanic participants.

Another category of disadvantaged students on college campuses are students with disabilities. While mentorship generally offers them the same benefits as non- disabled students, such students often require more specialized support in navigating academic environments not especially designed for them. A 2010-11 research study investigated four successful mentorship programs funded by the National Science Foundation. In sum, this study determined that the following six elements contributed to the building of a successful mentoring program:

1. Availability of local role models with disabilities (accessible at least online);
2. Technology requirements for implementing electronic mentoring programs;
3. Need for different mentorship delivery styles;
4. Value of interacting across a range of activities;
5. Need for mentor training;
6. Recognition of investments of time required to build meaningful mentoring relationships and programs.

To reiterate, mentor candidates who manage to demonstrably relate to and connect with potential mentees on a personal level may have more success.

Pre-College Mentors: Where to Look?

With college so emphasized today as a precondition to career and life success, it may surprise some to learn that roughly a third of young people (an estimated 16 million, including 9 million ‘at-risk’ youth) may be growing up in our society without someone to guide them towards college and functional adulthood.

As of 2017, more than half of U.S. residents between the ages of 25 and 64 had not earned either a 2- or 4-year degree. This means that there are still millions of American households—especially lower income and minority households—that lack an elder who has successfully navigated the college process to graduation.

Where are pre-college teens and their families to turn today in search of a credible college mentor? Including families that cannot afford a pricey counseling option?

The good news is that there are millions of American adults who would like to serve as mentors for young people outside of (the mentor’s) immediate family, according to a national survey that interviewed 1,700 adults across demographic categories (including Spanish-speaking adults). Remarkably, the survey found that a quarter of American adults already serve as mentors in structured programs (like Big Brothers/Big Sisters), or informally through church, youth sports, or other neighborhood community activities, afterschool programs, or workplace-sponsored opportunities. An additional 45% of adults are open to mentoring if asked.

With such tremendous overt or latent interest in mentoring throughout given U.S. communities, it may not be overly difficult for a given family to find help for their teen(s). The keys are knowing where to look and being willing to ask. It is also important to know that you may not find the ‘perfect’ mentor, but you could find a number of helpful and supportive individuals who would be happy to help in specific ways, such as how to fill out a college or financial aid application; how to find college housing; how to live and thrive in a particular college town or area; how to find academic tutoring help at a reasonable cost; comparing college vs. trade school as postsecondary career preparatory options; or, who can simply offer steady and compassionate support for a young person’s journey towards adulthood.

According to Professor of Psychology and Leadership expert Becky Wai-Ling Packard, you can build a mentorship network for yourself by considering:

• Mentors can be situation-specific; they do not have to be long-term.
• Ask others about their experiences; people love to share their stories.
• Do not be afraid to respectfully ask for introductions to someone else.
• Think of possible people who could help you acquire certain skills.
• There are no perfect mentors, but there are many mentors!

From this more holistic perspective, it is helpful for any teen and their families to try building a college support network, as briefly described on this College Board page. So many capable and interested individuals of good reputation are willing to help if only asked. From your children’s local high school and area postsecondary institutions, to local academic and college tutoring businesses, churches, formal city and county youth activities, and neighborhood volunteer groups sponsored by service organizations of various kinds, there will likely be adults available who are already working with teens in any number of capacities.

In terms of college guidance, perhaps the most qualified individual in your area would be your high school college counselor(s), as available. However, they may be burdened with caseloads as high as 200-500 students each, even if working on a part-time basis. Therefore, it is essential that parents and teens schedule appointments as far in advance as possible (even a year ahead, as permissible), to secure counseling time. At least one appointment should be scheduled during the Fall of each year of the student’s high school career. Here are some important questions to ask the college counselor, as provided by the College Board.

There are some amazing free or low-cost online mentor resources, including UStrive; Mentoring.org; StudentMentor.org (for students already in college); ScholarMatch; and CollegeGreenlight, as well as more regional organizations like CollegeBound.org; LeeptoCollegeFoundation.org; CollegePossible.org; AdvisingCorps.org; Uncommongood.org; and, Mentor.org.

This discussion on mentoring has mainly been oriented towards teens and families from minority and low-income backgrounds, as they tend to lack the means to access conventional, for-profit college mentoring and counseling resources (which may not even exist in their area, in any case). However, it never hurts to approach otherwise expensive private college counseling and standardized test preparation centers to see if they offer sliding fee-scale arrangements or scholarships.

Meeting the Mentor: Pre-College Programs

Many U.S. colleges and universities provide pre-college programs that serve a mentoring role, held usually during Summer breaks. It is well worth the time and effort to see if they are offered in your area.

These programs are generally designed to give students a taste of the college experience. They usually provide a wide variety of course offerings, sometimes packaged as ‘camps’. The more expensive programs even offer travel excursions and other fun activities related to academic learning, under the guidance of trained educators and peer leaders. Other programs (such as those offered by community colleges) tend to be more practical and may stress specific kinds of ‘College 101’ knowledges and skills helpful to navigating the college experience.

If you are a teen or parent interested in such programs, be aware of the hype that may come with their advertisement. Due to the need for U.S. campuses to find additional revenue streams these days, such camps are often becoming more costly, and may seem to promise an easier path to being accepted into a prestigious school if attended. This is not necessarily true. Keep that in mind while considering the overall merits and benefits of such a program for yourself/your child.

Meeting the Mentor: College Admissions Officers, Alumni, Peers.

Often, the first actual contact a given high school student has with a specifically desired college or university is the college admissions officer. They, of course, are not trained and incentivized to perform the role of a mentor; they are hired to meet vital college enrollment goals. But what if their role was expanded to include some mentor-like functions? What if they were encouraged to share their personal stories in relatable ways more often when recruiting and hearing back from students? (In fact, many college admissions departments do make space for admission officer stories, but these are often buried within websites and are not easily accessible).

Meanwhile, admissions departments could reach out and make greater use of existing students and alumni to serve in mentorship roles for both potential and incoming students. This topic shall be explored in depth in the next chapter.

(Copyright ? Michael Weddington, 2021)