Second Mentors

We encourage you to also find a “second mentor” to fulfill all your mentoring needs. A second mentor can be a faculty member, senior postdoc, or even an alumnus who provides scientific and career advice from a distinct perspective, and you can (and should) have more than one. Many graduate students also volunteer their time as peer mentors, offering advice and support from a different perspective. Most mentors are found informally, but more and more groups are being formed to bring people together and to help mentor others. Some examples are listed below.

• Student Outreach Alumni Resources (SOAR)
  SOAR is designed to foster mentorship opportunities across the Stanford Biosciences community. It uses a multilevel mentorship structure to involve junior and senior graduate students, postdocs, alumni, and faculty.
• Stanford Biosciences Student Association (SBSA) First Year Mentorship
  First-year Biosciences students are mentored by older students. Information is sent out each year through the SBSA listserv.
• Biosciences Peer Mentors (BioPeers)
  The BioPeers are third through fifth year graduate students who provide peer-to-peer support to fellow Biosciences graduate students. They are available to meet or correspond via email about any questions you have about navigating the challenges of graduate school.
• SBSA/Biomedical Association for the Interest of Minority Students (BioAIMS) Fellowship Mentorship Program
  One-on-one mentoring for fellowship applications. Information is distributed through the SBSA listserv.
• Palo Alto Association for Women in Science (AWIS) Mentoring Program
  This mentor/protégée matching program pairs you with a more senior scientist to meet the mentoring needs you describe. This is a great networking circle—many former Biosciences students have found job leads through AWIS.
• Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) Groups
  Female graduate students and postdocs share support and advice in small discussion groups.
• Mentors in Teaching (MinT)
  Experienced TAs provide advice and support for current TAs.
• Community Academic Profiles (CAP) Network
  Log in to the CAP (Community Academic Profiles) Network to search for a mentor. (Once you log in, the link to “Find a Mentor” will appear in the top menu bar.) Many faculty members and postdocs have volunteered to serve as mentors.