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UCL Alumni Online Community - How I found my alumni mentor

25 January 2018

Looking for careers advice? Your alumni network is a great place to start.

Zane Mitrevica At the UCL Alumni Online Community, you can connect with UCL graduates who are willing to offer academic and professional advice, as well as act as mentors for both students and fellow alumni. 

Zane Mitrevica is a BSc Neuroscience student who had success in finding a mentor on the Alumni Online Community. Read on to find out why she would recommend contacting a mentor.

What were your reasons for requesting an alumni mentor?

Going into my second year of studies, I was making decisions that appeared to carry a lot of weight with respect to my career options after graduation. The opportunity to get advice from someone who had relatively recently, and successfully, gone through what I was going through was an appealing one. I saw that this type of support was offered via the UCL Alumni Online Community, and was keen to sign up.

How often are you in contact and what do you talk about?

We meet roughly once a term, and the conversation usually covers a number of study- or career-related topics. My mentor has, for example, provided very useful advice on approaching lab leaders with regard to summer placements. More recently, my mentor and I discussed how to work effectively with large amounts of information, as I am currently working on a literature project as part of my degree.

What are the benefits of having a mentor?

A mentor is in the unique position of being able to offer some truly insightful advice. For example, my mentor is a post-doc with years of experience doing research, writing science-related applications, and getting to know many senior academics, and is therefore in a great position to provide relevant guidance. In addition, knowing that my mentor has taken this role voluntarily is an indication that they are genuinely interested to help, and I do not feel as if I am bothering them with my problems. 

And finally, do you have any advice for any students or alumni who might be thinking of requesting a mentor?

Mentor-mentee relationships can be highly flexible and mutually beneficial, so my only advice would be - go for it! 

To find a mentor like Zane did, visit uclalumnicommunity.org to create your profile and connect with fellow UCL students and alumni.