For Student Mentors to the Duke Physics First Year Graduate Students

Thank you for volunteering to help integrate our new students into the department. You provide an important source of moral support as these first year students go through what you went through as a first year student. Below are some suggestions for what you might do to be helpful to your mentees:

  • If there is something you know now that you wished you knew as a first year, please communicate that to your mentees.

  • If your mentees think that they will die from stress and/or lack of sleep, point out that this is a typical response to the first year in graduate school and discuss how you handled it and/or recommend from your experience ways of not handling it.

  • Drop by and say "hi" to your mentees roughly weekly to see how they are doing. Encourage your mentees to let you (or someone) know if they are having difficulties, either academically or otherwise.

  • Try to get your mentees to view their peers and their relative performance to push everyone to do their best. However, we do not want to encourage an atmosphere of destructive competitiveness (expressed, for example, by refusing to help each other, denigrating each other, etc.)

  • While your mentees may be disturbed by the scores they get on their first few problem sets, let them know that there are many avenues of help available and that their quantum score does not define them as people or as scientists.

  • Encourage your mentees to get plenty of exercise. This is an excellent stress-reliever and complements intensive mental work. Invite them to go running with you, play volleyball, frisbee, softball, etc.

  • Bring your mentees to the General Physics Colloquia. Encourage them to go to lunch with one of the colloquium speakers at least once per year.

  • Talk to your mentees about how you chose a research group. Encourage them to speak to the graduate students in several groups in order to make an informed choice.

  • Talk to your mentees about your research. This is good motivation and practice for both you and them.

  • Bring your mentees to the Friday Grad seminars. Join them occasionally at cookies. Show them that talking about physics can be an enjoyable social experience.

  • Where to tell your mentees to get help (people listed in order):
    - Research issues: your advisor, DGS, Chair.
    - TA issues: TA course instructor(s), Associate Chair, DGS, Chair.
    - Course issues: instructor, Associate Chair, DGS, Chair.
    - Payroll issues: Donna Elliott, Maxine Stern, Bursar's Office.
    - Registration issues: Donna Ruger, DGS.
    - Interactions with the Graduate School: Donna Ruger/DGS.
    - Graduate student life: Physics GSO, GPSC.
    - Career advice: advisor, graduate school, professional development mentor Dr. R. Guenther.
    - Other: Mentors, ombudspeople (GSO=Joe Kinast and Carolyn Berger; GPSC=Megan McCrudden)

  • Let the DGS (rps@phy.duke.edu) know of items to add to this list.

  • Just being a friendly ear goes a long way. Thank you for your help!