Alumni Mentor Program – Graduate Students

UCLA graduate students have unique experiences that you can help navigate. With your wisdom and guidance, we can work together to make sure UCLA graduate students get the most out of their programs. In the spirit of Bruins helping Bruins, we hope the mentorship provides lasting relationships that will continue to grow and evolve far beyond Westwood.

The UCLA Alumni Mentor Program is designed to engage alumni volunteers of all backgrounds and experience levels. Upon your approval of a student’s request, you commit to a mentorship until June 2021. We encourage mentors and students to connect on a regular basis (e.g., once-a-month phone call, Zoom meeting or email conversation). However, the frequency and form of communication are things you both can determine. We encourage you to share how you’ve translated your degree into industry or academic success, connect the mentee with relevant connections, or share your strategies to navigate their program. Throughout the year, we’ll offer tips on effective mentorship techniques, topics to discuss with your student and suggested activities to connect. Our team will also be standing by to answer any questions you might have. Prior mentorship experience is not required.

The commitment as a mentor lasts until June 2021.

Once you register for the UCLA Alumni Mentor Program through UCLA ONE (uclaone.com) you’ll be part of our exclusive, online mentoring community. UCLA graduate students will have a chance to register and review mentor profiles to find a mentor who fits their interests and career goals. Once a graduate student finds the ideal mentor, the student will click on the profile and send a message to request mentorship. From there, alumni will review mentorship request(s) and approve grad student(s) accordingly.

We recommend you mentor one to two students throughout the year. Most of our volunteers choose to mentor one student. You can update your mentor preferences on the UCLA ONE platform.

Each request will be different, but we encourage mentors to look for a fit that aligns with areas you are willing to share and nurture. Some students may express an interest in your mentorship to guide them professionally and others may share something personal like a hometown or background. You are permitted to ask follow-up questions to the students on UCLA ONE to help you determine which student you will accept.

If you receive multiple requests, you will be able to review each student’s profile before confirming a request. We hope you’ll accept as many mentees as you feel fit to mentor, but you do have the option to decline a student if you simply don’t have time or think it’s the wrong fit. We recommend you mentor one to two students throughout the year. Most of our volunteers choose to mentor one student.

Once you have approved your mentee(s) request for mentorship, you will want to unselect the “UCLA Alumni Mentor Program” box under “Offer Mentorship” in your profile. You can do so by clicking on “Edit Profile,” then scrolling down to “Offer Mentorship” and unchecking “UCLA Alumni Mentor Program.” this will signal that you are no longer available for mentorship and thus no longer accepting requests.

Alumni are welcome to continue mentoring their students as long as they are willing and able.

Yes! If you receive a request from someone who doesn’t share your degree, you are welcome to accept them. We hope you will select a student that you are interested in mentoring.

We encourage you to complete your UCLA ONE profile by including all relevant professional, academic, and volunteer experience. In addition, we have included the opportunity to answer the question, “Why do you want to mentor a graduate student?” That will provide students with the best information to request mentorship. If you aren’t requested for mentorship during October or November, you may be requested throughout the year. With the current pandemic, more students are in need of virtual mentorship and may turn to you after November. The Alumni Association will also reach out to you sporadically to see if you’d be willing to participate in other programs.

As a UCLA graduate student, you have exclusive access to a robust network of alumni who are eager and willing to meet you and share their wisdom and advice about life beyond UCLA. The UCLA Alumni Mentor Program is a unique opportunity for you to form meaningful and lasting relationships with alumni in a virtual setting. The program is student-driven in that you request mentors that fit your interests and nurture the relationship throughout the year.

The UCLA Alumni Mentor Program is designed to engage alumni volunteers of all backgrounds and experience levels. We ask that you commit yourself to nurturing a mentorship relationship until June 2021, and request a mentor that is aligned with values important to you (education, industry, or personal background). We encourage you to connect with your mentor on a regular basis (e.g., once-a-month phone call, zoom meeting or email conversation). However, the frequency and form of communication are things you both can determine. The UCLA Alumni Mentor Program is about building your professional network, personal development and gaining academic and career advice. This program is not a direct pipeline to a job or internship, though it can often help with opportunities in the future.

The commitment as a student mentee lasts until June 2021. Students can review profiles and send requests to their preferred mentor. Alumni will review your request(s) and confirm/select student mentee(s) through the UCLA ONE site. Once this happens, you will be officially part of the UCLA Alumni Mentor Program.

Throughout the year, you will have a chance to register and review mentor profiles to find a mentor who fits your interests and career goals. Once you find your ideal mentor, you will click on the alumni profile and send a message to request mentorship. From there, alumni will review mentorship request(s) and approve student(s) accordingly.

You are only allowed to send one mentor request. Make sure to review alumni profiles carefully and send your request to the alumnus who best fits your interests and career goals. If your request is not answered, you can cancel your request to make a request to someone else.

We ask that you give alumni enough time to respond, typically 2-3 days. Keep in mind that mentors are busy with their professions and personal lives, so please be considerate of their time. If you do not receive a mentorship request acceptance, please do not send a follow-up message asking alumni if they received your request and would like to be your mentor. You can elect to cancel your request and send a request to someone else. You may contact alumnimentor@alumni.ucla.edu if you have any questions.

Once a mentor has accepted their mentee match, they will update their profile to indicate that they are no longer accepting mentor requests. Unfortunately, you will need to select another potential mentor.

You are welcome to stay connected with your mentor as long as they are willing and able to help.

We welcome you to do so! Alumni Mentors do not have to live in Los Angeles to participate. You can connect with your mentor via phone calls, email, Zoom or FaceTime and still have a great connection. The mentorship is driven by your willingness to nurture the mentorship and keep the relationship going. The more you connect and ask questions, the better your experience will be.

Yes! You can request anyone who has noted they are willing to be a mentor. The UCLA Alumni Association is doing our part to recruit advanced degree alumni, but if there is someone else that you are interested in, please don’t hesitate to send them a request.

It is quick and simple to sign up to be a mentee. Please follow these steps to sign up on UCLA ONE.