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Mentoring

High-quality mentorship is essential to your success as not only a graduate student, but also as a future researcher. The College of Graduate Studies at Upstate boasts a close-knit community that is dedicated to providing our students with individualized support and advisement necessary to thrive at Upstate and beyond.


Peer Mentoring Program

The College of Graduate Studies has a Peer Mentoring Program. The goal of this program is to help facilitate a smooth transition into graduate school for our first-year students by connecting them with more senior students wanting to share their advice and experiences and pass on their knowledge and wisdom. The summer before matriculation, incoming students are matched with a senior student based upon their responses to a mentoring survey. Students meet with their mentors during Orientation and can expect to periodically interact with their mentors throughout the first year - and often beyond!


First Year Advisory Committee

In addition to a peer mentor, all incoming undeclared Biomedical Science students are assigned a first year faculty advisor who is available to provide additional oversight support and guidance on course enrollment, rotations, and program requirements specifically during the first year when students are completing core curriculum and rotating through various labs and departments.

Advising In & Beyond Year Two

After the first year, students in the undeclared Biomedical Science Program will identify a Dissertation Advisor who will serve as the student's primary source of advisement until graduation. In addition to the Dissertation Advisor, each student will have a Program Director and Department Chair available to them for additional guidance and oversight. At the start of year three, PhD students will establish an Advisory Committee consisting of at least two faculty members in addition to the Dissertation Advisor and Student. This committee is expected to meet twice a year.


Six Steps to Success

Six Steps to Success is an ongoing orientation series designed to help students successfully transition to graduate school at Upstate and get a strong start. Topics generally include:

  • Navigating Rotations to Find & Secure a Great Dissertation Advisor
  • Introduction to Bioethics
  • Succeeding Within & Outside the Classroom - An Introduction to Student Support Services
  • Writing a Research Report
  • Critical Reading & Study Skills
  • How to Get the Most Out of Your Advisor & Committees

 

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