Mentoring is a brain to pick, an ear to listen, and a push in the right direction. ~ John Crosy
The university application process can be a daunting task for many Sri Lankan students, both at the graduate and the undergraduate level. The application process for Sri Lankan public universities or private foreign-degree granting Sri Lankan institutes tends to be more transparent, accessible, and is modeled in a formulaic way that is easily processed. However, the application process to foreign universities is a dynamic one, and hardly follows a formula. Aside from admissions professionals, the process is typically explained best by those who have, in essence, gone through the fire.
It is into this setting that mentoring comes into play. Created in August 2010, the 'SL2College Mentor Program' aims to assist prospective Sri Lankan university students with their higher education abroad by connecting foreign graduates who spent their high school and/or college years in Sri Lanka, with current Sri Lankan students looking to further their studies abroad. In many instances, successful foreign graduates who completed some part of their education in Sri Lanka, have had mentors who have helped them through the process, albeit informally. The 'SL2College Mentor Program' brings such connections under one portal, creating a community of mentors and mentees that can interact via a common forum.
Mentoring a prospective university student can be a truly rewarding experience. Mentors have the opportunity to guide a prospective university student by sharing their insights and experiences. Mentors also get the opportunity to strengthen and enhance their mentoring skills, which is becoming an essential skill in the corporate workplace. This is also a way for Mentors to give back to Sri Lanka in a tangible way, whereby the joy of a Mentor's labor is directly experienced when a Mentee achieves his/her academic objectives. The relationship between Mentor and Mentee is one of trust, and allows meaningful conversations to take place. Such conversations impact the thinking process, attitudes/perceptions, and the behavior of the mentee. Also having access to a Mentor who has experience in the Mentee's area of interest could be of great benefit in the Mentee's key decisions. SL2College will coordinate the Mentor/Mentee selection process to ensure that the partnership between the Mentor and the Mentee is a synergistic one.
Volunteering one's self to be a mentee also brings rich rewards. It is a privilege for prospective university students who have the dedication and motivation to see the fruition of their goals. Mentees will be given the prospect of reflecting on their own experience by relating their personal situation, issues or problems. Of course, we at SL2College understand that the 'opening up' process is one that takes time – however, it is difficult to match a Mentee well unless he/she takes the first step to address a particular situation. Potential Mentees can be sure that the 'SL2College Mentor Program' administrators will keep personal details in confidence.
How else are Mentees benefited? Mentees will be assisted when they encounter particularly challenging situations - for example, it is common for Mentors to provide feedback on the 'statement of purpose', which is a requirement for a Master's program in USA and Canada. Mentees will also get to hear the thoughts of qualified students, as they discuss their lives in universities and how they overcame various challenges. It is evident that this program will give a Mentee personal attention.
And the sticker price for this? Nothing. We only hope that you will decide to give back as a mentor when you pass through the application process and gain experience abroad.
Currently, the SL2College Mentor database exceeds 40, and we have created successful partnerships between 22 pairs of Mentors & Mentees during the past year. Most of our current Mentees are Sri Lankan students looking to pursue their Masters and/or PhD's.
This year we are looking to increase awareness particularly at the high school level, and are encouraging high school students in Sri Lanka (those in grades 11-13 in the public school system) to sign up as Mentees. We are particularly interested in expanding this program to those students who lack the resources/sophistication or have little experience or the know how to seek/engage these resources. This is particularly true of first generation students in public high schools in Sri Lanka (first generation meaning those students whose parents have not had any education past high school).
We hope that your interest has been piqued and that you decide to join the SL2College Mentor Program, either as a Mentor or a Mentee. The guidelines for each role, together with the application links can be found at http://links.sl2college.org/mentor-program. Feel free to contact us at mentor-program@sl2college.org if you have any questions. We can't say if mentoring was what W. Churchill had in mind when he declared that 'we make a living by what we get, (but) we make a life by what we give'. But it sure does apply, and we hope you decide to step into the cycle.
The Mentor program at SL2College is led by Ayaska Fernando (writer of this article) and Dayan Wickramaratne.
Date of publication in the Sunday Observer: October 09, 2011
This and other related articles are available on www.sl2college.org, under the resources section. SL2College is a global community that provides FREE advice and guidance to Sri Lankan students. Envisioned in 2005, SL2College helps Sri Lankan students access relevant information that would assist them in making informed decisions about their educational goals. Please post your queries on: www.sl2college.org or email - info@sl2college.org.
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