Paying thousands for a research mentor?

Hey so I got this opportunity to get a research mentor (current masters student at a prestigious university), but they are asking for a lot of money (>$3000) for 5ish months of help (1 hr per week). I’m not exactly comfortable with giving away this much money, but I’m considering it.

Would it be a good idea to go for this opportunity or instead try to contact other possible mentors in my area? I’m really worried that it will be hard to find a mentor throughout the year to help me with a project (I’m planning on entering local science fairs), especially since research is usually done during the summer. Does anyone have any experience/advice regarding getting a mentor for throughout the school year?

Thanks so much for the help!

I wouldn’t call that a mentor, that is someone that is trying to be a consultant. Mentors don’t change money. Paying $150/hour for this type of service seems ridiculous to me, it is your money.

This is not a thing.

Are students allowed to enter science fairs with projects they hired grad students to help them complete? I thought science fair projects were supposed to be the student’s own work.

SInce you put this in the admission forum, make sure you understand what does matter to your college targets. Sci fairs are not a tip, in themselves. They should be done out of interest and that points to: without paid help.

Sounds to me like some grad student is trying to make a profit on you. Don’t be gullible.

Run the other way. Mentors don’t charge.

This sounds like a scam.

Totally unacceptable. First off - a master’s student isn’t the best research mentor. Second - that’s a lot of money for very little benefit. Third - when someone takes money to tell you what you should do it’s not called mentoring, that’s consulting. So you’re not paying a mentor, you’re being gouged by an amateur consultant.

Read the rules for each science fair that you are planning to enter. Besides the mentoring issue, there are usually rules about when you can begin the research for your project.