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But as a mentor, I would have been terrible, and was.
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<p>Just because you might have been a terrible mentor, mini, doesn't mean that other young scholars are necessarily terrible mentors.</p>
<p>I know a student who took classes from terrific professors at a very fine small liberal arts college, but it's clear to me that a brilliant and inspiring undergraduate TA is by far the most influential and helpful mentor she has had. </p>
<p>(One important consideration for her--in her particular field at this small school, the professors were all male. And the field is heavily dominated by males in general. Her undergraduate TA was female. It is pretty close to certain in my mind that she would not have chosen to major in the field she did had it not been for the advice, support, and encouragment of this particular TA.)</p>
<p>The professors were terrific and inspiring lecturers, but the TA was the person she felt most comfortable talking to about the subject. Her professors were accessible and she did talk to them, but she found them intimidating. Her TA was far more accessible--she lived in the same dorm, ate meals at the same dining hall, and was just very easy to approach and discuss things with. Her former TA has continued to stay in touch with her and open doors for her even now that she's moved on to grad school. (And her former TA looks like she's headed for a distinguished career that may outshine those excellent LAC professors.) </p>
<p>The mentorship may well be a vital long-term relationship for both women. But according to mini's logic, the young woman should not have had the opportunity to have this slightly older young woman as a TA or as a mentor because she didn't yet have "5 years of experience after graduation."</p>
<p>I think it's silly to say that one can't be a good mentor until five years after grad school. I know some terrific high school students who are amazing mentors to middle school students. And I know some middle school students who are awesome mentors for slightly younger students.</p>
<p>I think the bigger the pool of potential mentors available to a student the better. Perhaps some students are indeed best served by being mentored by distinguished senior professors. </p>
<p>But it's silly to say that senior professors are always the best mentors for EVERYONE, on the strength of the fact that you consider yourself to have been a terrible mentor when you were in grad school, mini.</p>