a degree mentor

[poppie]

hey hey evry1 just wondering does anybody know of someone or themselves who could be my mentor as i am doing my degree and think if i had this extra bit of help my grade would be alot better quite a few girls have them and there assignments have been wiked, i know if i have the extra help i can get my grades up, the one i had seems to have disappeared into thin air.
please can anyone help me.

i am doing my e.y degree

[tutu]

it should be someone with whom you work, they need to observe your daily practice and support you in it. we have meetings for the mentors and without fail they all work in a senior position with the learner.

[sealheywood]

hi, when i started my ey degree this sept - i was advised a mentor just needed to be anybody who has a minimum 1 level qualification higher than the highest qualification you may already have - and that it could be anyone you know - are you doing your degree at uni or open university??? - if uni the tutor may be able to put you in touch with someone who is doing the second year that would be willing to help you. hope it helps.:idea:

[tutu]

your mentor shouldn't be JUST anyone! i would have serious doubt about a course who expects the minimum from such an important role, and low expectations of a learner who uses someone with minimum quals and experience! dont you want to be stretched to be encourage and grow? a mentor is someone who knows ore than you and can guide you towards understanding and knowledge. if any old qualified person will do theres no point having one! ask someone whom you admire whose practice you think is good, inventive and clear. use them to grow your own practice and knowledge. they should be an important part of your learning journey. expect a little and that is what you get of your mentor and yourself!

[poppie]

Hi thanks evry1 for yr comments as i am at uni my previous mentor was someone of the previous tutors selection and was of no use at all the people i wk with have made numerous comments as to why they cannont do it. But i no with this persons help i can achieve the best grades possible
please advise further if possble

[sealheywood]

just to set the record straight i do attend a very highly regarded uni - the tutors are very good and encourage their students to their highest ability, and i hold their advice with regard - obviously if it is possible to have a mentor in the same profession as you it is a bonus however sometimes this is not possible therefore with the support from another professional who is higher qualified than you is a good path. You can also use the tutors on the course - by booking in private tutorials with them, and also using this time to take draft copies of your assignment for them to read through and they will advise you on how to improve them before your final submission - this is a good path because the tutors are there to help you and its in their interest as well to help all their students obtain good pass marks.

[Heidi]

In the meantime Poppie, don't panic.
Remember a mentor cannot do your work for you - but you can run ideas past them, some may read through something for you; and they are an invaluable sounding board - very often as you talk to them, you realise your thoughts aren't what is actually being asked of you or sometimes you realise that you are on the right track or they may suggest that you are watering down your argument with too many areas and you should concentrate only on two or three ideas.

So, whilst you don't have one, make sure you keep reading your assignment criteria so that you do not deviate away from the subject. It is easy to wander off as you write of something and go off on a tangent. So keep re-reading to stay on track.

Proof read (over and over) to make sure your grammar, spellings and flow of essay and 'readability' is what it should be.
Try and leave a day or two before your assignment is due to be handed in to check everything, amend, tweak etc.

I never had a mentor, mine left before we met and after the first year, I decided things were fine as they were.
I realise we are all different and if you would like to have a mentor, it's best to find one sooner rather than later, as it's the first year you feel unsure of things; by year two you will be 'in the swing' of things and feeling much more confident.