Honors Thesis Mentorship Program
Project Description
The honors thesis mentorship program matches undergraduates who are engaged in the preparation, research or composition phase of writing an honors thesis with a doctoral student (preferably in a related field) as a mentor. The purpose of the program is to provide encouragement and support for the undergraduate student and to keep them focused on the importance of engaging in original research and writing. Ideally, mentors will be matched with their mentees for the duration of project, from the time that the student begins work on their research project until they have completed it. This may mean that an undergraduate and graduate student will work together for up to three years. In the event that an undergraduate may require a different mentor, this can be done, though this would be most conveniently done at the beginning of a new academic year. Still, exceptions can be made.
Guidelines for Mentees
We choose doctoral students as mentors in order to provide some extra encouragement during the process of research and/or writing of an undergraduate's honors thesis.
You may ask your mentor to discuss your project or look at a draft of your thesis (providing that they have the time to do this), but you are strongly advised to closely follow the recommendations given by your official honors thesis advisor and/or your thesis committee for revisions. Know that you must always defer to the authority of your official advisors.
We hope that the example provided by your mentor will provide inspiration as you begin work on or complete your honors thesis.
How to Enroll in the Program:
If you are interested in being matched with a graduate student mentor, please fill out this form.
Resources:
For a full description of honors programs, thesis requirements, funding and other resources please visit these pages:
- Undergraduate Advising and Research
- Planning Departmental Honors
- Research and Independent Project Resources
- Get Your Honors Research Funded
- Bing Honors College
- Hume Center Writing Resources
Guidelines for Mentors
Your role is to meet at least once in person with your mentee during the year to provide encouragement and support for the student who is engaged in either research and/or writing of their honors thesis.
It is recommended that you emphasize the importance of choosing to write an honors thesis, for reasons including
- to demonstrate to potential employers that a student is capable of defining a project on their own and seeing it to completion.
- to produce a scholarly essay that can be used later to submit as supporting evidence for an application to graduate school.
You may discuss your mentee’s work with them, but you are strongly advised to make sure that the student is following the directions given to them by their faculty or official honors thesis advisor. Any advice you offer should be general in nature and should support the recommendations of the official advisor and/or thesis committee.
If you are interested in becoming a graduate student mentor, please fill out this form.
Concerns and Suggestions
El Centro is coordinating this program in an effort to support undergraduates in the writing and completion of an honors thesis. Any concerns or suggestions regarding this honors thesis mentorship program should be addressed to Margaret Sena.