Imagine you’re sitting in your dorm room, unsure if you should switch your major. Your current grades aren’t what you hoped; you feel like you’re falling behind your peers and like a fish out of water.
That’s exactly where mentorship makes a difference. Programs at top universities like Arizona State University (ASU), the largest university in the US by enrollment, show how mentorship can keep students on track and guide them toward real career clarity.
An ASU report found 97% of mentees said the program helped them to make a plan for their long-term career. Meanwhile, 80% saw themselves staying at the university for the next five years. A study of 42 mentor programs by the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities (APLU) found that over two-thirds of students felt either an improved sense of belonging or stayed on their course partly due to mentorship.
To get additional insights into how large universities support mentorship and student success, we also reached out to Nova Scholar for their perspective on the largest university in the US and how institutions of that scale foster a strong sense of community among students.
These stats represent students who might have dropped out but stayed, as well as those who found confidence in their college future through mentorship. Mentorship can benefit many parts of your student life, including mental health, confidence, and a sense of belonging.
The Academic Impact of Mentorship on University Students
The mentor/mentee relationship goes way beyond what the numbers show. Let’s say you’re staring at a failed midterm, and you think you’ve picked the wrong major. A mentor doesn’t just tell you it’ll be okay; they also help you not to fixate on that one grade and remember what you’re actually working toward. And honestly? Sometimes that’s exactly what you need to stop spiraling.
Say you meet up with your mentor every couple week to talk through where you’re at. Sure, you might complain about your cranky professor for a minute, but mostly you’re figuring out a real game plan to actually understand the material before the final hits.
Research from international universities backs this up, especially for students performing below average. Over 56% of students providing feedback in this study found a mentor strongly beneficial to their academic performance.
Feeling Like You Belong Through Peer Mentorship
Schools with peer mentoring programs see real results, with students sticking around longer, feeling like they actually belong, and graduating at higher rates. Peer mentors, like seniors on your course, are so relatable because they were literally just in your shoes. They remember exactly how confusing and difficult to navigate college feels when you’re new.
For example, your peer mentor can relate that, while one of your prof’s classes feels impossible, they grade fairly. They can also give insights unique to your university, like the best spots to review your class notes in peace and avoid the hectic main study lounge. These personal insights from someone who’s been there, done that, can help you feel like you fit in.
Stay Accountable and Avoid Procrastination Through Mentorship
Your mentor messages you on Sunday night: “How’s that bio lab report coming?” Suddenly, you’re motivated to finish it instead of cramming the next morning. Or, maybe you struggled with a chemistry exam. Instead of getting down about it, you text your mentor, and by the next day, you’re together reviewing your study approach and realizing you’ve been memorizing formulas instead of understanding concepts.
Accountability works because someone is tracking your progress and celebrating your wins, aside from your professors. Outside support like this can help you build confidence, change your study habits, and prevent procrastination.
Ways you can gain a little extra from academic mentorship:
- Look for peer mentoring programs in your department or through advising offices
- Ask a junior or senior in your program to grab coffee once a month for informal mentorship and support
- Set up regular check-ins with your mentor, even if they’re only for 10 or 20 minutes
- Come prepared with specific questions or challenges you’re facing
- Share your academic goals at the start of each semester and ask for advice on study habits
How Mentorship Programs Prepare Students for Career Success
Mentorship programs can bridge the gap between academic learning and professional readiness, helping students transform classroom knowledge into the real-world skills employer’s value most.
Turning Classroom Learning into Real-World Skills
Graduate mentors from top universities can prepare you for the future, as they’ve done the work you’re trying to break into. A mentor who’s spent five years as a software engineer at Google can tell you that knowing Python matters more than that fancy blockchain certificate, or that the AWS certification everyone’s hyping is worth your time, but that a generic data science bootcamp probably isn’t.
Mentoring significantly develops self-confidence and self-efficacy in interpersonal and communication skills that employers seek. For example, let’s say you’re a marketing major working on a campaign analysis project. Your mentor can provide insight into the kinds of findings real clients will ask you for. This helps you turn your homework into portfolio material you can use in job interviews long after graduation. Suddenly, that assignment isn’t busywork, it’s portfolio material you’ll reference in interviews.
Setting Long-Term Goals and Career Vision Early
Most freshmen start with vague ideas of what they want to do in the future, like, “I want to work with technology,” or, “I like helping people.” A mentor can help you zero in on a goal: “Okay, you like technology. Let’s talk about whether you want to build it, sell it, secure it, or manage the people who do.”
Within a few conversations, your interests become actual roadmaps. Your mentor helps you see that, if you want to work in cybersecurity, you need CompTIA Security+ before graduation, should join the cybersecurity club to compete in CTF challenges, and might want to pivot that computer science elective toward network security instead of game development.
How mentorship programs can prepare you for career success:
- Role-play common interview scenarios
- Ask your mentor about the biggest gap they noticed between school and their first job
- Come with three possible career paths and ask them to identify required skills and credentials for each
The Emotional and Mental Health Benefits of Mentorship
Mentorship plays a crucial role in supporting students’ mental health by reducing stress, easing anxiety, and creating a sense of stability during the ups and downs of college life.
How Mentorship Reduces Student Stress and Anxiety
College throws a lot at you, and honestly, grades are just the tip of the iceberg. Research shows that peer mentoring actually lowers stress and anxiety in undergrads, even for students in high-pressure programs like nursing.
Maybe you’re homesick for the first time in your life. Or your roommate situation is a disaster. Or everyone else seems to have found their people already and you’re still eating lunch alone. A mentor gets it. They’ve been there, and sometimes you just need someone who understands what you’re going through.
Here’s the thing: what feels isolating to you is something tons of students deal with. Your mentor will probably have their own version of your story, and hearing that you’re not the only one struggling? That makes a bigger difference than you’d think.
Building Confidence and Emotional Resilience
Mentorship can make a big difference when you’re trying to build confidence in your course and yourself as a whole. When you’re doubting whether you belong in your major, maybe you’re the only person in your family going to college, a mentor who believes in your potential can help quiet those doubts.
Say you’re preparing for a big presentation in front of a packed lecture hall. Your mentor can meet you for practice runs and help you work on areas of presentation when nerves hit hardest. Maybe they once blanked during a presentation, recovered, and received props from their professor afterwards. Such insights and convos can really build confidence in what you’re doing.
Ways to collab with your mentor to help build confidence and resilience:
- Be honest with your mentor about what’s actually stressing you out, not just academic stuff
- Celebrate wins together, like telling your mentor when you succeed at something that scared you
- Let your mentor connect you with resources like counseling services or student support groups
- Set up check-ins during high-stress periods like midterms and finals
Mentorship as a Catalyst for Student Growth
Mentorship can have several positive outcomes. It can help improve your grades, build your confidence, provide emotional support, and give you clear direction for your future. As a result, it’s easy to see why such a high percentage of mentees go on to complete their current university course. Programs at top universities, including some of the largest universities in the US, are very successful because they combine expert advice with genuine support.
Your college experience isn’t just about accumulating credits or maintaining your GPA. It’s about developing into the best version of your adult self by being pushed to grow by those around. Mentorship is an exceptional vehicle for pushing you in the right direction.
Ready to find the perfect mentor? Check out what programs are on offer at Nova Scholar and get paired with mentors from top 25 universities!
Bio: Chloe Avril is a contributing writer at NovaScholar.org, where she covers global education trends, student opportunities, and academic innovation. She previously studied French and Philosophy at Oxford University.
She’s passionate about helping international students navigate admissions and scholarships worldwide.
