"Is this the right place for me?": Starting your studies with a mentor

Which courses are important for me? Where do I register? And when and how do I get what information at the university? There are many unanswered questions at the beginning of your studies. Female first-year students can get help with this through the mentoring program run by the Equal Opportunities, Diversity and Family Office at RPTU: a mentor, an experienced student, supports her mentee, a first-year student.

"I've always been interested in natural sciences and wanted to study something in this direction," reports Selina Mehl, who is now in her third semester of a bachelor's degree program in biophysics - and adds: "My degree program is an exciting mix of chemistry, biology and physics." She really likes this interdisciplinarity. This way, she only has to decide later on what her future career should look like. Kira Vogel, who is also studying biophysics in her fifth bachelor's semester, also appreciates the fact that her course is so broadly based - "you never get bored with the three areas."

Enrol as early as possible - then you get support right from the start

The two students share a special bond: Kira is Selina's mentor. This was initiated through the mentoring program of the Equal Opportunities, Diversity and Family Office. "Our project brings tandems together. These are an older student who is at least in their third semester and a first-year student from the same subject," explains Christine Klein, who coordinates the whole thing at RPTU. The aim is for the experienced student to advise and support the first-year student in her first two semesters - and perhaps warn her about one or two stumbling blocks. "The first decisive criterion when forming a tandem is that both students are studying the same subject. If there is a larger selection, I look for shared hobbies and interests," says Christine Klein about the selection process. She recommends interested first-year students: "Apply for the program as early as possible. That way you get support right from the start."

"You have a contact person with experience"

Selina, a first-year student at the time, first heard about the mentoring program via an email that landed in her inbox at the start of the 2023/24 winter semester. "It immediately appealed to me," she recalls. "Because the transition from school to university is a big challenge. You have to organize yourself completely at university. For example, you have to put together your own timetable." The exchange with her mentor helped her a lot with all of this. Mentor Kira, who was a mentee herself a year earlier, can only confirm the advantages of the program: "You have a contact person with experience. I didn't have to find everything myself via the university website. There is one person you can ask anything. And you get tips that you might not otherwise get."

Kira and Selina met for the first time in Christine Klein's office - around two weeks before Selina started her studies. "Afterwards, the two of us walked around the campus. I showed Selina the university library and the canteen," Kira remembers. A year has passed since then. A year in which the two of them were in regular contact. During a stressful exam period, for example, Selina asked her mentor Kira spontaneous questions. She even asked where she could get a lab coat. And Selina remembers another challenging situation: "An exam registration date was about to expire. I didn't know how to register. Kira then explained to me that I could register there in writing. And that the deadline had been met." Kira: "Whenever Selina asks me anything, I always imagine how I felt a year ago. And I ask myself what helped me back then. And that's exactly what I try to pass on."

"I continued my studies thanks to the mentoring program"

For Kira herself, starting university was once a unique challenge - in the truest sense of the word: she was alone in her year. "The mentoring program therefore has a very special meaning for me. With the help of my mentor at the time, I first went to the professors. We asked whether courses were taking place at all." This made her realize how familiar the RPTU campus is: "You can simply knock on a professor's door. I wasn't even aware of that before." Through her mentor at the time, she also came into contact with biophysics students from the higher semesters: "At the beginning, I had doubts as to whether I should continue with my studies. But these contacts encouraged me and I continued my studies."

Communicating proactively and preventively as a mentor

What would Kira recommend to future mentors? "It's important to reassure them first if they have problems. And to show the mentee that there is a solution to every problem." She also recommends proactive communication: as a mentor, you can simply ask your mentee - after an exam, for example - "whether something went well". Selina knows from her own experience that asking questions like this does a lot of good. And Kira adds: "As a mentor, you can also think about the problems you had yourself at the beginning of your studies - and then point them out." A preventative approach, so to speak.

Kira sums up her time as a mentor as follows: "Overall, you acquire a wide range of social skills. Skills that you can put to good use for the rest of your life and career, and not just if you eventually take on a management position. Speaking of careers: Where do you want to go professionally later on? Kira: "My dream job is to be an astronaut. But I can also imagine working in medical research. My degree gives me a broad base." Selina is not yet sure what she wants to do later. After her Bachelor's degree, she wants to do a Master's degree first. In the near future, however, she can definitely imagine becoming a mentor herself.

Workshops and exciting contacts

Help with the start of their studies - a total of 68 first-year students took advantage of the mentoring program last winter semester. Christine Klein tries to bring all mentees and mentors into regular contact. In addition to joint barbecue evenings or Christmas parties, there are also information events organized by the mentors themselves. These events focus on experiences with doctoral studies or scholarship programs. All participants are also invited to workshops where they can expand their soft skills: "Confident appearance" is one topic, for example, as are "Learning techniques" and "Social branding - building and expanding a strong personal brand".

Kira and Selina really appreciate the fact that they have contact with the other mentors and mentees in this way. "It gives you an insight into what you might be able to do yourself later on," says Selina. For example, she once got talking to another biophysicist "who is currently working on her doctoral thesis". Christine Klein believes that this kind of exchange is exactly what is needed: the participants should form networks with each other - make exciting contacts. "Sometimes you might have a slump during your studies," summarizes Kira, "but the exchange shows that all the effort is worth it. The mentoring program shows you what cool things are possible."

Interested in taking part in mentoring for first-year students?

The registration phase for the winter semester 2024/25 has begun.

For further information, please contact:

Christine Klein

Mentoring for female students

Equal Opportunities, Diversity & Family Office

in Kaiserslautern

Mail: zv-mentoring[at]rptu.de

or at

Mentoring for female first-year students - RPTU University Kaiserslautern-Landau

Due to the high level of interest shown by first-year students in mentoring, the team at the Equal Opportunities, Diversity and Family Office would be delighted to hear from other female students in higher semesters who have the time and inclination to support a first-year student as a mentor at the start of her studies. If you are interested, Christine Klein will be happy to tell you more.