Frequently Asked Questions

What is mentoring?

Mentoring is when a more experienced person helps a person with less experience to achieve their own goals and helps them to reach their potential. Project Mentor in New Hampshire provides you with a college student from one of the University System colleges as a mentor.

What will a mentor help me with?

Your college student mentor will work with you to help you achieve many things. This could be anything from finding something that interests you, helping you with homework so you can get better grades, trying new social activities, or learning new skills. Your mentor is someone you can talk to—someone who will listen to what you have to say and not judge you for it. Your mentor will also have great ideas for crafts or fun projects you can do together.

How long can I have a mentor?

You can get a mentor in the sixth grade and have one for all three years of middle school. Some students get one in the seventh or eighth grade as well, because they might be new to a school or have experienced other changes in their life.

What if I don’t get along with my mentor?

The process to match you with a mentor is a very careful process and the likelihood of a bad match is quite small. But in the event that you don’t get along with your mentor, you should tell the middle school Project Mentor liaison or your guidance counselor. You will not get into trouble. The staff or teacher may want to talk to you about this and see if the two of you can work things out. If this is not possible, you may be rematched with another mentor.

Is what I tell my mentor kept confidential?

What you tell your mentor will remain confidential unless you or someone else is at risk of being harmed. Then your mentor must tell someone else in a position of authority.

How do I get a mentor?

Tell your parents, a teacher, or a school counselor that you would like to have a mentor. Every school matches the college student mentors and middles school students differently, but the common way includes a match based on both of your interests and likes, and the location of the college to your middle school. Some schools have recruiting events where a group of new mentors and middle school students get together to play games, eat snacks, and talk. At the end, students can be matched according to their preferences.