Penn undergraduates are getting a taste of their futures along with some free coffee.
A partnership between the Graduate and Professional Student Assembly and the Undergraduate Assembly at Penn will pay for students who are interested in graduate school to grab coffee at Starbucks or Cosi with a graduate student mentor.
The program is mostly organized and funded by the Graduate Student Center with input from GAPSA and the UA. While it has been around since 2003, it is rarely publicized, Wharton and Engineering senior and UA President Tyler Ernst said. “It hasn’t gotten the level of attention that it deserves.”
This year, GSC is trying to use social networks such as Facebook to ensure that chats between undergraduates and their mentors continue beyond the initial coffee date.
“I think social networking services will also help mentors and mentees to stay in touch,” said Anita Mastroieni, the director of the Graduate Student Center.
“Our goal is to match undergraduate students interested in graduate schools,” she explained. “With this program, students will make good decisions.”
After undergraduates apply for a mentor, the GSC reviews graduate student mentors to find the best match. If a student is interested in a subject area that is beyond the list that current mentors cover, the GSC will recruit additional mentors.
Once mentors receive a match, they go through brief training and receive information on how to give good advice.
Student pairs may opt to receive a $15 Starbucks or Cosi gift card to pay for coffee and snacks.
Jeremy Yoo, a junior in Wharton and the College, said he found this program at the end of August and is very satisfied with it.
Yoo, who is planning on getting a Ph.D. in finance or economics, received a lot of information from his mentor.
“I didn’t expect much from the program at first, but I am getting so much more than I expected,” Yoo said. “My mentor is really enthusiastic to help me as much as possible and try to provide as much information as available.”
He liked the fact that he could specify his gender, ethnicity or academic field preferences when he filled in his application. Most of the graduate students who apply to become mentors are either ones who hoped to get advice when they were undergraduates or ones who have already benefited from mentors and want to do the same thing for somebody else, Mastroieni said.
Currently, 215 undergraduates are engaged in the program, most of whom are sophomores and juniors.
