Your guide to a successful year with your GSP mentee!
table of contents
History and Mission (pg. 2)
Mentor Guidelines (pg. 3)
Typical Year (pg. 4)
Student Benchmarks (pg. 6)
Campus Resources (pg. 9)
Additional Resources (pg. 12)
Contact Information (Back Cover)
"Mentoring has been one of the most gratifying experiences of my life."
- Claire Joyce, Founder and Former Chair of the GSP Alumni Mentor Program (Claire and her mentee, Yaxeni Valero grabbing a bite to eat to celebrate her graduation in May 2021)
Since 2004, the Georgetown Scholars Program has provided an on-campus community and wrap-around services to support nearly 2,600 firstgeneration and low-income college students and alumni, with a graduation rate of 94%. GSP’s suite of programs and services includes community building activities, advising alongside alumni and peer mentorship programs, financial resources like micro-grants to offset unanticipated costs, and advocacy work.
The program aims to increase the sense of belonging for first-generation and low-income students and strengthen their academic and personal growth. GSP students have a community behind them, eager to see them succeed. As a GSP mentor, your personal and consistent connection with your mentee will support their ability to not only survive, but also to thrive.
Thank you for being a key part of this mission!
Mentors provide one-on-one guidance to GSP students on a wide range of topics including: navigating Georgetown and the college experience, encouraging career and academic interests, pursuing extra-curricular opportunities, and providing a caring, supportive, and informed perspective.
Connect with your mentee upon pairing via Zoom or phone. Share contact information and begin to establish a rapport. Meet your student in person, when possible, on campus or in your shared hometown (if applicable).
Connect monthly on topics of concern to your mentee: campus life, housing and financial stressors, internships, career guidance, study abroad, etc.
Explore resources provided throughout the year by the GSP team including: program opportunities and updates, best practices, articles on the first-generation experience, and other information to help you maximize your impact.
We encourage the students to consider five important behaviors to best utilize their mentors. They should be responsive, curious, authentic, vulnerable, & open-minded.
Get to know your mentee(s) a little better. The school year has officially kicked off, so remind students to not overwhelm themselves with classes + extracurriculars. Remind students to touch base with their on-campus mentors as well! This is also a good time to offer to help students with resumes, LinkedIn profiles, etc. (Check out the Cawley Career Center for tips!)
Midterm season continues through the end of November! Offer words of encouragement! Check in with students about their plans for Thanksgiving. Remind them that many students choose to remain on campus for the break, and that GSP plans free activities.
Reach out to your mentee(s); we highly recommend a Zoom meeting to help build a student’s Hoya network even before the first day of class!
Midterm season starts in October! Offer words of encouragement! Remind your mentee to attend office hours with all professors (they may appreciate guidance on this first conversation with a professor). Many students choose to fly home for Thanksgiving Break in November. Remind your mentee to buy tickets early since it gets pricey!
Finals! Offer words of support and encouragement. Check in with students about their plans for winter break – remind them that dorms and the dining hall close during this time. Help students interested in seeking professional opportunities during break by connecting them with nearby opportunities. It may be worth contacting their Regional Coordinator.
Welcome back to campus! Check in with students at this point to remind them that if they plan on seeking summer internship opportunities, they should begin looking into them now (and not wait until summer!)
Check in with students about their plans for the summer. Most summer opportunities have deadlines in early March/April. Spring Break is a great time to unwind but also to fine-tune applications.
Finals! Offer words of support and encouragement. If you have a senior mentee consider joining GSP at our Graduation Celebration! Offer congrats to grads.
Midterm season! Offer words of support and encouragement. Check in with students about plans for Spring Break. Remind them that many students choose to remain on campus for the break, and that GSP plans a bunch of free activities and meals during this time.
Check in with students about plans for Easter Break. Remind them that many students choose to remain on campus for the break, and that GSP plans a bunch of free activities and meals during this time.
Touch base with your mentee(s) throughout the summer and provide feedback on their activities and plans.
GSP 101 and Mastering the Hidden Curriculum (MHC), are two of GSP's many initiatives to better support first-year students as they arrive on the Hilltop. These programs help students adapt to life as a university student.
GSP 101: All first-year students are encouraged to attend a GSP 101 Session in their first semester to learn about what it means to be in GSP. This hour-long session is facilitated by GSP staff and includes a brief history of GSP, a breakdown of GSP's resources, and sample scenarios that students may need to navigate in their first year such as: I can’t afford books. Where can I find affordable books? It’s a family emergency, I need to go back home. What can I do? I’m feeling stressed about classes and homesick. Who can I talk to?
While GSP 101 serves as an introduction to students' first year at Georgetown, our hope is that our alumni mentors can provide students with versions of GSP 201, 301, and 401 covering topics like: financial literacy, networking, and fellowships. If your mentee needs a refresher on GSP resources, encourage them to check out our student resources page, talk with their peer mentor, or reach out to a GSP Student Advisor for more in depth talks!
Mastering the Hidden Curriculum (MHC): MHC is an academic class dedicated to supporting first-year students' transition to Georgetown and increasing their sense of belonging on the Hilltop. The course is all about building community, discussing and understanding what it means to be a first-generation college student and equipping students with resources to navigate college life. Students develop skills such as reading academic papers and attending office hours and grapple with difficult topics such as imposter syndrome and identity development.
As you may recall from your own time at Georgetown, years tend to be very cyclical. We hope that you found the previous section helpful in mapping out the year for students at Georgetown. Now, we’d like to focus on specific benchmarks and opportunities that will be helpful as you go year-to-year with your mentee(s). As we mentioned before, your relationship will evolve and morph over the years. Use the following benchmarks and opportunities to stay in tune to the experiences your mentee(s) is going through.
Students declare their majors. Each school has its own timeline, so be sure that your mentee(s) is checking in with their Dean. This is also a good year to have conversations about their interests and their talents. Many first-gen students tend to go for careers that they think of as “successful” – medicine, law, finance. It sometimes takes a reminder from a trusted person that they can be successful following their passions and interests.
The Bakers Scholars Program recruits its new cohort. Applications are accepted in the Spring Semester. Applications for study abroad go out late in the first semester (for summer) and into the second semester for the following year. Students begin to think about their summer plans. Encourage them to do a cost-benefit analysis of doing an unpaid internship (how to they plan to pay for rent, food, etc.), the benefits of going back home versus staying in DC, and the multitude of other variables that go into planning their summer. Start early! The Idol Family Summer Fellowship application deadline is in February.
Finance and Consulting Firms recruit in the Fall.
Students heavily seek out summer internships across all career fields. Applications for study abroad are available in both Spring and Fall. Check in with your mentee(s) about how they're feeling about their major(s) and minor(s).
Some students choose to study abroad in their Junior year, especially in the Fall
Finance and Consulting Firms recruit for full time positions in the Summer through to the Fall.
Students begin to seek out employment for post-graduation. Post graduate fellowship applications are available in the Fall.
Disorientation Weeks (Dis-O) in both the Fall and Spring.
Financial Aid counselors are on the front lines here! Every student is assigned two counselors, and encourage your mentee(s) to approach their counselors directly with questions about loans, scholarships, work-study and study abroad funding.
Above and beyond the scope of federal programs, first-generation college students have unique financial needs. The GSP Necessity Fund was designed to help offset unforeseen emergency costs including medical and mental health expenses, emergency flights home, tutoring, and more. Students can apply for funding as often as needed by using the GSP Grant Application. Funds are available throughout the year including summer. All applications are reviewed on a case-by-case basis by a committee.
The Cawley Career Education Center is the centralized resource for career and professional support. They host walk-in hours, one-on-one counseling, mock interviews, resume reviews, professional assessment tests, various campus recruitment events, and regular industry newsletters with opportunities for students of all fields.
If financial concerns are playing into your mentee's career-related stress, please know that the GSP Professional Development Grant is available to juniors and seniors. The Professional Development Grant aims to support GSP students with unexpected costs, in this case, related to academic and professional development. This fund is particularly useful in helping to cover the cost of GRE/LSAT/MCAT test preparation, travel to academic conferences, professional attire, travel to graduate school or job interviews, etc. Juniors and seniors can apply for this additional funding up to $300 a year (all applications are reviewed by a committee).
GSP regularly shares resources via our Achieve Corner on our website and opportunities via our Achieve Newsletter. Alongside our partners in Cawley, we share a summer funding resource guide early in the Spring Semester. We encourage students to begin planning their summer in January since many opportunities close in February and March.
Students can visit the Writing Center in Lauinger Library for support in their writing skills. The Academic Resource Center (ARC) provides comprehensive academic support including academic accommodations, yearly skills workshops, individual tutoring, study planning, and referrals for testing for learning disabilities. In addition to the ARC’s resources, mentees can contact departments as they often host free tutoring or contact GSP staff for additional resources.
Georgetown's on campus Counseling and Psychiatric Services, CAPS, are available to support students with their mental health. They see and treat thousands of students every year, and offer support in a wide variety of mental health issues including depression, anxiety, eating disorders, trauma, grief, and substance abuse. They also make referrals to city partners for students requiring more extensive treatment. Intake consultations at CAPS are FREE to all Georgetown students. For follow up visits to CAPS, the co-pay is waived for GSP students. The GSP Necessity Fund can also be a resource for additional mental health needs!
Students interested in Research and Fellowship opportunities can contact the Center for Research and Fellowships. There they can discuss opportunities, timelines, expectations, and requirements. Aside from opportunities via the Center for Research and Fellowships, encourage your mentee(s) to reach out to a professor whose class or work they enjoyed learning about. In many cases professors may have research opportunities within their labs or a colleague's that they can share once your mentee builds that connection!
The Hoya Hub Food Pantry is a resource for students experiencing food insecurity. Located in room 418 of the Leavey Center, it is a pantry stocked with non-perishable food items and students can visit as often as necessary. Other resources for students facing food insecurity on campus or at home can be found in our Social Services Database.
Please browse the Office of Global Education’s website for more information about programs and what to expect. Something helpful to keep in mind is that when studying abroad during the academic year, a student’s financial aid (including Georgetown scholarships!) “travels” with them. While studying abroad during the summer can be a pricey endeavor (since GU financial aid is limited for summer courses), it's worth encouraging your mentee(s) to contact their financial aid advisor and the director of the course/program they're interested in, to discuss potential funding options.
We are excited to continue growing the GSP Regional Network Program to provide GSP students with local networking opportunities, help with job/internship services, support with special circumstances, and a readymade alumni network for recent graduates. Our Regional Network Coordinators act as regional contacts for GSP students across the country. They are especially helpful if you’d like to connect your student with someone from their hometown or a particular city. We encourage you to introduce yourself to your local Regional Coordinator.
We’re proud to say that Georgetown’s LGBTQ Resource Center is the first of its kind at a Jesuit institution and a place that many of our LBGTQ students call home. Having said that, not all students that identify as LGBTQ are particularly active in the Center or in LGBTQ campus life. Allow your mentee to set the tone.
Keep in mind that a student’s legal immigration status is a delicate issue with very real implications. Please direct them to undocumented.georgetown.edu. This website has aggregated the resources available on-campus to undocumented students. If students have further questions, please direct them to a GSP Staff Member. To learn more about support for undocumented students, or if you know of students needing support, please contact the UndocuHoyas email address at undocuhoyas@georgetown.edu.
We have collected some articles and media that we think are just great. Please consider exploring these:
When a sudden, small expense threatens an entire college career by Karen Weese
The Privileged Poor: How Elite Colleges Are Failing Disadvantaged Students by Anthony Abraham Jack
The Deepest Well by Nadine Burke Harris, M.D.
Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover
Class Dismissed: When Colleges Ignore Inequality and Students Pay the Price by Anthony Abraham Jack
The Hidden Curriculum: First Generation Students at Legacy Universities by Rachel Gable
Podcast: What Happens To Low-Income Students In High-Priced Universities?
By Danielle Knight and Kathryn Fink https://the1a.org/shows/2019-02-25/the-privileged-poor
Podcast: Strength in the Midst of Change, Seeing Oneself As DeservingSupport, featuring Rachel Gable http://www.cew.umich.edu/story/rachel-gable/
