At a personal level, I think it has helped me more than the mentees! That’s because in trying to make them avoid mistakes, I found a lot of things I did that I shouldn’t have, and it forced me to think in retrospect. |
Reflective thinking |
The faculty mentor deserves all due respect and in those student mentor-mentee meetings, this part is greatly ignored in fun. Instead, the students should take the opportunity for easily approaching their faculty and having a hand on them in case of distress (which is very rare in other medical colleges in India). |
Discovery, respect |
It (the program) has made me realize that there is more to UCMS than lectures, postings, and practicals. I have started LIVING in UCMS rather than just STUDYING in it. |
Self-realization, social skills |
The student mentor orientation program should be for 12 months, subject to extension. Even if one person benefits, it’s worth it. |
Altruism, analysis |
This program is for building partnerships and mutual respect rather than solving their (the mentees’) problems. |
Understanding |
As in the current situation (strict ragging rules), we are losing interaction among seniors and juniors. This program attempted to harmonize things to quite an extent. |
Social interaction, remedial |
The indirect benefit (by helping mentees in studies) that I got was a quick revision of embryology, which is helping me in surgery now-a-days. |
Teaching, productivity |
Great job, but we need to be constantly striving for more innovation and reaching out to everyone, even those who are shy. |
Communication, innovation |
Realized and enjoyed the feeling of being a senior…felt good…and realized that the guidance has to very appropriate as it can have a great impact on the other person’s decisions. |
Guide, positivity, self-esteem |
I did not have much interaction with my assigned mentees. However, I did have a lot of interaction with other juniors (unassigned mentees), which helped me enhance my communication and problem solving skills. |
Communication, problem solving |
It’s really satisfying to see your mentee pass where most other students have been held back. |
Confidence, self-satisfaction, career advancement |
This program intends to do away with ragging and only maintain the so-called benefits of it, i.e., junior-senior interaction. I got to meet a few more juniors who had similar interests without having to look for them and create an uneasy feeling in the beginning. |
Social interaction |
There are several first-year students who did not take advantage of this program, which led to a waste of the wonderful resources of students and faculty. So I suggest screening the students, perhaps a month or two later after their admission, for who would really be part of this program, not just on paper, and become great alumni of this college. |
Leadership, concern, goal setting |