Information for students

"Mentoring is a brain to pick, an ear to listen to, and a push in the right direction."

There’s no ‘one best way’ to successfully transition from student to a professional in your chosen field. Nor is there a 10-step plan to follow to achieve career success.  The ‘magic formula’ for landing your dream job or creating a rewarding and fulfilling career is YOU. 

Mentors are an invaluable source of expertise and support as you prepare to embark on the transition from study to the workplace, from student life to life as a thriving science professional. 

They can help you gain a new perspective on how to enhance your employability, explore career pathways or options, communicate your potential to a prospective employer, deepen your understanding of workplace culture, help you establish meaningful career or personal development goals, creating a healthy work/life balance and so much more. 

Our mentors are experienced professionals from UQ’s Faculty of Science alumni and industry partners. They come from a diverse range of industries and professional backgrounds, and possess a varied range of strengths, skills, expertise and life experiences. 

How does the program work?  

Science Connect is a career mentoring program that teaches you how to think about your own employability by giving you the opportunity to connect with a mentor of your choice. 

Throughout the program, you will connect with your mentor in a series of meetings to have conversations relating to your employability, career, and personal development. This is your opportunity to seek guidance, gain a new perspective, build your network and learn new skills so you can enhance your overall employability and kick-start your transition into a thriving career – all in a way that’s relevant and meaningful to you.

During the program we expect students and mentors to work together to build a positive, productive mentoring relationship and achieve mutually agreed goals and outcomes. 

As the mentee, you are responsible for being proactive in setting up your meetings with your mentor and coming prepared to each meeting with topics or items you’d like to cover in your discussions.  

Your sense of curiosity, passion for learning, communication and relationship-building skills will help you to get the most out of your mentoring relationship. 

If this is sounding foreign or perhaps a bit overwhelming, rest assured we’ve got your back every step of the way. 

What's the time and commitment involved?

1. Pre-program Training

Upon acceptance into the program, you’ll receive full training and support to empower you with the information, tools, and resources to support your mentoring relationship and help you make the most of the opportunities this program provides. 

All students must complete this training in order to gain access to the Chronus Mentoring Platform where you'll be able to view mentor profiles and connect with mentors participating in the Science Connect Program.

A live training session is planned for Wednesday 6 April 2022. If you are unable to attend the session, the training will be available on Blackboard for you to complete online.

2. Your relationship with your mentor

We recognise that every relationship is different, and the duration of individual relationships will be influenced by how you agree to work together with your mentor.

However, to make the most out of an ongoing mentoring relationship, we recommend having around 3 meetings over the course of the program, and if you both agree, continue connecting with each other and building your mentoring relationship well beyond the program's official conclusion. You never know what possibilities and opportunities these relationships may bring in the near or distant future.

3. Additional Events

Program Launch Event
In addition to your mentoring sessions, you will be expect to attend the virtual program launch event you will have the opportunity to connect with mentors and other students participating in the program. This will be held on the morning of Tuesday 12 April 2022. Details will be communicated to successful applicants. 

Mid-program virtual check in session
You will also be expected to attend the mid program virtual check-in session for students and mentors that will be conducted online. The session is about an hour in duration, and is an opportunity for you and your mentor to reflect on your mentoring relationship to date and share your learnings and experiences with other program participants in a relaxed, supportive environment. 

Other events
We are planning an interactive event just for Science Connect Mentees and Mentors. The program will conclude in July with a closing event and end of program reflection.

Ready to roll up your sleeves and get to work creating your future? 

This program is best suited to students who are curious, driven, self-motivated, and open to the possibilities their future career holds.

Applications for the 2022 intake have now closed. Please email sci.advancement@uq.edu.au to register your interest in joining a future intake.  

Applications tips

Places on the program are limited, and your acceptance is not guaranteed. Before you apply, please take some time to carefully consider why you want to be mentored and how you think a mentor can guide you to kick-start your career.

Your suitability for this program will be determined based on your responses to the application questions. 

In your application we are looking for you to demonstrate:

1. The strengths, attributes and characteristics unique to YOU.
2. Your current understanding of mentoring and why being mentored is important for you to better understand yourself and the capabilities you possess.
3. The outcomes you hope to achieve by participating in this program.    

We are also looking for evidence that support any action(s) you have taken to date towards enhancing your employability or working towards a specific goal related to your future career.