Mentorship
Rationale and Learning Objectives
Clear The MIST Mentorship Program 2023 is UTMIST’s inaugural cohort-based mentorship and networking program (from early Feb to late March), aiming to help first- and second-year students transit and succeed in university-level research and learning.
By the end of this program, you’ll be equipped with skills and fundamentals to seek for new research opportunities, reach out to professors you’re interested in working with, and apply for UofT’s scholarships on your own. These include ESROP, UTEA, SUDS, ROP, NSERC, and more.
By joining this mentorship program, you’ll gain:
- A thorough smooth transition to university-level learning and research
- Paired guided quality mentorship with an upper-year or graduate student
- Gain the skills and fundamentals to seek research opportunities with profs
- A chance to connect with like-minded peers and professors in the field
- Opportunities to apply to UofT scholarships, such as ESROP, UTEA, and NSERC
Program Structure
The program will consist of:
- a kick-off meet-to-greet event & introduction to research
- a few interactive sessions between 2-4 paired mentees and mentors
- one in-person group event tailored to mentees to gain skills (or a special event about advanced ML topics)
- one conclusion and reflection meeting with consolidated relationships building
Timeline
Feb 17, 2023: Kick-off Event & Intro to the Program
Feb 17 to March 24, 2023: Mentor-Mentee Paired Communication
March 3 to March 24, 2023: Drop-in Discussion sessions
March 24, 2023: Technical Interview Workshop & Roundtable
March 31, 2023: Reflection
Clear the MIST Mentorship Program Leadership
Application
Due to the nature and objective of this program, we will prioritize first- and second-year students who don’t have any research experience with professors or labs. For the first cohort, we aim to accept 12 - 20 mentees, and we welcome students from all backgrounds of study. You don’t need to be in an Engineering or Computer Science program.
We’d like to thank you for your interest to Clear The MISTxMentorship Program 2023 and UTMIST. The application to this program has been closed and we’ll be more than happy to see you applying to UTMIST roles or programs in the next academic year!
FAQ
- What’s the purpose of having UTMIST’s first mentorship program? Why did we decide to have it this year?
The purpose of this program is to help first- and second-year students transit and succeed in university-level research and learning. We also aim to assist in building trusted relationships with like-minded upper-years and graduate students.
This year, we discovered from our general club applications that a substantial majority of applicants are looking to build a network with talented peers who’re interested in ML and AI. Furthermore, UTMIST’s founding mission is to bridge the gap between undergraduate students and graduate students, professors, and companies involved in machine intelligence. We hope to prepare students for success at any level in this field, whether it be research in academia or industry work. Therefore, we hope to start with beginners, offering them the necessary skills to find their first research experience on-campus and/or scholarships and funding.
- How does Clear The MIST Mentorship differ from other mentorship programs? Why is it unique?
Clear The MIST Mentorship Program combines interactive communication sessions between paired mentees and mentors with informative workshops to gain fundamental skills. These workshops are tailored and exclusively offered to mentees. We may also include a special event to examine an advanced machine learning topic with mentees.
Throughout this program, we’ll provide mentees with guides, prompts, and additional resources to facilitate discussion with mentors and help them gain insights from mentors’ experience. By the end of this program, mentees will be equipped with skills and fundamentals to seek new research opportunities, reach out to professors you’re interested in working with, and apply for UofT’s scholarships on your own. These include ESROP, UTEA, SUDS, and NSERC.
- How does UTMIST evaluate mentees’ applications, and how should I prepare for it?
We will carefully evaluate your application based on your articulated interest and proven passion towards machine learning, whether it be research or industry work, as well as your commitment to engage with UTMIST. You’re encouraged to thoroughly reflect on your interests and passions. A demonstrated enthusiasm for UTMIST’s events and programs is highly valued. We will not evaluate your application based on your resume, program of study, technical strength, or academic performance.
- I have some research and experience with ML, and I’m looking for more advanced support on my personal projects or field of research. Is this program suitable for me?
Clear The MIST 2023 comprises the inaugural cohort of UTMIST’s mentorship programs. Due to the nature and objective of this year’s mentorship program, we’ve decided to keep it on a small scale by only establishing a beginner track for those interested in finding their first research or industry opportunity. Therefore, if you have experience already and are looking for advanced opportunities, this year’s mentorship may not satisfy your learning objectives.
However, we aim to expand the program in the next academic year by having two more tracks: A research-oriented track for those applying to graduate programs and advanced research, and an industry-oriented track for those looking for PEY co-ops, internships, and full-time opportunities after graduation. To help achieve different levels of learning goals, we aim to onboard more graduate students (including PhD candidates), industry professionals, and faculty members as our mentors in the future.
- Will Clear The MIST Mentorship program be offered in the next academic year?
Yes, it will be offered next year, though the exact date has not been decided yet. We will aim to expand it by having two more tracks, as explained above.
We’d like to thank you for your interest in UTMIST and hope you can apply for it! If you’re interested in becoming a mentor or having a collaboration with UTMIST, please send an email to our Gmail (utorontomist@gmail.com), and we will respond to you in a timely manner.
