Editorial: Advisers by chance, mentors by choice

College is more than a collection of courses and credits — it’s a time of growth, discovery and planning. Having the right people to guide us can turn chaos into a clear path. 

We all get the emails prior to the registration period telling us to meet with our adviser and get our registration pin. 

Advisers can be valuable, but it’s also challenging to connect on a personal level with them when they have to meet with so many students in a short period of time. During registration season, it’s hard to tell what differentiates ourselves from all the other students they have to meet with in our transactional interactions, where we tell them our courses in exchange for a six-digit pin that allows us to register. 

While these meetings certainly have a purpose, the importance of finding mentorship in other parts of our lives outside of academics is too often overlooked. 

As students, it’s important to have mentors alongside us while where we’re growing both professionally and personally, because knowing we don’t have to figure everything out on our own makes all the difference. 

Sometimes one conversation with the right person is enough to shift a perspective, remind us of our strengths or encourage us to take a leap we might otherwise avoid.

At Lehigh, we’re fortunate to have the academic support systems set in place for us. Every undergraduate is assigned a faculty adviser and expected to meet with them over the semester. 

The university describes faculty mentors as “one of the most valuable resources in the educational process.” They’re meant to help students select classes that fit their goals and interests, walk them through program options, talk through career plans and point us toward other resources on campus if we need support, like the Center for Academic Success, Counseling and Psychological Services or the Career Center.

Advising looks different across colleges. In the P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science, first-years work with the Rossin College First-Year Advising Team until they declare a program.  

For the College of Business, students begin with an adviser in the Undergraduate Programs Office, then move to a faculty mentor within their major for more in-depth guidance. 

Students in the College of Health are paired with a faculty adviser for their entire academic journey, with additional support from professional staff advisers. Program-specific integrated degrees assign first-years to work with program advisers and faculty co-directors, then add mentors in their chosen disciplines. 

There are also pre-professional advisers, such as pre-law, pre-medicine and pre-MBA, who can be contacted through the Center for Career and Professional Development.

There’s clearly a variety of advising programs offered, but building meaningful connections with people who are older, experienced and willing to share advice outside of academics can be more impactful than relying on advisers. 

Mentors offer more than class scheduling advice. They bring experience, perspectives and encouragement to students still figuring out who they want to be and where they want to go. 

Sometimes, faculty advisers can serve that role. But not all students will find our mentors through the university or from an assigned professor who gives them a pin — and that’s completely fine. 

Mentors can be alumni, coaches, supervisors or peers who have already walked the path. By learning from their stories and guidance, we gain perspectives that can’t be found in a syllabus or on a degree audit.

They can also be family members or community members outside of the university, with advice that complements what we learn from academic advisers and a reminder that important lessons happen beyond our campus all of the time.

It’s important to find people who help us see the bigger picture, especially when we’re buried in exams, deadlines or internship applications. Those who remind us to pause, breathe and remember that growth isn’t only measured in grades or bullet points on a resumé are an important break from the pressure of an adviser telling us we have to take a certain number of classes to graduate.

There are mentorship programs at Lehigh, including the Mentor Collective where students are assigned to first-years to help them through the college transition. This partnership can be valuable if those involved truly make the most of it.

But true mentors, and those who leave the most impact far beyond graduation, are the ones you wouldn’t expect to have found, whether it be a professor in a random class, a leader of a club or the assistant coach of a team.

Having someone who believes in your potential not because they’re assigned to you by the university, but because they truly value their relationship with you, can change everything about a college experience, especially when lessons learned from them can last a lifetime.