Vistula Mentoring - Vistula School of Hospitality

Discover the Mentoring Program

Mentoring Program was created to support and encourage new students to manage their own learning. Our goal is to help them maximize their potential, develop their skills, and improve their performance. The Program has been successfully running at Vistula University since December 2015. It started with 12 teachers and 60 mentor-students and served more than 300 Mentees. After a year, the number of Mentors increased rapidly and they started to support almost 1500 Mentees.

The main aims of the Mentoring Program are to make the new students’ university life simpler, comfortable, meaningful and colorful. A Mentor, on the other hand, can benefit from the Program by getting a chance to understand a new culture.

How it works

A dedicated person (Mentor) supports, teaches, leads and serves as the model for a freshman student.
Peer mentoring model is implemented in Vistula University.
Mentoring can also be initiated by a Mentee and can happen informally when an individual seeks advice and support from someone else.
Mentoring is only one form of support. Individuals may be supported in other ways, e.g. by colleagues (peer support), line managers, counsellors, tutors/teachers and groups. It is important to recognize that an individual may have a variety of support, for a variety of reasons, including more than one mentor, at any given time and that this structure of support may vary over a period of time.

Who is a Mentor

Mentors are volunteers who offer their time to help new students make positive changes in their lives. A mentor is a guide who can help the mentees find the right direction and who can help them develop solutions to any problems. .

Who can become a Mentor
- A second or third year student at Vistula University.
- Vistula University’s postgraduate.
- Vistula University’s employee.
A good Mentor's profile
Organizational Skills
- Planning
- Scheduling
- Recording
- Time Management
- Evaluating
- Report Writing
- Prioritizing
- Making processed work easier
Interpersonal Skills
- Negotiating and Influencing
- Non-judgmental
- Compromising
- Good Listener
- Non prejudicial
- Can provide leadership
- Tolerant
- Giving constructive feedback
- Reflecting
- Mediationship
- Coaching/Teaching
- Has a good sense of humor
- Self-awareness
- Motivating and encouraging
- Caring
- Maintaining Boundaries
Mentor's activities and responsibilities
A Mentor:
- Has the universal ethical and moral principles.
- Is well aware of the University’s internal organization.
- Accepts program steps, rules and responsibilities during the process
- Helps to complete necessary processes and procedures before the election and matching (Mentees can select their Mentor. After the selection, the couple is matched. Chosen Mentor will support the Mentee during the whole year).
- Provides accurate information during the application process.
- Takes part in educational and starting meetings before the matching phase.
- Takes part in surveys and evaluations. Supports activities during the learning process.
- Dedicates the necessary time and energy during each session (10 meetings, one session lasts 1.5-2 hours).
- Adheres to the program policies and procedures.
- Within one year stays connected with the program for at least 8 months.
- Supports the process of giving feedback, reporting and evaluation throughout the program.
Mentor's goals
- Developing ability to challenge, stimulate and reflect.
- Increasing Mentee’s life satisfaction.
- Passing on knowledge and experience.
- Providing intellectual stimulation.
- Offering career advancement opportunities if possible.
Why it's worth to become a Mentor
- The peer mentors are usually among the most talented students at a given institution and represent a “model student”.
- Many students who serve as peer mentors find this work to be one of the most powerful and memorable experiences of their student life. They often describe the experience as life-changing.
- Participation in peer mentor program can be a useful tool in the retention of students at the University.
- Peer mentor program also provide outstanding leadership development training that is not common to the typical student experience.
- Peer mentor positions can also awaken interest in a particular fıeld. Frequently these students will turn this interest into a career goal and begin to seriously consider further education in order to become a teacher/lecturer or student affairs professional.
- What’s more, a Mentor:
- gets awareness of own learning gaps,
- develops ability to give and take criticism,
- develops up-to-date organizational and professional knowledge,
- gets networking opportunities,
- masters leadership, organization, and communication skills.