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Stop, Think, & Move Ahead: A Program about Self-Reflection
The Office of Undergraduate Advising and Academic Programming recently kicked off a series of dinner events aimed at encouraging students to reflect on their experiences as MIT undergraduates.
Stop, Think, & Move Ahead is inspired by the “Just Desserts” reflection-based program developed jointly by the Technology and Culture Forum and MIT’s Public Service Center. Each dinner will focus on a shared MIT experience, with a goal of creating an opportunity for students to stop for a moment in their busy lives and engage in thoughtful conversations, all in a supportive and comfortable setting.
On March 10, seventeen Associate Advisors joined UAAP and faculty advisors in the Bush Room for dinner and conversation, using this opportunity to reflect on their important roles as peer mentors to freshmen. Discussion centered on the benefits and challenges of assisting first year students in the transition to campus life and the academic rigor of MIT, as well as maintaining collaborative relationships with faculty and staff freshman advisors.
Dinner conversation was lively. Associate Advisors discussed why they become involved with freshmen advising, what they have learned about being leaders and mentors, what they enjoy most about it involvement. Hopefully, the evening’s participants took home a sense of accomplishment for their efforts in their role of advising freshmen, as well as an appreciation for the benefits of stopping for a moment to reflect on the contributions they make to the MIT Community. Read are some of the thoughts that emerged from the evening’s discussion below.
Reasons for involvement:
- The foremost reason for becoming associate advisors was a desire to help freshmen. Connecting with faculty, receiving 6 units of credit and including the experience on their resume was inconsequential.
- Personal fulfillment was found to be another motivation behind the involvement in associate advising as well as learning how to advise in a structured manner.
- Expressions of feeling lost as freshmen were voiced, and in some cases, they wished they had a reliable associate advisor to be their point person when issues arose their first year.
Challenges experienced:
- Challenges experienced as associate advisors included communicating with their advisees and getting honest answers from them on how they are “really” doing.
- Responsiveness from advisees was another challenge encountered. It is often difficult to get advisees involved in the activities they plan or to receive replies to the emails they send.
- The connection with faculty or advisors can pose challenges. Some advisors seem uninterested in planning activities.
- Finding a balance and point of agreement between the advisor and associate advisor on giving advice to the freshmen needs to be reached and better communicated.
- The importance of making inroads into the relationship with advisees by finding common interests was seen as part of the process of becoming better associate advisors. “Even walking from a class or event together can break the ice” or reveal a common denominator.
Finally, associate advisors in attendance appreciated the experience of reflecting on their advising roles and agreed that there should be more opportunity for self-reflection in our busy lives and programs that encourage thoughtful discussions.
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