Mentoring as a way to support my studies

Transcription

1 AT THE BEGIN OF STUDIES GET INFORMED Mentoring as a way to support my studies Mentoring Programme: Each student will be allocated a mentor at the beginning of your study. The mentor is one of the professors involved in teaching in the MSc Programme IFBC. He/she will support you to plan your career and to identify the pathway how to best reach your personal and professional goals. He/she is also the person to contact if you need a letter of reference to be presented to outside organisations (e.g. for studying abroad), and he/she is also available if academic problems emerge. The mentorship programme is mandatory and essential for your study-success. However, it is obligatory to meet with your mentor within the first four weeks of the first semester. A second meeting is compulsory at the end of the first or at the start of the second semester. The results of these meetings must be documented on the form enclosed. It is also highly recommended to also contact your mentor if you have to make decisions on matters such as elective modules, internships, specialisation areas, going abroad etc. Based on the documents you submitted, the Examination Board assigned two (or three) bridging modules to you. Changing one bridging module by another one requires written approval by your mentor. He/she will recommend this change to the Examination Board only if he/she is convinced that your knowledge already meets the requirements. The Examination Board deals with organisational and other matters specified in the Examination Regulation. You may send suggestions and applications direct or through your semester speaker and/or the student representatives within the Examination Board. What are my tasks as a mentee? 1. Be informed! Inquire in your faculty/ your study program about the organisation of the mentoring system and find out who your mentor is. My mentor: 2. Take responsibility! You are jointly responsible for the meetings with your mentor to take place and should therefore act accordingly. M. Sc International Food Business and Consumer Studies 2

2 3. Prepare meetings with your mentor! Work continuously with the Studien-Portfolio! For example you should. document the progress of your studies as well as your accomplishments file feedbacks on scientific works (chap. 2) and certificates of additional qualification (chap. 6) in your Studien-Portfolio note down which learning techniques you used, what you used them for and what your experiences were (chap. 4). (Further information about how to use the Studien-Portfolio can be found in chapter 1.) Your Studien-Portfolio facilitates to reproduce and comprehend the progress of your studies and thereby supports you and your mentor to usefully plan the next steps in your studies. Right before the meeting: Think about what you want to discuss in the meeting. Use the guideline Preparing the meeting (chap. 5) to become aware of questions you have and subjects that currently bother you in your studies and structure the meeting. Furthermore, prepare the minutesmaster Meetings with my mentor (chap. 5) by writing down the main aspects. M. Sc International Food Business and Consumer Studies 3

3 BEGINNING REFLECTION ON PREVIOUS STUDIES Guideline Reflection on Previous Studies At the beginning of this Master study program you should take few moments to reflect on those aspects that led you here. Answer the questions below and use the material given in this section to write down your findings as well as further information about the knowledge you bring along. What did I do before starting this study program (e.g. other study programs, employments, participation in projects)? Which courses/ lecturers influenced me most in my previous studies? Why did they have such an impact on me? Which are the scientific projects I most enjoyed working in? Why did they interest me? In which areas do I want to work in the future? Why does this area interest me? Why did I choose to obtain a Master degree? M. Sc International Food Business and Consumer Studies 4

4 AT THE BEGINNING OF THE STUDY PROGRAM WRITE DOWN Table Previous Studies In this table you can summarize aspects of your previous studies you consider important for obtaining the Master degree. What When Title Description OTHER PROJECT TERM PAPER M. Sc International Food Business and Consumer Studies 5

5 EVERY SEMESTER THINK OF TOPICS AN QUESTIONS Schedule Reflection on my study progress To successfully obtain your Master degree in the given time we recommend checking on the progress of your studies regularly. By using this table you have the possibility to gain information such as when it would be reasonable to discuss which topic with your mentor or the advisory service. Here you can also write down further questions and issues you want to talk about. Semester Topics Done? 1 st semester Meet your mentor to check on: How to use the Studien-Portfolio, how to organize your studies, to reflect on your study progress and your learning strategies as well as your experiences based on previous studies. 2 nd semester 3 rd semester Meet your mentor to check on: How to organize your internship, how to reflect on additionally acquired skills, how to start with your Master thesis. 4 th semester M. Sc International Food Business and Consumer Studies 6

6 Previous Studies: Short information about Scientific Projects and Works General Information COURSE TITLE LECTURER SEMESTER KIND OF PROJECT/ Term paper Project WORK Report of Internship Presentation JOINT PROJECT Title Yes No Team members Other: Content (Summary) Relevance.. for my own scientific profile...for obtaining my Master degree M. Sc International Food Business and Consumer Studies 7