A rant about “mentor style”. #academictwitter @academicchatter
Honestly, "mentor style" is kinda BS, and an excuse for departments and PIs to blame bad mentorship on "incompatibilities" when really PIs should do a better job mentoring. (1/12)

It seems like at least weekly I see a post with advice for people pursuing degrees that emphasizes finding a good mentor and finding someone with a compatible "mentor style". (2/12)

It is true that having a good supportive mentor can be extremely helpful during a PhD, and it is true that some ppl more naturally work well together and it is helpful to have such a match. Having a bad relationship with an advisor can be a terrible experience. (3/12)

I wish there was more advice circulating @academictwitter for how Pls can be better, more flexible mentors, and more discussion about institutional initiatives to facilitate this. (5/12)

You would never hear such emphasis on teaching style at any other educational institution. Can you imagine: "Sorry your child did not complete 4th grade - their learning style was not compatible with the teacher"? (6/12)

Or even a college-level class with a small number of students, that regularly failed only a certain type of learner? It would not be acceptable. (7/12)

It's the job if educators to be flexible to the needs of diverse students. If universities are still collecting thousands of dollars for tuition from grad students, Pls need to be treated as educators. (8/12)

Finding a PI with the right "mentoring style" for them shouldn't be an additional criteria for students to navigate. Training mentees is part of the job, and prestigious research institutions should have high quality flexible mentors, regardless. (9/12)

This really should be on the departments and PIs, not the students. It's not like most grad students can 'vote with their wallet' to change this. (12/12)

That said, this widespread advice makes some faulty assumptions: 1) That an incoming grad student knows what kind of mentoring they will need, and 2) that they have choice between multiple PIs and universities who will take them. Both of those things are rarely true. (4/12)

Perhaps this should be a bigger factor in job searches. Letters from former mentees and mentorship success statistics in tenure packets? Department exit interviews from grad students could be a good start to get more data. (10/12)