Mentors Improve the College Experience of Engineering Undergraduates

The Graduate, Undergraduate Initiative for Development and Enhancement (GUIDE) program was created and launched at Michigan Technological University in the Fall 2002. This program was founded on the premise that having a mentor improves the overall college experience of engineering undergraduate students and their preparation for the real world. The goal of the program is to provide a unique mentoring opportunity to undergraduate engineering students from underrepresented groups. This paper describes the structure of the program, quantitatively and qualitatively examines the effectiveness of the program. The level of success is evaluated quantitatively via measures including GPA, number of interviews and internships received, and student retention in engineering and science. Qualitative data on students’ university involvement, GUIDE program satisfaction, and overall college experience is summarized. These data are used to evaluate the effectiveness of this mentoring program for engineering undergraduate students.