NMC Mentees
Studying physics is both incredibly rewarding and challenging. Successful people depend on mentors to help them. The APS National Mentoring Community is an effort to advance APS’ mission of fostering a vibrant, inclusive, and global community by facilitating meaningful mentoring relationships and providing a community of support for physics students, especially those facing barriers to success.
NMC mentees are currently enrolled undergraduate and graduate students who are studying physics or a related field at an institution in the United States (including the five US Territories). Students from all backgrounds are eligible to sign up as mentees. The NMC offers tailored programming for students historically excluded from participating in physics and other STEM fields.
Benefits
When you join NMC as a mentee, you have:
- Access to a network of over 300 mentors across physics and related fields who can help accelerate your education and career
- Joined a community of undergraduate and graduate students studying physics and related fields who may have similar experiences and backgrounds as you
- Access to program-specific resources, such as the NMC Emergency and Experience (EMERGE) Fund
- Opportunities to attend exclusive in-person and virtual NMC convenings
- One-year free student membership in the American Physical Society
Mentoring timeline
Mentees join the NMC on a rolling basis. Once you join the NMC, you can search and request up to three mentors. When you request a mentor, they will receive a notification, and may accept or decline your request for any reason.
Within a week of being matched, you will contact your mentor to establish an initial meeting. After the first meeting you and your mentor should establish a regular schedule to meet and discuss progress.
At the end of each academic year, you may choose to remain matched with the same mentor(s) for the next academic year.
Quick chats
If you aren't looking for a long-term mentoring relationship, connect with an NMC Mentor for an informal 15-30-minute informational interview-style "Quick Chat" about topics such as graduate school preparation, resume feedback, or career options. Before requesting a "Quick Chat" with a mentor, please review our Quick Chat Guide.