Help CenterWe’re proud of our diverse student and mentor community at Designlab, and most of the time assigned matches work well. With that said, we’re all humans, and sometimes we just don’t click, whether on a personal level or in terms of how we see the world.
If you’ve just been assigned a mentor and feel like they might not be a good match, before requesting a switch, here is what we ask for you to do:
1) Give your mentor a fair shot. It's important to note that more years in the field does not equal a better mentorship experience. There is a lot more to someone's background if you take the time to speak with them, and every mentor brings something unique to the table. All of our mentors have been thoroughly vetted, so you can rest assured that all of our mentors have the required experience and skills to guide you through the course. You can view more information here about our vetting process.
2) Make sure you schedule and attend your first mentor call. This is a good opportunity for you to respectfully set expectations with your mentor on what you want to get out of the course, and what works best for you in terms of feedback (i.e. do you prefer a more direct mentorship style or a more nurturing approach?)
3) Communicate and problem solve. If you have any concerns about your mentorship experience (for example, you would like for them to provide more resources in their feedback), it's important to respectfully keep open communication about these things. Our mentors are there to encourage your growth as a designer and are willing to adjust their approach to make sure you are getting the support you need, but they first need to be made aware of your specific learning needs.
As a general rule, we ask for Short Course students to work with their mentor for at least 1 week before requesting to be switched. However, if your request is related to scheduling issues, you can definitely reach out to us ASAP so we can get you set up with a mentor with a more compatible schedule.
Please note that the switching process can take up to 3 business days, as we take care to make sure that we are matching you with the best possible mentor.
If you’d like to request a change of mentor, please contact the Support Team.