No one gets to where they are without some kind of mentor figure, but it can be hard to know the best ways to communicate with a potential mentor and the best questions to ask.

To help you prepare for meeting with your mentors and get the most out of your time with them, here's a partial list of questions that might get the conversation going.

1. What do you wish you knew as an undergrad?
2. What is a tip or trick that you learned in Neuro that you’ll never forget and has helped you often in your career? (fun fact about neuro)
3. What is a set of skills that has proven invaluable in your career (especially ones that seem hidden or unlikely)?
4. If you could do it all again, what would you do differently?
5. What goals do you want to accomplish in your career still?
6. What is a failure that has motivated you forward in your career?
7. What is a success that has motivated you forward in your career?
8. What do you still struggle with in your career and how do you deal with it?
9. What is a microagression that you have experienced in your career and how did you deal with it? (particularly gender, but could be sexuality/ethnicity/race /etc.)
10. Have you had an experience where you were expected to perform emotional or mental labor that was not a part of your career and how did you deal with it?
11. Do you feel like you have to work harder in order to attain success?
12. How did you get to your current job? (describe your work and daily operations)
13. Was there a time you got a job that you felt not qualified for?
14. Was there a time you didn’t get a job, but you knew that you were qualified for and how did you deal with that?
15. Do you think that you have mastered a work-life balance?
16. What advice do you have for students about planning and balancing family and career?
17. What is a tip or trick you have learned from a mentor that has helped you? (life hack)
18. Do you feel responsible for being a good role model/mentor/leader? Why or why not?
19. Who has been an invaluable role model/mentor/leader to you? What did they do to make an impact on you?
20. What would you like to see happen in neuroscience? Where do you think the career is headed in the future?
21. What roles would you like to see more diversified in the field?