Maggie Curran was overwhelmed. Sitting in a massive ballroom tucked within The Hotel at the University of Maryland, she listened intently as current doctoral students outlined the rigors of graduate school at UMD’s 2018 graduate school orientation. It was akin to drinking from a fire hose. “I came from UMass, so I’m used to a large state school environment, but UMD is enormous,” said Curran. “I remember thinking, ‘how am I going to remember all of this?”
Curran got lucky, connecting early on with a second-year URSP student, Lauren Stamm, who had similar research interests and who knew the ropes. “Lauren was indispensable,” says Curran. “She could clue me in on what classes to take, different research styles of professors and where to find internships that matched my interests.”
Now a second-year grad student in the urban studies and planning program, Curran is paying it forward through a new peer-to-peer mentorship program launched this fall by the Student Planning Association (SPA). The program pairs second year planning students with incoming first years, helping them navigate the intricacies of graduate life at UMD.
The idea for the mentorship program was hatched by SPA President Ellen Kortesoja, who benefited from a similar program at the University of Michigan as an undergrad, and who experienced the sometimes-overwhelming first year experience at UMD last year. “I had spent years in the workforce and was trying to remember how to write a paper again, how to get back in the mode of school,” she says. “I remember my first week; I couldn’t find the bookstore. I asked 12 different people and they all said different things! Navigating a new program, a new campus, new people, plus life outside of school is a completely different experience.”
When she became an officer of SPA this past year, launching the mentorship program was at the top of her list. “Our hope is to try and alleviate the initial angst of being a first year by putting someone in their corner from day one.”
Through regular mentor-mentee meetings and social events, students get a better handle on academic questions, which is particularly helpful for those who are coming back to school after years in the workforce. It also guides first years through the practicalities of campus and program essentials, like parking, GIS mapping and landing a graduate assistant position. “The first year can be so stressful,” says Curran. “It’s a totally different mindset and way of thinking than ever before.”
First year planning student Jonathan Katz, who was paired with Curran through the program, says he was anxious about managing a work/life balance after spending the past several years working in accessible communications for New York City Government. “Maggie has helped me get in the mindset of thinking early about things,” said Katz. “Coming from an often-last-minute government agency, that did not always occur to me, and that has helped. It has made me more comfortable in realizing that yes, I can do it here!”
Whenever possible, first year and second year students are paired by research interest. For Curran and Katz, that is accessibility. Curran was able to introduce Katz to coursework he had not considered and that has broadened his research scope. The mentorship arrangement is something Curran finds mutually beneficial. “It’s really nice to have another person who has the same planning interest as me.”
Kortesoja is hoping to expand the program later this year to encompass the program’s tightknit network of alumni. “Our alumni are such a valuable resource, not just in helping us connect to professional life, but in helping us explore different opportunities in planning,” she says. “It would be a great next step.”
Interested in learning more about SPA’s mentorship program? Contact Ellen Kortesoja at ejaneen@umd.edu.