Coaching

Welcome to EPFL! We totally get it, starting your PhD can be a whirlwind of emotions. From piles of paperwork to navigating new cultures and finding a place to call home, it can feel overwhelming. But fear not, because the ADSV Student Mentorship Program is here to save the day!
 
How does it work?
  • You will be matched with a senior PhD student (post-candidacy), and you will have regular meetings with them for three months. These can range from every two weeks to just once or twice, depending on your preferences!
  • The meetings will serve as an opportunity for you to share your thoughts, worries and concerns about anything from lab life to finding housing and finances. They are there to listen to you, share their own experiences and guide you towards relevant resources. It’s also just a fun way to get to know more fellow PhD students! You will be provided resources and conversation topics too if you are not sure what to talk about yet.
  • After the three months, you will receive a survey about your experience, and also whether you would like to be contacted next year to be a mentor (and support the next generation of EPFL doctoral students!).
Your turn…
Excited already? Just fill out this form and let us know that you’re up for being matched with a mentor. Once you have signed up, we will get in touch and explain how the mentoring process works in more detail.

Click here to find your ADSV Coach!

 

WE ARE RECRUITING NEW COACHES!

Have you successfully passed your candidacy exam? Do you like helping and giving advice to people? Would you like to meet new PhD students? Then you have what it takes to be a mentor for a new PhD student!

Click here to become an ADSV Coach!

We are in the process of revamping the coaching system and we would like to implement a system in which each new PhD student will be assigned to a senior PhD student.

Some aspects that the coach could help with include:

  • Practicalities of moving to Switzerland/Lausanne
  • Advice on administrative issues
  • Help with selecting a mentor
  • Advice for the candidacy exam
  • Advice on how to structure lab work/notebooks/research plan
  • Advice on how to deal with the PI/colleagues

For the senior PhD students, this would be an opportunity to help a new student, to practise coaching, and hopefully to build a greater network in SV both for social interactions and for potential scientific collaborations. 

If you have any suggestions for the development, shaping and expanding of the coaching scheme, you are very welcomed to share your ideas with us, and do not hesitate to ask if you have any questions!

Contact us at [email protected]