PhD candidate The University of Texas at Austin Austin, Texas, United States
Introduction: To first-year international doctoral students, there are many challenges to face when they land in the US and pursue their academic dreams, such as cultural differences, language barriers, and more. A peer with more local living experience would boost the fit-in process for these first-year international doctoral students. Concurrently, BME undergraduates might be overwhelmed by postgraduate choices and career path selection. A peer with more research and academic experience would be very helpful for the undergraduates to make their academic decisions. Thus, we introduced the iBMEntored Buddy Program, a novel initiative designed to create a unique mentorship environment for first-year international doctoral students and domestic Biomedical Engineering (BME) undergraduates, in which doctoral students and undergraduates can help each other with their complementary experiences and perspectives. The program aims to address challenges related to cultural diversity, language barriers, academic goals, and social acclimatization for international doctoral students while providing BME undergraduates with insights into postgraduate aspirations, research expertise, and cultural interests.
Materials and
Methods: The iBMEntored buddy pairs, consisting of an international BME doctoral student and a BME undergraduate, will bewere integrated into UT BME's successful BMEntored program. Leveraging the success of the existing program, the iBMEntored Buddy Program facilitates weekly meetings or alternative activities throughout the first year, fostering understanding, friendship, and the successful navigation of shared challenges. Participation was open to all first-year international BME doctoral students enrolling in Fall 2023 and interested BME undergraduates. The structure encourages mutual mentorship with flexibility in meeting formats, including traditional meetings, shared meals, social events, local excursions, or research-focused pursuits. To date, we have successfully paired up 5 pairs of buddy pairs. All buddy pairs have reported successfully meeting up multiple times throughout the semester and will continue to do so for the following semesters, even after the program ends. All pairs have developed unique dynamics between the two students. For example, a pair reported that the iBMEntored buddy became the person’s best study buddy while they were both preparing for the exams/the medical college admission test. Another pair reported that they had developed a deep friendship and met up even more frequently than once a week. The graduate students also reported that the program helped their transition to the new environment more smoothly.
Results, Conclusions, and Discussions: By combining the success of the BMEntored program with a focus on the first year international PhD students, the iBMEntored Buddy Program is expected to tremendously enhance the overall educational experience for international students who are new to the US, promoting a sense of community within the UT BME department.
