Like mentorships in the United States, an international mentorship offers students a connection with an ethical, successful, and professional mentor. It is an opportunity to observe leadership while gaining cultural knowledge, strengthening language skills, and building a strong sense of self-efficacy. However, an international mentorship is not at all similar to studying abroad. For instance, students do not have a local program or support system. Although the student is matched with a mentor, she is not connected to a network of peers and must develop her own network of friends and colleagues, a task that is particularly challenging given the short span of the mentorship.
International placements can be lonely experiences for individual students.
For this reason Leadership Rice tries to place students abroad in pairs. We have seen that two students are often able to support each other, share their experiences, and help one another see and do more than they might if each was there alone. We prefer to make international mentorships in collaboration with interested students. Past international mentorships have been in Argentina, Cameroon, Chile, England, India, Israel, Morocco, Mexico, and Spain. If you are interested in an international mentorship, the ideal time to plan it is in the fall.