Variables Correlated with Satisfaction with a Mentoring Relationship In First-Year College Students and Their Mentors

The present study examined variables that impact first-year college students' satisfaction with paired mentoring relationships. Ninety-seven participants in a mentoring program for first-year college students were randomly placed into either dyadic or network mentoring conditions and matched on the basis of shared academic major. Participants were surveyed to determine their relative satisfaction with their mentor and the mentoring experience. Mentees' and mentors' reports of satisfaction were compared with demographic and personality variables to determine if those variables related to the success of the match. No differences in satisfaction were found between those in network and those in dyadic mentoring relationships. Frequency of contact was positively correlated with satisfaction. Demographic similarity was not correlated with satisfaction. First-year students and their mentors, therefore, appear to be equally as satisfied with network mentoring relationships as they are with more traditional, dyadic mentoring relationships. Further, both students and mentors are more satisfied with mentoring relationships when there are more contacts between mentor and mentee or network members. Implications of these results are discussed in terms of future research and in creating a mentoring experience for first-year college students.