Mentor Requirements
What You Need to Join OnNetwork as a Mentor
To be considered for a mentorship position, applicants must meet the following criteria:
Eligibility
- Currently enrolled as a full-time or part-time student at an accredited university.
- At least 18 years old with no history of academic misconduct or disciplinary actions.
- Access to a Google account and a computer with a working microphone and camera.
- Must apply using your university email address so enrollment can be verified.
Skills
- Maintain flawless grammar, spelling, and punctuation in all written work.
- Break down and clarify admissions essay prompts so students fully understand the question and its underlying expectations.
- Guide students in shaping their experiences into compelling, authentic stories.
- Give clear, constructive feedback to improve readability, tone, and overall impact.
Availability & Professionalism
- Have at least 10 hours available each week for students to book through the platform.
- Respond to messages on the platform within 24 hours of receiving them.
- Keep all information discussed with students strictly confidential.
- Ensure all communication with students stays on the platform and is always respectful, supportive, and professional.
What You’ll Do as an OnNetwork Mentor
These are the core actions every OnNetwork Mentor is expected to take during their work with students.
- Provide live, constructive feedback on college application essays during scheduled sessions.
- Edit for clarity, structure, grammar, and style while preserving the student’s voice.
- Break down prompts, set a session goal at the start, and end with clear next steps.
- Have the ability to share your own admissions essay live if the student requests it.
- Keep all communication on the platform.
- Arrive 5 minutes early to sessions; respond to messages within 24 hours.
- Maintain confidentiality and communicate in a respectful, supportive, and professional manner.
Step-by-Step: How to Spend Time in a 50-Minute Meeting
Follow this flow to keep sessions focused and productive. Adjust slightly if the student needs more time on specific areas.
Greet the student and review the student’s top priorities. Set a clear goal for the session.
Read the student’s essay live, pointing out minor fixes and noting the larger issues that will need more attention. Share the plan for addressing these during the session.
Spend this time working with the student on the most significant issues that you and the student agree are most important to address.
Focus on the minor issues and areas where more clarity is needed. Strengthen sentences, improve word choice, and make sure each part of the essay supports the student’s main ideas.
Spend the final minutes giving the student space to ask any questions or bring up anything they’d like to address. Confirm they feel confident about the next steps they should take before ending the session.