alumni mentoring program: the impact on the career planning process for international graduate students.

• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/2047/D20316525

International graduate students often encounter difficulties in making career decisions and may turn to help-seeking resources and guidance in order to assist them in making a successful transition into the American workplace. However, little research exists that focuses on international graduate students and the career needs of this specific population. This inductive analysis study sought to understand the experiences of international graduate students whose career interests and choices have been shaped through involvement in a university-based mentoring program through a conceptual framework based on Bandura and Lent's social cognitive career theory. Using an inductive analysis approach, this study engaged eight participants in a semi structured interview. The findings indicated five major themes, including: international status was perceived as a barrier to employment; the mentoring program provided an opportunity for the international students to enhance their career planning process; students described mentor qualities as important to the success of mentor-mentee relationships; students experienced personal growth through the mentoring program; and student engagement in additional campus support services increased the students' career planning process. This study concludes that international graduate students' experience in a university-based mentoring program was positive and acknowledged the importance of mentors in helping them grow professionally and personally as they completed their studies. Each participant noted the mentor's professional background and knowledge of industry as crucial for a successful mentor-mentee relationship. The findings are significant for college administrators as they illuminate a need for mentoring and potentially demonstrate a missing component for international graduate students as they begin their career planning process.