"Better Together" Mentorship Program

Program Schedule:

Application Period: November 12-21, 2025
Orientation and Information Session: November 24-28, 2025
Mentoring Period: December 1, 2025 - March 1, 2026
Certificate Ceremony/Closing Event: March 15, 2026

The Better Together Mentorship Program is a mentorship initiative that brings together Sabanci University alumni and final-year students to encourage the sharing of knowledge, experience, and networks.

The program allows students to shape their career plans with the real-world business experience of alumni, while offering alumni the opportunity to contribute to the Sabanci community and interact with the new generation.

Better Together strengthens the bond between alumni and students, while extending the community's culture of "learning together" beyond graduation.

Program Purpose

Sabanci University aims to build a strong, inspiring, and sustainable connection between its alumni and students, guided by the "Better Together" philosophy.

The Better Together Mentorship Program incorporates the experiences of alumni into students' career planning, while also enabling alumni to contribute to the Sabanci community and strengthen their sense of belonging.

This program aims to:

Bring together the knowledge, experience, and guidance of alumni with students,
Support students in shaping their career goals,
Create a lasting sharing network within the Sabanci community,
Increase alumni engagement and keep the "Sabanci spirit" alive after graduation.

Who Can Benefit from the Program?

Mentors (Alumni)

Be a graduate of Sabanci University,
Have at least 2 years of professional work experience,
Want to share their own experience and contribute to students' development,
Be able to participate on a voluntary basis.

Mentees (Students)

Be a 4th-year student at Sabanci University,
Want to prepare for their post-graduation career,
Be students who want to learn about different sectors, shape their professional orientation, and participate in an active learning process.

Program Structure

Duration: 3 months (November 20, 2025 – February 20, 2026)
Meeting Frequency: Minimum of 3 meetings (online or face-to-face)
Participation: Based on volunteerism
Support: The program is facilitated by the Alumni Relations Office
Follow-up: Monitored through a pre-program introductory meeting, a mid-term evaluation, and a satisfaction survey
Language of Communication: Turkish or English (determined based on matches)
Meeting Environment: Matching via the SuConnect platform; one-on-one meetings can be held via Zoom or face-to-face
Closure: A certificate and thank-you letter will be sent to participants at the end of the program

Mentor and Mentee Roles

Mentee's Role: Learner, Explorer, Contributor

Prepared participation: Defining their goals before each meeting to make the mentoring process efficient.
Being open-minded: Being receptive to different perspectives, new learnings, and feedback.
Communicating actively: Maintaining regular communication with their mentor, taking ownership of the process, and showing initiative.
Progressing with goals in mind: Clarifying short and long-term career goals and creating a step-by-step plan to achieve them.
Taking responsibility: Adhering to meeting times and mutual decisions, taking responsibility for their own development.
Being sharing-oriented: Contributing to the community by sharing their experiences, learnings, and suggestions at the end of the program.

While the Mentee directs their own career journey, they also recreate the solidarity culture of the Sabanci University community.

Mentor's Role: Inspirer, Guide, Supporter

Sharing experience: Transferring the knowledge, skills, and observations gained in the business world for the mentee's development.
Providing guidance: Helping the mentee discover their strengths and achieve their goals.
Being a source of motivation: Strengthening the mentee's self-confidence through realistic, motivating, and constructive communication.
Providing a professional perspective: Informing the mentee about career dynamics, industry trends, and business ethics.
Establishing an equitable relationship: Viewing the mentorship process as an opportunity for mutual learning and approaching it with empathy.
Giving feedback: Objectively sharing the mentee's areas for development throughout the process.
Sustaining the sharing: Contributing to the program's development by sharing their experiences, observations, and suggestions with the Alumni Relations Office at the end of the program.

The Mentor is not merely a source of information transfer; they are a guide, a role model, and a Sabanci University Alumni ambassador.

Program Benefits

For Students (Mentees): The opportunity to guide their career journey with experience

Introduction to the real business world:
The opportunity to directly learn about the dynamics of different sectors, workplace culture, and professional expectations under the guidance of alumni.
Career planning support:
The opportunity to discover their strengths together with their mentor, shape their career goals, and develop a concrete action plan.
Professional orientation and self-confidence:
By better understanding their own potential, they can take their post-graduation steps more consciously and decisively.
Access to a networking network:
Joining the extensive professional community formed by Sabanci alumni; gaining new connections, internship, and job opportunities.
Inspiration and motivation:
Increasing their motivation by learning from real career stories, including successes and mistakes, and continuing their own journey with confidence.
Sense of belonging:
Gaining the awareness of becoming an active part of the community in the future by experiencing the "Sabanci spirit" before graduation.

For Alumni (Mentors): The opportunity to grow by sharing, inspire, and contribute to the community

Giving back to the Sabanci community:
Contributing to the sustainability of Sabanci culture by sharing the values, experiences, and gains received from the university with the new generation.
Connecting with the new generation:
Becoming a bridge between two generations by closely understanding the expectations, ways of thinking, and changing dynamics of the era among young people.
Developing own leadership and communication skills:
Strengthening competencies in empathy, active listening, guidance, and giving feedback during the mentorship process.
Professional satisfaction and personal development:
Gaining a new perspective on one's own career along with the intrinsic satisfaction of contributing to a student's development.
Belonging and community awareness:
Re-experiencing the shared values of being a Sabanci University graduate and becoming an active representative of the community.
Creating sustainable impact:
Ensuring that the contribution made to a student's career transforms into a long-term impact that spreads throughout society.