Sharing Insights from the Other Side of the Table — TYRA Mentor-Mentee Panel 2025
Abstract
On July 19, 2025, I had the pleasure of participating as a panellist in the TYRA Mentor-Mentee Program, where I shared insights from my experience on graduate school admissions committees. The session brought together around 75 live participants (including 60 online and 15+ via YouTube livestream), and the discussion has since reached over 200 views on YouTube.
It was an energizing and deeply rewarding experience to speak directly with so many motivated mentees preparing for their academic journeys abroad. I was invited to offer a European perspective—something that resonated well with the audience, especially given the diversity of application strategies.
Our panel focused on practical and strategic advice for graduate school applications: how committees weigh research experience vs. GPA, how motivation letters are evaluated, and what hidden factors (like internal quotas or faculty availability) often influence admissions outcomes. We also discussed how to tell an authentic story—grounded in evidence, not embellishment.
💬 A few comments from the audience really touched me:
“Thank you to all the speakers! I gained so much from this session!”
“Appreciate the thoughtful organization and the comparative insights from Europe and the US.”
“The panelists were incredibly enthusiastic—thank you for your dedication!”
According to the post-event survey, more than 90% of attendees gave full marks for satisfaction, length, relevance, speaker quality, and career development benefit. I’m thankful to the TYRA team, especially the moderator Meng-Hsuan, for the organization and their commitment to supporting early-career researchers.
📺 If you’re curious, the full recording is available below (in Mandarin).
Thank you again to TYRA for the opportunity and the beautifully crafted certificate of appreciation. I’m excited about future interactions and collaborations. Let’s continue building a strong ecosystem that supports students from pre-application to post-graduation, just as Project TYRA envisioned.
