Host - Matt

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Commercial Law (LLM), Class of 2011

Matt is an attorney working in Renewable Energy Finance and is based in Boston, USA.

Why did you want to get involved with the Insights programme?

I felt drawn to get involved with the Insights programme for two reasons:

1. I have had many different professional mentors throughout my career.  I think it’s extremely important, as a professional, to offer any guidance and support that students and young professionals might need.  I’m happy to be able to give back in this way.
2.  I felt very connected to the University of Edinburgh and its alumni while I was studying there.  This is a great program that the University has developed and I’m delighted to take part both to stay in touch with the University community generally, and to provide guidance and mentorship to a select group of students each year.

What experiences did you offer students?

I’ve structured my student visits as informal networking sessions.  I do have some prepared materials, but I always say that if we don’t get through them, it’s a good thing! 

I try to put myself in their shoes, thinking back to when I was at university, and create a space for open dialogue and questions and discussions they might not feel comfortable having with family, friends, or University staff. 

I try to keep the discussions fairly generic as to different professions, but always providing specific examples and experiences to highlight a point.  The students have always been quite engaged and ask thoughtful and genuine questions. 

Was being an Insights host what you expected?

I’ve been a part of the Insights Programme for several years now so I know the routine fairly well.  But when I first got involved, it wasn’t quite what I was expecting.  The University structures the Programme so the students are forced to take a lot of responsibility and act autonomously in a new city/country.  That was a bit of a surprise for me, but in the end a good thing for them to develop independence and confidence they’ll need in the future.  

What have you gained from taking part?

Networking and mentoring is so important throughout everyone's career and getting to "pay it forward" has been very rewarding for me as a host. 

Being a host is a two-way street!  It feels really great to be able to give back and see students take advantage of this opportunity.  I've enjoyed receiving emails asking for advice and being able to provide some (hopefully!) meaningful guidance.  I even connected a couple of students with professionals in their specific area of study. 

What would you say to alumni considering applying to be a host?

The Insights Programme can be just as rewarding for hosts as it is for students and you can learn a lot from them too! 

The students will come from varied areas of study, so keeping any professional advice more generic and broadly applicable is a good idea.  Asking questions of the group at the outset is a good way to draw them out of their shells a bit if some of them are more reserved.  Offering practical help down the line is a good way to stay connected too – for example, I’ve been taken up on offers to provide feedback on CVs and I’ve also offered to do mock interviews and talk about potential career paths on a video call every now and then as they progress in their professional development. 

Also, when you’re actually hosting the students, it can be helpful to share a small personal anecdote at the beginning of the session to help break the ice.  For example, I always ask what they’re surprised about being in America for the first time.  I’ve also shared about the time I was first asked to go to Edinburgh for a work assignment and I told my boss that I was excited because I had ‘never been to Ireland!’  I was embarrassed once I figured it out, but it’s also an illustrative example of what a benefit this Programme can be – the students get exposed to international travel and fantastic new experiences before being “forced” into it in the work place.  It helps them to know that they’re not expected to know everything right away – the “professional” make mistakes too and it’s a way to connect with them during their first time abroad.