Take notes

Taking notes is essential, even if you believe that you have a phenomenal memory. First, you're human, and humans have a short span of attention. You are bound to forget at least some crucial insights, words, and terms your mentor mentions during the session. Mentors may view you as unreliable and disrespectful if you ask them to repeat things too often.

Second, writing is thinking. Keeping notes can help you mark confusing areas and formulate relevant questions at the end of the session. Additionally, taking notes demonstrates that you take the meeting seriously and don't treat it as chit-chat. This doesn’t mean you have to jot down every word a mentor says. Optimize your work by writing the main ideas and using short forms ("Approp." for "appropriate") and symbols (&). You can even add links alongside your notes if you're using a digital notebook.