Purpose
Document how the smart matching engine pairs students with suitable mentors.
Matching Criteria
The algorithm considers the following factors, weighted by importance:
- Career Goals Alignment (30%) — Match between student's stated career interests and mentor's professional expertise
- Subject Interest Overlap (20%) — Common academic subjects and knowledge areas
- Language Compatibility (15%) — Shared languages for effective communication
- Schedule Compatibility (15%) — Overlapping availability windows accounting for time zones
- Geographic Relevance (10%) — Priority for mentors familiar with the student's educational system
- Mentor Capacity (10%) — Current mentee load vs. maximum capacity
Matching Process
- Student completes profile and interest survey
- Engine runs nightly batch matching for new/unmatched students
- Top 5 mentor suggestions generated per student
- Student reviews suggestions with mentor profiles, match score, and compatibility breakdown
- Student sends connection request to preferred mentor(s)
- Mentor reviews student profile and accepts or declines within 72 hours
- If accepted, pair is established and first session can be scheduled
- If all suggestions declined, engine generates fresh batch within 48 hours
Manual Browsing
Students can also browse the full mentor directory independently, filtered by expertise, language, location, and availability. Manual connections follow the same request/accept flow.
Re-Matching
If a mentorship pair is not working out, either party can request re-matching. A brief exit survey captures feedback to improve future matches.