Student Success

What Mentors Actually Look For in Weekly Submissions

By CyberSNova Team · June 25, 2026

Every week, mentors read through dozens of student submissions for the same task. A few small habits consistently separate the reports that get strong feedback from the ones that get a generic "good job."

Explain Your Reasoning

A report that says "I used X because Y didn't handle the edge case correctly" tells a mentor you understand the problem, not just the syntax.

Show What Didn't Work

Mentors read this as a sign of real engagement, not something to hide — struggling productively is part of learning, and it's visible in a well-written report.

Structure Beats Length

Keep your report organized: a short summary, what you did, what you'd improve given more time. A wall of unstructured text makes even good work harder to evaluate fairly.

Key takeaway: Ask a specific question if you're stuck, instead of a vague "please review." A specific question gets a specific, more useful answer back.