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With Fran Northcutt, Honors Adviser, Hunter College of the City University of New York
HoH Video
of the Week
Let's Talk About Professors
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Are You My Mentor?
HEAD Start
By now, a hundred people have probably told you that it's not what you know, it's who you know (actually, what they should have said is, "it's whom you know"!). Allow me to be the 101st! A great mentor - someone who helps you build up your skills and advance in the field of your choice - can make all the difference to your success.

HEAD Lines
MENTOR POSSIBILITIES:
  • Professors - particularly in your major or field of interest. Read up on the research your favorite professor is doing; you may even be able to get involved as a research assistant!

  • College administrators. If you work in admissions, the registrar's office, the fundraising division, or some other campus department, there's a good chance you'll find an administrator willing to take you under his or her wing and help you develop as a professional.

  • Internship supervisors. If you're interning, don't let the end of the internship be the end of the relationship with the organization and your supervisor. Keep that relationship alive, and you'll reap the benefits throughout your career!
So once you've got someone in mind, what comes next? Think of it as a professional courtship. Just like in the world of romance, you have to find out if the two of you are compatible. Keep the conversations going, and gradually share some of your hopes and dreams with your prospective mentor. You'll know when the time is right to take things to the next level!

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From Other HEADS
GETTING TO KNOW YOUR PROFESSORS might not seem important now, but those relationships will come in handy when you need a recommendation for a job or grad school application. The best way to get to know a professor is to work on a project where he or she is the advisor, and is able to get a real sense of your personality and passion for your work. Attending office hours once in a while also helps. Spending that extra hour a week will make for a more personal and detailed recommendation.

-- JACOB SZE
CORNELL UNIVERSITY


I HAVE ONE PROFESSOR who might end up my mentor. She's trying to convince me to go into human biology. This professor has her own lab funded by the National Institute of Health. She has a ton of resources and she's cited in our textbooks. It is just really cool to have kind of famous people as professors.

-- MARIA
STANFORD UNIVERSITY


Web Resources
You don't have to be an honor student at the University of Arizona to benefit from this excellent advice on finding a mentor!

www.honors.arizona.edu/HonorsStudents/mentoring.htm

And you don't have to be in the Ivy League to follow Brown University's advice on talking to professors about their research:

research.brown.edu/research/forstudents_waystolearn.php


HoH Tips
  • Feeling a little intimidated by this whole project? It's okay to take baby steps. Start by making a list of prospective mentors. That's all you have to do today! That wasn't so bad, right?

  • If your college has any peer mentor programs, it's a great idea to start there. You can work your way up to "grown-up" mentors - and besides, there are plenty of things you can learn from a peer that you couldn't get anywhere else.
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