We're very glad you're interested in the individualized Alumni Mentor program. As a reminder, by signing up for the program, you are committing to making contact with the alum on a regular basis during your senior (for as long as the relationship proves useful), and to making every effort to follow his or her career advice. We will try to connect you with an alumnus or alumna who matches your career interests and who would like to provide the types of assistance that you'd like to receive. Here's what we need from you in order to match you with a mentor:
1) Complete the Background Information form, which will tell us more about you so that we can find the best fit possible. Your form must be completed by August 6 the summer before your senior year.
2) E-mail us with two other documents:
- A résumé tailored toward your goal.
- A letter introducing yourself to share with potential mentors, formatted like a cover letter, that includes the following information:
- 2-4 sentences describing your career goals,
- A paragraph about the skills you have developed that prepare you for your targeted field (remember to include your liberal arts skills!)
- A paragraph outlining your hopes for the alumni mentor program including the types of assistance you hope your mentor will provide, and
- A tentative schedule or time frame you hope the mentoring will take (for example, "I would like to meet once in person and then will commit to email my mentor once a month with updates and questions." Or "I need guidance and insight as I am filling out my grad school applications, but will have mailed them in by December 30.")
If you need help writing these documents, We'd be glad to assist you. You can also download copies of our Résumé and Cover Letter Guides. Please send final copies of your résumé and letter by August 15.
We hope to give you your mentor's name in late September or early October, though in some cases we may ask you to give your preference between a couple of choices beforehand.