Sunrise on College Walk, Photo Credit: Juliet Paiva.
Finding mentorship within your field is easier than you may think, but it still involves a little intentional effort. I’ve collected some tips from my personal experience and the advice of other Columbia students on how to find a faculty mentor.
I had this same question just over a year and a half ago at the start of the Fall 2021 semester as I returned to campus for the first time since the start of the pandemic in March of my Freshman year. My return to in-person classes after an entirely remote sophomore year was accompanied by an overwhelming sense of dread that I lacked any form of mentorship from faculty in the disciplines I study. Looking back now, it made sense. I hadn’t been on campus since declaring my majors and took almost exclusively lecture and core classes on Zoom. But even besides the ‘extenuating circumstances’ that were a global pandemic, it’s incredibly rare in normal times for first and second- year students to have a faculty mentor yet. So, if that is your current situation, or if you are an upperclassman and still feel a lack of mentorship, I will share how I went from feeling completely unknown by any faculty less than two years ago to having multiple professors who know me on an individual basis and who I am proud to consider my mentors.
From my own experience and advice from other students, the easiest way to find a faculty mentor is to take a small, seminar class with a potential mentor. While some students can take a 200- person lecture, consistently go to the professor’s office hours, form a relationship with them, and find a mentor that way, I never felt comfortable doing that. If you want to, that’s great! But if that terrifies you, then smaller classes might be your solution. This is also why it is easier to find a mentor as an upperclassman because, for most majors, you have to take smaller seminar classes in your final two years. When I went through my lack of mentor crisis at the start of last year, I decided to take two advanced undergraduate seminars, and the two professors who taught those classes are my mentors today. But this is also where you should be intentional. Do the research and find professors whose work fascinates you. Maybe you took a lecture with a professor and thought they were great but want the opportunity to get to know them in a smaller discussion-based course. If there are no specific potential mentors in your sights, then take a seminar class on a topic that aligns with your research interests. In most seminars, by week two or three of the semester, the instructor will already know the names of each student. Then, all you need to do is take the class, make contributions to the discussion, and go to office hours to talk about what questions you have or what topics interest you the most. Most likely, the professor teaches the seminar because the topic closely aligns with research interests, so they will want to talk with you about it. I’ve found that the hardest part is discovering who you would want as a mentor and finding a way to get into a seminar with them, but after that, it can happen very naturally. This is not a one-hundred percent certain route to find a mentor, but it has worked successfully for me and others.
But do not worry, there are other ways to find a faculty mentor. You might be wondering, what if I can’t take a class with my prospective mentor? Or, what if the professors whom I have built the strongest relationships with are not directly working on my research interest? The answer to the first question may not be what you want to hear, but if there is a professor who you want as a mentor and you cannot take a class with them, then cold email them. Professors want to talk about their work and they want to help undergraduates. It’s part of their job! Be polite—you can mention a specific book or article of theirs that you read—and email asking if they would be willing to meet and further discuss their work and your research interests. It feels daunting, but I’ve done it before—and have been successful every time. What do you have to lose? As long as you’re polite and genuinely interested in their work, then they should respond positively, and if they don’t, then is that someone you really want as a mentor…? To answer the second question about already having a faculty mentor but not someone whose work directly aligns with your interests, my advice is to let this person help you. Explain your situation and ask if they have any colleagues who they could put you in contact with. Last year, when I was applying to write a political science honors thesis, I asked the political science professor who I consider a mentor if he would advise my thesis. While he agreed to help, he also connected me with another professor who I had never taken any classes with, but whose work very closely aligned with the topic I wanted to write about. I (lukewarmly) emailed him with the connection from my mentor, and now, almost a year later, he is my thesis advisor (and I never took a class with him!).
The long story short is this: professors want to help you and finding a mentor can be as simple as taking the classes you want to take anyway. Maybe not every seminar you take will lead to a life-long mentor, but it can if you are intentional about it and foster the relationship. Looking back now, I can’t believe how much I worried about not having a faculty mentor just a few short semesters ago. Finding a mentor can make your life a lot easier if you’re thinking about writing a senior thesis, going to grad school, or if you need letters of recommendation. Take advantage of the incredible resource which is the faculty at Columbia and do not worry if you do not have a mentor… yet.