Mentoring

Protege: Someone who is being helped by a person taking an interest in his/her welfare or career.

Mentor: A trusted advisor; A mentor can be extremely helpful to students who are preparing for a career as a professional sociologist.

What mentors try to provide for their proteges

• Act as a "guide" or provide a "road map" toward becoming professional sociologists.

• Provide lots of encouragement for protege to fulfill her/his potential.
• Provide a little bit of criticism if/when protege does not seem to making the good effort.
• Sharing the mentor's experiences and insights on how success is achieved as a professional sociologist.
• Share ongoing research and writing interests with protege.
• Involves protege in ongoing research, teaching tricks of the trade in doing research and professional writing.
• Supervise independent studies research and writing projects. (Academic credits may be earned for these projects.)
• Help prepare protege and provide opportunities for protege to make presentations and to teach.
• Encourage and help protege prepare for the Graduate Record Exam (GRE).
• Share professional network and friendships to help protege get into graduate school and ultimately to get a job in the profession.

What mentors expect or hope for from their protege:

They will make a large effort to develop their potential to become professional sociologists.

They will be fairly good at taking advice, guidance, and criticism.

They will stay in touch even after they are rich and famous and successful.

Establishing a mentor/protege relationship

The process is one of mutual selection. The student finds a professor that he/she works well with and with whom she is comfortable.

The professor finds students who show good potential to become professional sociologists. Enthusiasm for sociology, willingness to work hard, participation in departmental events and organizations (lectures, clubs, honor societies) and good work in classes are traits that professors look for.

The sooner in your academic career that you begin preparing for graduate school and a professional career in Sociology, the better. Ideally, we would like to begin working with our future sociologists by the end of their sophomore year.

Availability of Mentors

ddEvery professor in the Department of Sociology is eager to work with a protege. We are committed to make a particular effort to find minority group members with the interest and potential to become professional sociologists.