And the main difference between him and my other teachers, basically, was that he REALLY wanted to be there at school, teaching. He loved life every single day, was quite open (for a teacher) with his classes in general about his life, made us all laugh at the start of most lessons and made the work interesting and fun. (Eg. we were spilt into teams for the whole year and often did things like posters and quizes in them. The quizes we had to answer a question before we could get the next one, the fastest team was the winner etc.) People got made a fuss of when they did well too, which of course kept us motivated – although we did have to do the work. If we started mucking about thoguh all the fun and games stopped, usually for the whole lesson.

But because this man loved life so much, it was infectious, he drew certain people, myself included like a moth to a flame and I spent loads of dinner or break times hanging out talking to him. Looking back, he is the one person, outside of church people or family (maybe even including church people and family) who gave me some anchor/direction when I needed it the most.

Well, two years later I have had many classes with him and I’ve been accepted to law school for next semester. The relationship with him and another professor in the political science department, which is my major, has been very valuable. They have helped me figure out what I want to do in life and achieve many goals along the way. I will continue to keep in contact after this May when I graduate.

I can list many people that I have allowed to teach and guide me. I cherish them.

Seek these people out. Get under their guidance adn then share it with others.

If you’re an undergraduate looking for a professorial mentor, you may want to consider going to smaller colleges and universities, rather than attending large, high-profile research universities. At the former, professors usually have smaller classes and are encouraged to teach and interact with their students face-to-face; at the latter, professors often lecture in vast halls, leaving discussion sessions to their graduate teaching assistants to handle, and are encouraged to dedicate themselves to publishing and grant-writing. That’s not to say they can’t be great mentors — just that you’ll be competing with many more demands on their time.

Thanks for the advise =]

I also recommend finding a mentor that is a professional working the career you want to go in. Ask the college career center about people you could contact to ask them if you can just give them a phone interview or every 2 months go to lunch with them for an hour & pick his/her brain.

I have a similar story, three mentors through college who each provided me with a different flame under my rear. I attribute so much of my college success to the dedication that those men had. Now that I’ve graduated, I have acquired two mentors where I work. The big key is that I need to find others to mentor, only then is the time my mentors spent with me fully realized.

Thank you!

I might even suggest different mentors for different aspects of your life . . .

Make the most of college. It is a great time to find yourself some advocates who can help you make the most of all the opportunities available to you.

If anything, I might suggest multiple mentors, not unlike diversifying your portfolio. The good themes will come across from multiple people, I would think.

Professors tend to think (at least in my fields) that “being successful” means “becoming a professor,” and that if you don’t become a professor, it must be because you’re not good enough. If you hang out with professors too much, they’ll have you thinking this way too, and it can really mess with your head if you decide later on that academic life isn’t for you.