In Fall 2011 I spent a day at Oberlin College as part of the Rackham-CRLT Intercampus Mentorship Program. My interest in the program stemmed from my own experience as an undergraduate student at a liberal arts college (Southwestern University in Georgetown, TX) and my eventual goal to become a professor at a teaching-focused university. I chose Dr. Jan Thornton as my mentor because of our shared interests in hormones and behavior, and Jan enthusiastically agreed to meet with me for a very full day at Oberlin.

 

I started my day at Oberlin by sitting in on Jan’s "Hormones, Brain, and Behavior" class. Following the class, Jan showed me around the college’s science facilities while we chatted about the curriculum at Oberlin, the rewards and challenges of working at a liberal arts college, Jan’s pathway to her current position, and my career goals. We next had lunch in the campus restaurant with a couple other faculty members. I spent the afternoon observing Jan’s Neuroendocrine Research Methods course, which gave me the opportunity to talk with a small group of students about their experiences at Oberlin as well as to observe them working on their individual projects for the course. Finally, the mentorship enabled me to experience life in the (very tiny!) town of Oberlin: I stayed in the adorable Oberlin Inn, browsed the shops in town, and enjoyed a performance at Oberlin’s Conservatory of Music.

 

My mentorship experience at Oberlin helped me to learn more about what teaching at a liberal arts college is like. Observing Jan’s classes allowed me to see examples of teaching styles for small classes, and it was very rewarding to have the chance to interact with students and talk with them about their experiences at Oberlin and their future plans. The mentorship also enabled me to get specific, practical advice from Jan and other faculty about my own career path based on their experiences (e.g., we talked about whether to pursue a post-doc if your goal is to teach at a liberal arts college). Overall, it was wonderful to talk with faculty and students eager to share their experiences – the mentorship program was a great way to get a glimpse of faculty and student life outside of UM.