A mentoring program beginning this semester will allow Tufts seniors who studied one of the most popular majors on campus the chance to answer questions from undergraduates about the complexities inherent in learning about their discipline.
The International Relations Mentors Program sets up underclassmen in a dialogue with seniors who are about to complete their IR major requirements. The underclassmen can ask general questions about the major and its requirements, or any other IR-related questions the student has, according to the IR department website.
The Mentors program was a department decision that stemmed from a deparment meeting, and word was then spread throughout the IR department, senior IR major and mentor Alison Meisel said.
"I think that this is an exciting opportunity for freshman to get an advantage the seniors never had when they were freshman," Meisel said. "The major can at times seem confusing because there are so many different aspects to it, but the mentors will help to make everything clear and understandable."
The mentoring program is entirely student-run, but IR Program Administrator Katie Schaefer has been organizing meetings with the mentors and underclassmen.
The mentoring program currently has about 35 volunteer seniors enlisted, and more are encouraged to sign up on the department Web site or at the IR office. The mentors will be split up into five thematic clusters based on their areas of study.
The five clusters of the IR major are Foreign Policy Analysis; Regional and Comparative Analysis; Global Conflict, Cooperation and Justice; and International Economics.
Currently, there are no mentors specializing in the subclusters of Africa, the Middle East and South Asia, and International Economics and Environment, while almost a third of the volunteers are mentors for Global Conflict, Cooperation and Justice.
Almost all the seniors in the program studied abroad, and many others worked in IR-related internships. In addition to questions about politics or the IR major, underclassmen can also ask more experienced IR majors about their study abroad and internship experiences.
Undergraduates can choose a mentor from a list on the department Web site. Clicking on a mentor's name provides the student with a list of background information on that mentor - everything from name and e-mail address to study abroad and internship experience to a list of all the IR courses the person took at Tufts.
This information allows the undergraduates to find a mentor who best suits their needs and questions, say those involved in the program.
According to Meisel, students are able to select a mentor of their choice, either on the IR website or at the IR Department headquarters in the Cabot Center in the Fletcher School. The underclassmen are then able to get the phone number and e-mail addresses of their mentor, who should be ready to talk to them.
"We have a group of more than 20 talented seniors to help the freshmen," said Meisel. "I wish Tufts had a program like this when I was a freshman, I would defnitely have taken advantage of it."
Underclassmen who will use the program agree.
"The IR mentor program looks like a great resource for students," freshman IR major Nick Malouta said. "It will let us talk to people who have been down the International Relations path already."
The program may be especially beneficial to freshmen.
"It's no secret that the International Relations major is complicated," said freshman IR major Alejandro Pinero. "It's good to have help, because as a freshman it is easy to feel overwhelmed."
IR department administrators intend to expand the mentoring program. They are seeking mentors of all kinds, but are lacking in some areas including regional comparative analysis.
The clusters include foreign policy analysis, regional and comparative analysis, global conflice, cooperation and justice, international economics and trade and nationalism, culture and identity.
Anybody intersested in signing up to be a mentor or looking for advice should consult the website for E-mail addresses and phone numbers of the people to contact.
