With Wharton's towering Huntsman Hall to the west, the University Hospital Complex to the south and the Engineering School to the east, Penn's campus can be an intimidating place, especially for College students pursuing majors without direct career paths.
To make sure the remaining students aren't overlooked, the College launched the College Alumni Mentoring Series two years ago. The set of programs features prominent and personable alumni who talk to current SAS students with the goal of instilling in them an understanding of where their Arts and Sciences education can take them.
College Dean Dennis DeTurck said part of the goal of CAMS is also to "make stronger connections between students and alums," but he added that his biggest hope is that students will be able to identify with successful alumni and to realize the possible connections between a College education and a career.
"The pre-professional atmosphere, like what exists at Wharton, is both a blessing and a curse," DeTurck said: Those blessings should not blind students from studying subjects in which they are interested.
The CAMS events, which include large-group presentations and more intimate lunches with the College alumni, feature individuals in a variety of careers ranging from political officeholders to real estate firm directors.
Similar events take place in Wharton, which brings in prominent alumni to host luncheons and social events for students.
"You should choose your major because it's really what you want to do," he said. "For many students, it may not be clear what road they're on. Mentoring serves to show people who have made their own way."
Penn's approach to mentoring is unique among its Ivy League peers.
At Yale, for example, the most prominent mentoring program links students and alumni solely from the School of Management, in which students are already on a specific career path.
At Cornell University, the goal is more personal: In a program in place since 2004, students are linked individually with alumni before they even arrive on campus.
"We basically want to make the transition from high school to college easier and to improve the undergraduate experience," said Alicia Torrey, director of Cornell's Alumni-Student Mentoring program.
Back at Penn, though many students, especially freshmen, are largely unaware of the program, those involved appreciate CAMS for its distinct characteristics.
"Having a mentor is a positive thing,"
College freshman Raya Jalabi said, adding that if the mentors were forcibly assigned to students, it would become "negative."
DeTurck said it is still too early to gauge the program's success numerically, but he is hopeful about the program's growing potential.
"Our goal is really just to make people more comfortable in their own skin," DeTurck said.
