Like a Virgin. Remember back in the eighties when your heroes were Madonna and Michael Jackson? Perhaps, you idealized Kristi Yamaguchi and Steffi Graf as you played with your My Little Ponies and Lite Brite set. Now that you've grown up from your obsession with Kelly Kapowski and Uncle Jesse (at least I hope you have), it's time to start looking for someone new to esteem.

Benefits of a Career Mentor. How about admiring a professional in your potential career field? What better way is there to learn how to be successful in the future than from someone who is already successful now? Professionals are an invaluable source of information because they've been around the block, possibly quite a few times. They can impart loads of advice and help you to navigate your way smoothly to the top. Professional mentors know everything from interview questions to the insider politics of an industry. A mentor can give you graduate school recommendations and information on the day-to-day activities and responsibilities of your dream job.

Ever find yourself sitting in class wondering how, in any way, the material you are learning is going to help you after you graduate? According to Janice Leberman, the coordinator of the Zell/Lurie Real Estate Center Career Mentor Program at the University of Pennsylvania, career professionals let students "answer the question 'how does what I am learning translate in the real world'?" These advisors provide a "unique opportunity to access" an industry from someone who has an industry-in.

Tracking Down a Career Mentor. How do you locate this all-important imparter of career information? As an undergraduate student, you have the advantage of not having to look very far. Simply roll out of bed, walk a few lazy, hung-over paces to your laptop, and search your university's website for relevant mentor programs.

Leberman's Wharton mentor program, specifically for those students with real estate concentrations, matches up undergraduate students with Zell/Lurie Real Estate Center members. Mentors help students to understand their choices, identify their strengths, weaknesses, and goals, and create a strategy to move forward. The mentor program is organized so that "top flight professionals speak to students via phone or email [at minimum] once or twice a term and arrange a mentor/student breakfast at our fall conference," says Leberman.

A similar program for English majors at Penn, called the Writing Alumni Mentors Program, matches up undergraduate students interested in writing careers with volunteer alumni in their field of choice. Students write a page about their interests and experience, choose their top three mentor choices from a list of mentor biographies, and have free reign to determine their mentor/mentee relationship. The School of Engineering's Sophomore Mentoring Program at Penn even allows you to tour your mentor's company, spend a day shadowing your mentor, and attend professional meetings.

If you want to be really ambitious, you can attend a career fair or networking activity armed with a resume and a willingness to put yourself out there. Ask for professional's cards and follow up with them through e-mail. Remember, most professionals, minus the few bad apples, are more than willing to share information with undergraduate students who come to them in a polite and courteous way, even if it takes them some time to respond. Finally, you can hunt for a career mentor on your own by scouring your college's career liaison database or alumni listings.

Maintaining a Successful Relationship. The great thing about having a career mentor is that you get to interact with a professional without the pressure of an interview. You do, however, need to make sure that you are as respectful and considerate as possible. Your career mentor is giving up time in his/her busy work schedule to e-mail you back or set up a lunch meeting, so it's important that you are both well-mannered and appreciative.

The most valuable thing to remember when talking to a mentor is to be prepared. The age-old mantra rears its ugly head you get as much as you give. Always carry a resume and be ready to talk about your experiences, goals, questions, and concerns. "Learn something about your mentor and his/her company, before you meet," advises Leberman. She also recommends listening well and following through. You want to make a good impression with your industry contact, so make sure you're not lax in responding to e-mails or voice messages.

At the same time, you don't want to be a pestering younger sibling. Ask a mentor a tasteful number of questions and be reasonable with the amount of e-mails you send. Also, Leberman warns not to have unrealistic expectations. Career mentors may not write back to you for awhile if their bogged down and they may not be able to answer all your questions. Last, but not least, don't expect to get a job. A career mentor is an advisor and should be asked solely for guidance, not for employment. You may, however, be fortunate to run into an exciting career opportunity. Either way, a mentor can be an extremely helpful role model and an indispensable career counselor.

Edited by Robyn Wenert, Graduate Student at the University of Cincinnati and Features Editor for UniversityChic.com.