Student Information
Spend a day at the office with an alum over winter break! Learn about the work they do, their company or organization, and how they got from UMass to where they are now.
This is a great opportunity to get exposure to the real world of work, to learn from alums who have been where you are, and to get insight into the different options and pathways that lie ahead for you.
How does it work?
Alumni hosts register before Nov. 15th. Students register during the month of November, and, after reviewing the bios of potential hosts, select their top three choices for potential shadowing visits. After the Nov. 30th student deadline, alumni will review the students who have selected them, rank their choices, and our office will make matches, which will be announced in mid-December. Students and alumni with then work together to find a mutually agreeable date for the shadowing visit.
There is no funding available to support shadowing visits, so it is wise to select hosts near your home town/within reasonable commuting distance, or in a place where you have someone to stay with.
Note: a shadowing visit is not guaranteed. We do our best to match as people as possible, but the odds all depend on how many students and alumni register. As well, no student will be matched with a host they have not indicated an interest in shadowing, and no host will be matched with a student they have not approved of. We encourage you to take the application seriously, have your resume reviewed prior to submitting it with your registration, and to know why you want to shadow the hosts you select. Additionally, you must attend an SBS Shadows orientation session to be eligible for a shadowing visit.
Host Information
Host a student in your workplace for a day during winter break!
SBS Shadows is a wonderful opportunity for students in the College of Social & Behavioral Sciences to experience a day in the real world of work. As students explore their options and plan their pathways, nothing compares to getting out into professional workspaces and seeing what it’s really like.
Students will learn much from you – about the work you do, your organization, and how you got from UMass to where you are now.
During the early fall, hosts register and complete a brief bio. In November, students will review the registered hosts, and select their top three choices to shadow. Hosts will then review the students who indicated an interest in shadowing them, and return their ranked choices to us. We will do some matching magic and announce the matches in mid-December. Hosts and students then work together to find a mutually agreeable date for the shadowing visit during winter break.
We hope you will join us in providing an amazing opportunity for students to spend a day in the real world of work!
Please register to be a host here.
Note: while we do our best to match every host with a student and vice versa, we do not guarantee that a match will be made. It depends on how many hosts and students register, where they are located, and whether the interests align. What we can promise is that no host will be matched with a student they haven’t selected, and no student will be sent to shadow a host they haven’t expressed an interest in shadowing.
There is no funding available for students to participate in SBS Shadows, and there is no expectation that hosts will offer any transportation or housing. Students are aware of this.
