"They ask good questions; they don't know the party line and don't see things along the same old lines."

Bunyavanich says she has been pleased with the partnership--which grew from lab work to include a two-week research trip to Chile last year. She says that although it began strictly as a work relationship, it developed into a mentoring partnership.

"In the beginning we didn't know each other that well, but as we got to know each other it got richer," Bunyavanich says.

An environmental science and public policy concentrator, Bunyavanich said working with Holbrook imparted both academic and personal insight.

"She gave me perspectives on the different stages of education, what she thinks about women's issues, sports, life," Bunyavanich says of Holbrook.

"When I started the partnership, I wasn't really looking to do a research project just wanted to work with faculty. It really can take you unexpected places."

Partners meet on a weekly basis to discuss both academic work in progress and student concerns or interests.

"The weekly meeting is an unpaid [as opposed to research] time to discuss the work but also to discuss more of the issues of interest to students," says MacDonald. "Usually students want to know how [partners] got to the position where they are since many of the scholars took non-traditional paths."

Short-Term Mentor, Long-Term Friend

Some spend spring recess parked in front of the TV at home or soaking up sun on sunny beaches. Those eager to try on a possible career try the Radcliffe Externship Program.

Now in its 20th year, the program pairs about 50 female students with women in various fields. It is similar to the Harvard Career Internship program also held during spring recess, except that it includes only women externs and senior partners. Radcliffe externs also stay in the homes of their hosts rather than on their own, as in the Harvard program.

"Women show the externs not only what it's like to work in a certain field, but also how to juggle the various aspects of their professional lives," says program director Susan Arnotte.

Although a week provides little time for students to form concrete conclusions about a given field, Arnotte says, externships offer participants "a good dose of career exploration," often in parts of the country or in specialized careers they might not think to explore.

Past extern sponsors include a rural sheep farmer, Hollywood filmmaker Claudia Wyle and New York City mayoral candidate Ruth W. Messinger '62.

Rosanna A. Orfield '98 spent spring recess last year with Messinger at the heart of New York politics, attending staff meetings, briefings and gala events.