For online MBA students, finding a mentor can be a challenge.

Without the chance to stay after class, shake hands and exchange business cards, making connections with faculty members, industry experts and more experienced students can feel a little more forced or intimidating. But it doesn’t have to be that way, experts say.

With a little bit of effort, online MBA students can forge relationships that pay long-lasting personal and professional dividends.

“It’s not even a question that it’s important to have someone at the university or college who you can talk to about questions or concerns about the program,” says David Siwy, who managed to find two mentors before he graduated from Temple University’s online MBA program in 2013. “It is crucial to have a mentor for the simple fact that they keep you focused. They are there as support. They want you to succeed.”

[Ask these questions before choosing an online MBA program.]

Below, experts share several tips for how current and prospective online MBA students can connect with mentors.

1. Get the ball rolling early: Adults looking to find mentors while in school can set themselves up for success early by making sure they enroll in the right online program in the first place, experts say.

“If you want to be a major player in the field of accounting, don’t go to a school that doesn’t have an accounting program,” says Michael Tarantino, director of recruitment and admissions for the MBA programs at Lehigh University. Students who want to connect with a mentor with a focus in a special field, in other words, need to make sure their program also specializes in that field.

Along similar lines, prospective students should make sure to choose a program with enough alumni for students to contact.

“Look into a program that has longevity,” says Jim Parrish, director of MBA admissions and operations at Auburn University, which has had a distance MBA program for more than 20 years. “The longer you have been in the online learning game, the more alumni you have.”

Prospective students should also take advantage of the conversations they have with admissions staff when they are researching programs, experts say. School officials can put students in touch with faculty or alums to discuss the program, and sometimes those conversations can spark a mentoring relationship, Tarantino says.

2. Take the initiative: Be it through recorded lectures, live class sessions or group work, online MBA students will likely have the chance to rub virtual shoulders with several people who inspire them during their program.

[Explore networking tips for online MBA students.]

Since online students can’t track down those individuals after class, they’ll need a willingness to send a quick email, reach out through LinkedIn or pick up the phone, experts say.

One way to engage a prospective mentor is simply by asking questions about the person or his or her field, says Robin Berenson, associate dean of business at Excelsior College.

“Don’t worry about imposing,” she says. “The worst thing they can say is, ‘No.'”

Online MBA students can sometimes feel shy reaching out to faculty and industry leaders, believing they are somehow less important than their on-ground peers, Tarantino says.

“Don’t be afraid to reach out and understand you are still a member of the MBA program,” says Tarantino. “If you are in that faculty member’s class, they are going to call you back. They will talk to you.”

3. Look for opportunities to meet in real life: While it’s entirely possible to find a mentor in a 100 percent virtual environment, many online MBA students might also benefit from connecting the old-fashioned way: through a one-on-one chat.

Online students may be able to use on-ground orientations and residencies, which are short stays on campus or elsewhere, as a way to connect with potential mentors, experts say. Some programs will hold information sessions or meet-and-greets in different cities, and those can also be opportunities to meet with people in person.

[Learn why it may be easier to get into online MBA programs.]

Siwy, from Temple, was able to meet two of his most important mentors, his program director and an instructor, through meet-and-greets in Philadelphia while he was a prospective student.

“It can be hard when you are not on campus, but when you go to meet-and-greets or residencies, it’s a lot easier to interact and meet people and create a bond or a relationship with somebody,” says Siwy, now a real estate agent in Doylestown, Pennsylvania.

Siwy, who got in the habit of calling his mentors during his studies, says he’s still in touch with them today.

“They did a slew of things during my two years, but even after they have helped me with jobs and with business in general,” he says. “They were my mentors and now they are my friends.”

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How to Find a Mentor as an Online MBA Student originally appeared on usnews.com