As Princeton students in 2024, we’ve all heard other students throwing around the terms “connections” and “networking.” Although I myself was eager to take advantage of Princeton’s vast resources, I didn’t quite know where to start, or how to start. To those of you who are facing a similar dilemma, let me introduce you to an incredible, vastly underutilized resource: our alumni network.
97,000+ strong, Princeton alumni have gone on into almost every field imaginable, and have used their Princeton education to climb to the top of their respective fields. They pose an incredible opportunity to us as undergraduates.
I’ve cold-emailed seven alums in fields ranging from medicine to politics and law. Of those, I met with five. All of them gave me valuable advice and tips that worked during their time at Princeton. Three of them offered to put me in contact with coworkers who could use undergraduates or to tag my future applications for competitive internship programs. Following up with these alums could land you your dream position perfectly tailored to your interests.
Beyond the potential for job connections, I’ve found that alumni offer invaluable mentorship. As a classics major, there aren’t many careers that are directly applicable to the concentration – speaking to classics alums in different fields helped solidify my intent to study what I am truly passionate about and have the knowledge that doing so in no way blocks off future career opportunities. From sharing stories of their own time at Princeton, coupled with their hard-earned wisdom and advice, connecting with our alumni can prove to be an incredible resource.
If you visit the Princeton alumni website, navigate to the “connect” tab, login with your Princeton credentials, and then click “alumni directory,” you will have an entire network of Princeton alumni at your fingertips.
Filtering by name, concentration/department, occupation, state, and class year, you can find the contact information of anyone who’s graduated from Princeton.
I know that reaching out to someone you’ve never met can be intimidating. I myself felt the same way at first – wondering whether or not I was too forward, or whether these alums would deign to respond to a lowly undergraduate. I quickly realized that most alumni are eager to help fellow Princetonians, and all that it takes is a thoughtful message to get a conversation started. And if they don’t respond, you lose absolutely nothing.
I encourage everyone to explore this tool, and reach out to alumni that you think will provide valuable insight – whether that be about their career, major, or life story. You never know what one simple email could get you!
— Gabriel Ascoli, Humanities Correspondent
