As a senior English major, I’ve been fairly stressed the past couple of years trying to figure out what I’d like to do after Bryn Mawr. While many students here go straight to grad school or seek help from clubs in certain fields like technology and finance, it’s hard to know how to explore different options if you don’t fit into those categories. Here are five tips for networking so you can learn a bit more about the fields or roles that interest you.
- Use Athena’s Web to Network with Alums
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I feel like not enough students know about this tool, but this is a directory of Bryn Mawr alums with mostly up-to-date info. You can search by geographic location, major(s), graduation year, etc. You can also directly send an email to an alum to introduce yourself if you want to talk to someone! Click here to sign up or login.
- Search for Alums on Linkedin
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I know that LinkedIn seems intimidating, but it seems like most people have a profile, so it can be a good way for you to connect with people in your academic and professional network. You can go to the Bryn Mawr page and then search for alums by geographic area, industry, major, etc. It’s an easy way to figure out who might be a good person to contact.
- Join Mawrtyrs at Work and Sisters (Hiring) Seven Sisters on Facebook
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If you are on Facebook, you can join Mawtyrs at Work to get advice or find internship/job postings from current students and alums. If you want to broaden your possibilities, you can join Sisters (Hiring) Seven Sisters to connect with current students and alums at Wellesley, Mount Holyoke, Barnard, and Smith.
- Talk to Your Parents’ Friends, Your Friends’ Parents, etc.
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When you were younger, you probably heard what your parents’ friends or your friends’ parents did and immediately forgot about it because it didn’t matter to you at that time. Now, you might want to find out what they do and see if you can learn more about their role, company, or industry. You might be surprised what you find out!
- Go To On-Campus Alum Chats
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Bryn Mawr’s LILAC (Leadership, Innovation, and Liberal Arts Center) hosts Alum Chats on most Fridays where alums from a variety of different industries and backgrounds come back to campus to chat about reflect upon their Bryn Mawr experience and career path. Alums will talk to you and other interested students at lunch in Wyndham. It’s a great way to make an in-person connection, especially if you can snag a slot to talk one-on-one with the alum after the lunch. Keep an eye on your email and look out for these opportunities!