Parents and Networking

This weekend is Parents Weekend, and we all know that means… free dinners! But it’s also a great chance for something you may not be thinking about. Networking! No matter what you want to do after you graduate, you can end up with a couple contacts if you take advantage of this weekend and talk to the right parent.

If your friends know what you want to do after Wash U, they will probably let you know if there’s a way they can help you out. And now is a really important time for them to know, because if their parents are coming to town, you can actually have an in-person conversation with a parent in that field or who has connections to that field. This really doesn’t have to be anything formal, but chances are high that some parent will ask you what you want to do after you graduate. Even if you really don’t have much of an idea, if you can come up with a general response, you’re giving that parent a chance to help you out. And in this economy, we really can use all the help we can get!

So just spend a couple minutes thinking about a general way to describe what you're hoping to do after you graduate, and talk to a few friends about your plans. There are few things that involve little time and risk and give you the chance for a big reward, but this is definitely one!