Student & Alumni Networking | Colgate University

Colgate’s passionate alumni network is a significant resource for students as they develop and learn to utilize a professional network in their chosen career fields.

Career Services focuses much of its programming on creating opportunities for students and alumni to interact. Meeting and collaborating with working professionals allows students to develop their networks while learning about different industries and organizations.

The shared Colgate connection is an easy foundation on which to build relationships — especially given the passion regularly displayed by Colgate alumni for their alma mater.

Networking Programs

Some of the opportunities for students and alumni to meet one another and expand their networks include:

Alumni Career Conversations allows students to take the next step in their career exploration and connect with alumni in their fields of interest. This is an exclusive opportunity to get paired with Colgate graduates and have career questions answered. Students can get a sense of a day in the life of a professional who has successfully leveraged their Colgate degree and learn from the Colgate community’s wealth of experience.

Career Services provides training to help students feel comfortable and prepared before speaking to alumni.

Career Exploration Week is a large-scale virtual program that connects current students with alumni for career panels and informational interviews. This program is designed to meet many of the same learning outcomes as traditional job shadow programs. By participating in Career Exploration Week, students will learn about potential career interests, expand their Colgate network, and hear how graduates have connected their liberal arts education with career opportunities.

Students on immersion trips explore the world of work through employer site visits and networking events. On these trips, students learn about career options, experience cultural differences between organizations firsthand, and make networking contacts with high-level professionals in their fields of interest.

In collaboration with the Office of Student Involvement, these trips may be spearheaded by student organizations. Regardless of their sponsors, all trips are planned with student input. Past trips have highlighted finance, consulting, biotech, non-profits, and the arts.

About the immersion trips program

Prep for Tech connects students with alumni working in computer science, software engineering, and programming-related careers. The annual event draws alumni to campus in person and virtually to provide students with an industry overview and mock interview opportunities.

This event is co-sponsored by the Computer Science Department and the STEM Professional Network.

Sophomore Connections is one of Colgate Career Services’ most popular and successful programs. It is an immersive, two-day on-campus program for students in their sophomore year featuring professional alumni panels, discussions, and networking events. Panels and discussions are led by more than 100 alumni returning to campus for the event.

The program provides sophomores the opportunity to explore professional options, build networks, and learn what skills they may wish to develop in their junior and senior years to compete professionally after graduation.

More about Sophomore Connections

The biannual Michael J. Wolk ’60, MD, Conference on Medical Education features panels and networking opportunities between students and alumni from various health professions.

The 2024 Wolk Conference was held September 27–28. It featured speakers and panel discussions with health care professionals at Northwell Health, Massachusetts General Hospital, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Montefiore Health Systems, and others.

Read about the Wolk Conference on Colgate News.

Download the conference program