5 Ways to Stay Involved with Your College after Graduation
BY MARTHA KARN
For a lot of people, college is just a stepping stone on the way to bigger and better things. Others truly enjoy their college experience, and want to stay involved with their schools even after they graduate. If you are one of those people who want to stay involved with your college after graduation, here are a few ways that you can do it.
- Join the Alumni Association
This is a great way to stay in contact with your college after graduation. Generally, you are required to pay a fee when you join. This is usually a recurring, annual fee, and it is used to pay for things like alumni events and scholarships for students who are currently attending the school. The fees are also used to pay for networking events, career services, and more. Contact your school to get the information for the alumni association, and then join and start keeping involved with the college long after graduation.
- Make a Donation
After you graduate, don’t be surprised to get a telephone call or an email from your college, asking for donations. This is a common thing, as a lot of schools need donations in order to continue providing a lot of programs, scholarships, etc. to current and future students. Did you receive a scholarship to study at your school? If so, making a donation yourself is a great way to return the favor and help another student in need. When schools are able to improve their facilities and programs, it strengthens their prestige, and the degrees become more prestigious. So, even though you aren’t still a student, you can benefit from making donations to your school.
- Further Your Education
If you can handle sitting in classes and taking exams again, you can go back to your old college to further your education. Not only is this going to help you get back in touch with your old school, it will work in your favor to further your career. “Apply for grad school, and get another couple of years of education under your belt. Too much education never hurt anyone,” suggests an expert from Miller & Company LLP. Just keep in mind that now that you are older and have already graduated, your new college experience will likely be a lot different than the last one.
- Volunteer Your Time
Another great way to stay involved with your school is to give back by volunteering. Talk to your alumni association about volunteer programs and opportunities that you can take part in. Not only is this a wonderful way to stay in touch with your school, fellow graduates, professors, etc., it is also a great boost for your career. Volunteer work looks great on a resume. Even if you do not live near your campus, there are still ways that you can get involve, including things like online work such as sending out emails informing people about upcoming events, scholarship programs, etc. There is always going to be a job that needs someone to volunteer for it.
- Go to Sporting Event
You may no longer be a student, so you can’t sit in the student section, but you can still go to sporting events to cheer on the home team. You can make some pretty incredible memories at sporting events, cheering with your friends, watching your team take on their rivals, and of course, tailgating prior to the game. If you have friends and family members who also love sports, bring them along and get an even bigger cheering section going for your home team. Going back to volunteering, there may even be things you can do to help out with sporting events.
Bio:
Martha Karn develops online educational courses and writes for students.
