How important is a college's alumni network to overall career?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I know that for the first job out of school, it helps when graduates of the same school are recruiting on campus. But if you are in your 40's, does this network really help unless it is a Harvard or Stanford? Or is your network really people you have worked with above all?

I would think that Harvard or Stanford alumni networks are likely to be less focused and supportive than those at smaller, perhaps less "prominent" schools where helping a fellow graduate is perhaps more ingrained and valued.

[Anonymous]

I definitely got a pretty plum summer associateship after 1L because of a connection from my (Ivy) undergrad. Considering how difficult it was for 1Ls to get anything paid, I was very grateful.

From what I know, my undergrad has a very strong alum network. I'm not a hiring official, but my friends that are definitely look out for grads from our college.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Penn State has an alumni network like no other on the East Coast. Because the school is so large, there are Penn Staters everywhere looking out for one another.

i disagree - because it is so large, dilution is a problem.

The strongest alum networks are the ones that have the best balance between restrictive (like a tiny slac) and psu or michigan.

From what i've seen Dartmouth, Princeton, and Yale seems to have the strongest alum networks where alums really look out for each other.

I would agree with this, and I attended one of the 3 you mention as did my H and my BIL.

[Anonymous]

My daughter got all of her jobs through her Princeton Alumni Network.

[Anonymous]

When I was in management, we used to be cautious about hiring anyone with an MBA from a top five school. The reason was that the personal characteristics those schools ended up screening for often made their graduates poor employees. They tended not to be team players. They were overly competitive within their own organizations and sub-groups. The were often more ethically challenged than their coworkers, and engaged in political backstabbing in order to get ahead. A phrase I used to use was, "they were unable to subordinate their own egos for the benefit of the company."

A few years back, Google used to hire the best and brightest. Eventually, they reached a similar conclusion and revised their hiring practices.

So this idea that a degree from a top school opens doors, actually has a double edge to it. Yes, a degree from a good school can open doors. It can close some, too

[Anonymous]

That is stupid pp.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:That is stupid pp.

No it's not. The finance and banking industries reflect this.