@intparent: Until November/December, I would have agreed with your statement that “the alumni network concept in college selection is overrated.” I wouldn’t want a child of ours selecting an institution based upon that. Everyone needs to visit the campus of serious contenders and to drill down on personal fit. Even spend a half-hour just sitting quietly on an outdoors bench and watch the cast of characters pass by. It might help inform a decision.
That said, alumni contacts proved surprisingly helpful to our Carleton junior during that 6-week winter break of theirs. By personally emailing Carleton alums – all of whom graduated between 40 and 19 years ago – she organized a mini-clinical rotation of her own. She followed around 13 Minneapolis/St. Paul physicians as they went about their day (or days) and saw their patients. She even had the opportunity to stand-in on some surgery at one hospital. From observing primary-care to sub-specialties, she – on her own initiative – created her own mini-residency of sorts, all from the keyboard of her laptop but with an alumni list made available to her. Dinner and an overnight at one alum/physician’s house was another highlight of the experience.
So, yes, these Carleton alums were happy to share their work lives and their time with our daughter. But first she took the time to ask.