<p>Most colleges have an alumni association, and they often provide a new grad the opportunity to join as a life member for half price.</p>
<p>What is the value in joining an alumni association? What advantages does spending $300 to $500 provide to the former student?</p>
<p>In a word, connections. Local alumni associations generally have gatherings aimed at young alums that can help them to network and socialize. Some people also really enjoy maintaining a close connection to their college after they graduate, and the alumni association provides a way to do that.</p>
<p>Connections and fun events. People need other people.</p>
<p>What Booklady said… if you are in an area with many grads from your school, you can connect with older grads who might become important contacts for jobs or other networking. Plus when you move to a new area it’s a good way to make social connections.<br>
It’s a big chunk of change for new grads. I’d advise going with the year to year dues for a while. They are usually pretty cheap for the first few years.</p>
<p>Don’t forget years down the road when you have kids, if you want your kids to attend the school being a legacy and member of the alumni association for a number of years can be considered in the admissions process.</p>
<p>Everywhere I’ve earned a degree or certificate has automatically put me in the alumni association. I’ve never had to pay a cent to join the parent organization. Local clubs have had varying annual dues. I do shell out the $20 or so for my undergrad college’s local alum organization (and I’ve served on the board) because they are fun people and it gets me out of the house once in a while.</p>
<p>Your college/university career center will probably help you for life whether or not you formally join an alumni association, so ask around before you pay up if it seems expensive. The career center’s services may be completely divorced from the alumni association.</p>
<p>What I get from my three alumni organizations are three quarterly publications with news from the institution, and three annual pleas for donations. Whether you join or not, as long as the college/university has an address for you on file, you will be hit up for donations.</p>
<p>Joining an alum association can provide friends, fun, and connections, as well as an opportunity to give back by volunteering with your university.</p>
<p>If none of this interests you or if your alum association doesn’t seem worth it, then don’t bother.</p>
<p>Many alumni associations also funnel some of the membership dues into scholarships. While that probably doesn’t mean much to you now, later on in life it makes you feel good to “give back” to needy students. As a younger alumn, the networking and social opportunities alumni associations provide are most motivating I think.</p>
<p>I found my current job through an alumni association contact shortly before the economic sky fell down. In this market, I don’t even know how to put a value on a stable job that I love, but it would be way higher than $500.</p>
<p>Definitely connections and events, though with some alum associations or alum clubs, non-members can still participate, but you have to pay per event or pay more for the event than the members, and certain events are members only. </p>
<p>Some alum associations also organize trips, though those are usually out of the price range of a new grad, they’re something to keep in mind as you get older. </p>
<p>Outside of that, for colleges where an alum association rep sits on the board of trustees, being a member of the association usually gives you the power to vote for who that representative(s) will be. And choosing who sits on the trustee board is one way you can contribute to directing how your college grows and changes over time.</p>
<p>Ditto what everyone said. I found that for my small undergrad school, the alumni association provided connection, social events, networking, etc. I didnt attend alumni events from my grad school (large state u) even though they have a big presence in this satte. I am on their mailing list, but havent attended events.</p>
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Beach Boys. 'nuff said. Well, that and the connects. ;)</p>
<p>S joined UCLA’s alumni association in order to sign up for health insurance. The association provided great rates for folks like him who are self-employed.</p>
<p>My husband and I are both lifetime alumni members at UCLA – they have periodic “cheap” lifetime memberships – I recall each of us, at different times paid about $300. So what does that give us?</p>
<p>Well, aside from the “gift” UCLA blanket for my husband, I forget what I received, we know that a portion of our contributions go to sponsor the Alumni Scholarships that are given out to students each year. This is super important, we feel, for students who might otherwise not be able to attend UCLA due to need. </p>
<p>We are also able to become volunteer interviewers – interviewing students applying for the scholarship.</p>
<p>Aside from the connections, career workshops, credit cards, health insurance, and other discount perks, we get:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Free entry to all sporting events other than Men’s football and basketball (but priority for those tickets) – actually, I love going to the women’s basketball games – UCLA women’s team rocked this year!</p></li>
<li><p>Discount tickets to most performing arts shows on campus – from seeing plays, to music and dance at Royce Hall, to baroque music at Schoenberg Hall</p></li>
<li><p>Access to on-line library materials for those of us who research; and access to on-line periodicals for those of us who just like to read!</p></li>
<li><p>Discounts to Bruin wear and “stuff” (other than books) at Ackerman</p></li>
<li><p>Discounts to UCLA extension classes (I’ve taken everything from academic and conversational French to Travel Journalism)</p></li>
<li><p>It also opens the door to helping current students and their parents, --includes participating in admissions days, parents weekend in October, mentoring, opening our homes to the Dinners for 12 Stranges program in Feb/March (where we host dinners for current students and professors).</p></li>
<li><p>Sometimes having the alumni card also gets us in at a discount to movies in Westwood and museums.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>These are just some of the many “perks” we’ve enjoyed being part of the Bruin Alumni Association. There are much more, but these are just off the top of my head.</p>
<p>I think what you get it really depends on the school and the local alumni group.</p>
<p>I have never joined my alumni association, but I still get notices for meetings and events (of whcih there aren’t very many). As a non-member, I pay more for each event, but as far as I can tell, that’s the only difference.</p>
<p>I got a coffee cup and a car decal.</p>
<p>I actually got invited to a few inaugural balls because of my alumnae association, although I really am not a member. I didn’t go, but saved the invitations (which impressed my kids).</p>
<p>Wow, those are expensive. My alumni club is on the order of $25/year. I’ve never joined / never had time to attend their events; I assume some of the events are extra. But not hundreds of dollars worth of extra.</p>
<p>We are hoping that our soon-to-be graduate relocating to a city with a job(!) will become a part of the local alumni association if for no other reason than to connect with a different group of people outside of work. We understand that the Alumni Club is strong for that particular city and since student does not know anyone at this point, we figure Alumni Club will be another source of meeting people in a new city.</p>