They say that college is the best 4 years of your life. While that may be true for some (it felt that way to me at some points!), however your college experience was for you, I see staying connected to your sweet college alma mater is an important part of adulthood. Since graduating from college 8 months ago, I find it tough to keep connectivity with my sweet alma mater, especially when living in a different city. However, I have been able to maintain a strong connection with my sweet college and now alma mater – Meredith College – since graduation! So, I am listing some of the ways that I stayed connected and maintain my connection!
- Join an Alumnae Facebook Group – This has been a groundbreaking way for me to stay connected to other Meredith College Alumnae of ALL ages. Meredith College has a private, Alumnae-only Facebook Group where Alumnae of all ages, backgrounds, and generations share job opportunities, photos of old and new Meredith College memories, and hear about the latest and greatest within the Meredith College world and Meredith College Alumnae world. Needless to say, I LOVE interacting with Alumnae of all ages and living all around the world who share their Meredith College Pride with me.
- Be sure to keep up to date with your college’s Alumnae email lists – One of the first things that I did when I graduated from Meredith was to add my email to the Meredith College Alumnae email list. I simply went to Meredith’s website and typed in “alumnae” in the search bar. I, then, found where I could sign up for email updates on ALL things Alumnae. Meredith even has an Alumnae-specific online shop called the Meredith Market owned by the Meredith College Alumnae House, where Alumnae can purchase some super adorable merchandise (new every season and certain events on campus, too!). At the same time, I get updates on current happenings and events on campus, Alumnae-specific events, and much more!
- Attend Alumnae Reunion Weekends – If you are able to, Alumnae Reunion Weekends are THE BEST! I find these a great way to get connected to people of all ages who happen to be alumnae at your college. They’re also an excellent way to revisit your college campus and relive some of the many amazing memories you may have made there. At the same time, you can reconnect and connect with people you knew during your college years and people you may have not, alike. Either way, you’ll probably make many many more memories on your sweet college campus!
- Connect with Alumnae in your area – Many college Alumnae Houses and Associations have Chapters specific to cities where their Alumnae may live. For instance, Meredith College has a Washington, DC Alumnae event that they host every year or more, to connect Alumnae within the Washington, DC area. The same goes for Charlotte, North Carolina and many more cities where Meredith College Alumnae may live. My Big Sis from Meredith actually lives not that far from me – also in the Washington, DC area so I’m glad I have one Meredith connection here and hope to make more as I attend more Meredith College Alumnae via events in Washington, DC!
- Make an effort to keep in touch and check in on your college friends every so often – THIS is VITAL to staying connected to your college alma mater. Making sure to stay connected to your friends from college is an important way to feel a connection to your alma mater. I ALWAYS try to reach out to my college friends every so often. Whether you call them, FaceTime them, grab some coffee or dinner, or simply shoot them a text, a nice check in with a good college friend is ALWAYS good for the soul. Life can and will get busy for us ALL, so a simple reaching out to your college friends is always nice – for you and for them. It most definitely is a two way street when coming to reaching out to your college friends or vice versa – both parties have to put in some effort. BUT, if you both make the effort, then that is a friendship that you will have for live!
- Support small businesses owned by Alumnae and current students at your alma mater – Personally, I am a sucker for small businesses! I know many of y’all are too. I think it’s fun to support small businesses run by current students and Alumnae of your alma mater, if you can somehow figure out where they went to school. BUT, I will say that simply searching for your college’s name on Etsy is a great place to start, since many small businesses house their sales on Etsy. Another way to search for small businesses run by people from your alma mater is to simply ask around, whether it be on social media or a basic Google search.
- Donate to your alma mater (if you’re financially able to!) – One way to make an impact on your alma mater is to give back. Though, I will say that this option is NOT for everyone, whether it be their financial priorities, where they choose to spend their money, or something else and that is all OKAY. Personally, I give back to Meredith College to a department within the college that made a strong impact on me monthly. I am apart of a donor society that’s based on how much many someone donates per month/year and get invited to specific donor events and all through that, too, which is fun. Giving back to Meredith College allows me to leave a mark on my sweet alma mater from afar while knowing that I’m doing something great and still feeling a piece of connection.
- Volunteer to help out at events with current students – There are ALWAYS ways for Alumnae to volunteer to help current students at your alma mater. I have helped out with Mock Interview Week at Meredith College and that was really rewarding, especially when I received some sweet notes including a handwritten card from a lovely student and now friend of mine. I also sit on the Honors Program Committee known as the Honors Committee at Meredith as an Alumnae Representative, where I get to interact with current Meredith College students and professors, even many that I knew while at Meredith! Each of these ways of volunteering have kept me connected to Meredith, especially as I have volunteered virtually and sitting right at my desk with my dog for them all.
- Attend other Alumnae-related events, especially one’s that may be in your area – Going off of the idea of connecting with other fellow alma mater Alumnae, attending Alumnae events especially in your area is a great thing to do. Not only will you stay connected to your alma mater, but you will also probably find others who share the same love for their college experience that you do too.
- Reach out to staff members and professors (if any) still at your alma mater and/or that you want to keep in touch with every so often – Just like reaching out to your college friends, reaching out to your fellow staff members and professors at your alma mater is an excellent way to still feel connected to your alma mater. Meredith College professors and staff LOVE to hear from Alumnae, especially those that they knew while at Meredith and I am pretty sure that other professors and staff at other schools feel the same exact way, too. Not only will you put a smile on those who impacted you while at college’s faces, but you will also put a smile on your own.
- Be PROUD of the education and experience that your alma mater provided you with! – Above all else, be PROUD of the time that you spent at your sweet sweet alma mater. Whether you like it or not, it shaped you into the person that you are today and that is something to be proud of. Having that pride for your alma mater will carry over into passion which will enlighten your connectivity to that special alma mater of yours, too.
Now, let’s get to some connecting!!
XOXO – Katie <3