Importance of alumni associations

Alumni Associations: Relevance for students and the alumni themselves

Alumni associations are a part of educational institutions. As social beings, our uniqueness is determined by the bonds we create, the feelings we attach with each other and with the places we live in or frequently visit. The ability to associate with someone or something is a huge part of a human life, and it is important for the healthy functioning of our society.

At times the things we do regularly and the things that are part of our everyday life, lose their importance in our lives. We do not realize how important something was until we lose it, or it’s completely gone. This is the case with things like school, college, etc. But after we have lost these things, the inevitable loss, we try our best to relive them every once in a while. And this is the basic sentimental idea behind having Alumni associations. But there are many practical and worldly benefits associated with them as well.

Benefits of Having Alumni Associations

Staying connected with the place that gave you the chance to learn and discover yourself is refreshing and fulfilling no matter what. You can see the world from outside, but your heart always stays connected to what happens inside that institution. The bonds that you build while studying, the friendships that you experience, and the love and hate relationship you have with your institution, everything becomes even more important as time passes.

Having an Alumni association will help you stay connected; it will help you in relieving some of your most precious memories. It will bring fulfillment and calm to your life otherwise busy life. On the other hand, you can have great professional relations with your peers who have reached somewhere important in their careers. It is surely a plus point to have good alumni relationships with professionals working in different fields. However, there are certain benefits that are beyond personal gains. These are the reasons why many institutions make Alumni associations in the first place. Here are a few of the benefits that an alumni association can provide you and your institution with.

Support for Juniors

No one reaches the heights of success without being pulled by the people above him/her. Our teachers, our seniors and every human being that existed before us paved a path for us to climb and eventually we reached where we are today. This means that we inherently have a responsibility to pave the way for the ones coming after us because the cycle shouldn’t be broken. The question here is, where to find help?

Well, in terms of an institution and career counseling, the best help is given by the people who have been in your position before you. These are the seniors. As a senior, all the members of the Alumni network work as mentors for their juniors to come. An alumni association works as a mixer or a socializing event that could guide the new brains and learn from the mistakes and experiences of their elders. The proof of this can be seen in the form of top colleges and universities in the world that are known to produce excellent graduates with highly successful professional lives. All of these institutions have well-organized alumni associations and these organizations play a vital role in making the path of current and future students easier and more direct.

Networking of Experts

Another very important benefit of closely-knit alumni affiliations is that experts belonging to different fields of business etc. come in one place. This can help the Alumni in collaborative efforts that will bear fruit for all the parties. It is a great way to socialize in the community and expand your horizons through your old fellows and schoolmates without any hesitation.

Links with Job Markets

Alumni groups of most popular institutions throw mixer events quite often. There are multiple reasons for the institute to arrange such events but why do the alumni take out time from their busy lives to join such events? Well, because it is a great way to find potentially talented new people for the companies that you work in. Juniors will attend such events to meet with experts of different fields and they will need advice and opportunities to get jobs that the seniors can provide very easily.

Living the Good Memories

This is the most obvious benefit of having alumni associations is that you can relive the moments from the past and most importantly it is a great way to strengthen a lifetime bond with your peers and schoolmates let alone your friends.

Scholarship Opportunities

There are many organizations that are looking forward to sponsoring young talent and finding the right candidate is important for them as well. Alumni mixers and other events are a great way for organizations and new talent to meet. The Alumni who belong to good positions not only help their juniors in understanding how the process works by sharing experience, but they also help them in getting connected to relevant people.

Adapted from KalamTime blog