How students can genuinely build relationships with seniors and alumni over their college years.
Seniors and alumni are one of the most underused resources most students have available to them, since they have recently walked a path very close to yours and are often genuinely willing to help someone from their own college or department, yet many students never reach out because they assume it would feel intrusive or unwelcome, when in practice it usually is not.
To start, reach out with a specific, respectful, low-pressure message that references your shared college or department clearly, ask a focused question about their particular path rather than a vague please guide me, and be genuinely gracious and appreciative of whatever time they are able to give, however small it is. Engage sincerely in college events, alumni panels, or department groups where these relationships often form naturally on their own, rather than relying only on cold messages out of the blue. If a senior offers help once, following through on it properly and later sharing a genuine update on what you did with their advice makes them considerably more likely to help again in future.
Build this habit gradually across your college years, rather than only reaching out in a panic close to placements or applications when you urgently need something, since relationships built over time, out of genuine interest rather than urgent need, tend to be far stronger and far more willingly extended when you actually do need something important.
Example: A student who attended a casual alumni meetup, asked a few genuine questions about a senior’s unconventional career switch, and stayed loosely in touch afterward found that same senior happy to review their resume and make a useful introduction more than a year later.
One practical tip: Start building these relationships early and casually, well before you actually need something urgently, since seniors and alumni respond far more warmly to genuine, low-pressure interest shown over time than to a first message that only ever arrives when you need a favour.