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Choosing the Perfect College

By , About.com Guide

15 of 15

Strong Alumni Network
Strong Alumni Network

Strong Alumni Network

Drawing by Laura Reyome
When you enroll at a college, you immediately link yourself to every person who ever attended that college. A school's alumni network can be a powerful tool for providing mentoring, professional guidance and employment opportunities. When you're looking at colleges, try to find out how involved the school's alumni are.

Does the campus career center take advantage of the alumni network for interships and job opportunities? Do the alumni volunteer their expertise to help guide students interested in similar professions? And who are the alumni?--does the college have influential people in important positions around the world?

Finally, an active alumni network says something positive about a college. If the alumni care enough about their alma mater to continue donating their time and money long after graduation, they must have had a positive college experience.

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