Network at Pig Roast, or something like it

I know I have touched on the topic of networking a few times, but I don't think I can emphasize enough how important it is. This weekend was the University of Richmond's annual pig roast, an event that many alumni, especially the class of '06, return for. This was a great opportunity to see some old friends and most importantly for our purposes, see what these graduates are doing and whether they like it or not.

I can only imagine that every other school in the country has some event like this aside from homecoming or alumni weekend that is a tradition. This is the perfect time for you to talk to friends and friends of friends that are out in the real world and have some insight into what your life will be like in the near future. While not everyone will have the same major as you or the type of job that you are looking for, even gaining general knowledge about what the working world is like is helpful.

Some of the greatest advice can come from those people who are currently living in the city that you are trying to move to. For example, I am moving to Washington, D.C. in August and don't know where to even start looking for housing. It turns out lots of my friends know exactly how to get the best deals and people who are looking for roommates, though I luckily already have some of those.

A small reminder though: campus events involve alcohol. Don't make yourself look like an idiot in front of alums, it could end up being a sort of pre-interview and you don't want to leave a bad impression.

You may even find out that freshman year in the real world is almost as cool as freshman year of college (well, I hope so anyway).