The following is an opinion article, and opinion articles do not reflect the views of The Tulane Hullabaloo.

Senior students face the pressure of deciding what they will do after graduation. They often either spend a long time searching and applying for work without concrete results, or wait until the last minute after their window of opportunity has passed. Students do not have to jump into the reality of life after college without help, however. One resource that is drastically underused at Tulane is the alumni network. 

The Tulane Alumni Association and the Career Services Center must increase their presence on campus by publicizing their services more effectively. This will allow students to be more familiar and comfortable with the services these offices provide. 

Going to Tulane not only offers students a prestigious degree, but also connects them with others who have learned at this school. Many alumni have experienced successful careers and are wiling and eager to help undergraduates find their way after graduation. 

The Career Services Center offers a variety of services such as career advising, mock interviews and resume reviews for jobs as well as internships. Director of Career Services Barry Thompson said finding an internship or job usually takes six to nine months, but good connections can streamline this process to only a month or two.

The Tulane Alumni Association is making an effort to connect more with students. The association created a new program called Tulane Connect, a Tulane alumni-specific version of LinkedIn in March. This initiative consists of over 3,500 resources, over 70 percent of which are Tulane alumni. This program even offers a mentor-mentee system to help students receive personalized guidance. Sadly, many students are unaware of this resource and find themselves stumbling around alone looking for their career path.

Thompson said many students using the office wish they had known about the center earlier. Tulane spends money on making these offices and resources available, but if students do not know about them, there is no purpose. These offices need to develop more innovative methods of raising awareness about the services they offer so students can take advantage of them. 

The Career Services Center has begun offering a class focused on career readiness and preparation. It is also collaborating with the Academic Advising Center to make students more conscious of the career services, but more can be done.

The ratio of students to advisors is 260 to one. This number itself shows that there are resource limitations. Tulane must work with its alumni network to make connecting affordable for the average student. Pushing information about these services and internship opportunities outward toward the classroom would also increase awareness.

Tulane must work past its limited resources and make sure that every dollar the university spends is serving its purpose and increasing the quality of education and career opportunities for its students.

Rosie Li is a sophomore in the Newcomb-Tulane College. She can be reached at [email protected].