Social & Occupational Wellness: Networking

You have probably heard the saying, “it’s not about what you know…it’s about who you know.” While what you learn in classes is a very important part of your undergraduate experience, networking has many benefits that reach way beyond the classroom and, most notably, into your future career.

UC San Diego offers so many networking opportunities that it is hard not to take advantage of them. Let’s start with orientation. During my freshman year, one of my colleagues (an Environmental Science major) took the initiative to talk to and thank a faculty member (from Scripps Institute of Oceanography) who did a presentation during orientation. Two years later, my colleague was looking for an internship and she decided to email the faculty member she first met at orientation to ask for recommendations. The faculty member was able to set her up with an amazing research opportunity at Scripps Institute, which then helped her find a full-time job after graduation.


While orientation is a great place to start for networking, there are many other ways to make connections during college – consider your roommates, teammates, organization members, internship supervisors, professors, and staff.

After graduation, I decided to start a surfing school, which would raise money to save acres of rainforest in Costa Rica. Starting a company from scratch, without any prior business or marketing classes, was tough. However, I was able to get support and advice from a few of my connections from my time spent at UC San Diego. My internship supervisor had owned a surfing school in the past – he helped me with ideas about how to run a company and what to offer. A friend of mine, who I had met from an organization, offered to help do all of my PR/marketing work pro-bono to help my company and build her resume. At an alumni association event, I met a UCSD Alumni who started his own company. He helped me with all of the paperwork, insurance, and tax forms.

Every event that you attend and opportunity that you take advantage of, you should try to make at least three contacts (get business cards or write down the person’s contact information). The best thing you can do after that is to follow-up with the person with an email (“It was great meeting you...”) so that they have your contact information. You never know - your roommate, colleague, or professor could set you up with the internship or career of your dreams.

For more about networking, check out my recently finished book: Graduating with Confidence: A Guide to Making the Most of Your College Experience.

-Torrey Trust
UCSD Alum ‘07