5 Steps to Relationship Building for College Students
By Melvin Ram - August 13th, 2007NOTE: Share this blog entry with college students you know… such as your son or daughter, niece or nephew or your friends kids. You’ll look very wise & caring 
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August is here and my sister, Michelle, will be starting her college career at UC Berkeley this fall. Michelle, along with thousands of other students at various universities, will attempt to attain higher competence in their elected fields.
However, most students will miss the most important learning experience that higher education institutions have to offer: how to build relationships with people who can & will impact their future.
But you can’t really blame them because no one ever tells them that they need to build relationships nor do they have classes at most university on relationship building (aka networking).
Below are 5 strategies that have worked for me, in academic circles as well as the professional world. Used intelligently, they will help you open doors you never knew existed.
Step 1: Identify people who can & will impact your future
- Make a list of possible future employers and identify specific people inside these organizations.
- Make a list of critical people in your department such as the dean, dean’s secretary, the chair, professors of advanced classes, department advisers, etc.
- Seek out and make a list of people successful at what you are considering doing. Want to become a pediatrician or a lawyer? Find out who the top people in that field are.
- Identify local chapters of associations relating to your field.
Step 2: Proactively reach out (aka build your network of friends before you need them)
- Go see your professors during office hours… especially the during first few weeks… because most people won’t
- Introduce yourself to people in your department (after first few weeks. It’s less busier and fewer faces to remember)
- Identify places people meet… and hang out/study there
- Find non-profits that you are passionate about… that have influential people as supporters… so you can interact with them in a non-professional setting.
- Get business cards with your basic contact info. Get them at VistaPrint (free) or 4SquareGraphics ($15 for 250 cards)
- Introduce yourself to the smartest, most interesting students in your classes in the first weeks. Most learning in college happens from interacting with other students
Step 3: Cause them to recognize & remember you by giving something of value
- Humor is a universal gift
- Join discussions
- Ponder Pearls (starts at $25/month) is something I give
- Introduce professors in different departments to each other
- First be interested, then be interesting
- Interview them and publish it on a blog
- Offer to work for free (if you can afford to)
Step 4: Get personal with them
- Find out their birthdays
- Find out what they are passionate about
- Ask them to mentor you (when it makes sense)
- Invite them have lunch/dinner with you and a few other interesting people
Step 5: Commit to relationship building as a life-long discipline
- Start Now! It’s never too early… or too late
- Take down names and ask people their email
- Use HighRise (250 contacts free) to track people you meet
- Sign up for Plaxo (free) so your address book stays accurate
- Get an email (from Gmail, Hotmail or Yahoo) that you will keep forever
- Think 5 years ahead in terms of relationships you’ll need
- Set aside 30 minutes every day to reach out to people
What advice would you give Michelle & other college students on how to build a network of friends who can impact their future?
~ mel
Melvin Ram
CEO, Volcanic Internet Marketing
Direct: (916) 743-9369
Email: melvin@volcanicmarketing.com
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