How to stay close to the Barnard-Columbia community after graduation

Graduation always brings a rush of mixed emotion—it can feel like an official end to a chapter of your life and at the same time a brand-new start to the rest of your life. Regardless of which category you fall into at the present moment, graduating doesn’t mean you need to be ready to leave the Barnard-Columbia community behind. If you’re wondering how best to stay connected once you’ve graduated, Spectrum has some ideas for you.

While it’s best to connect with your professors while you’re still in their classes, it’s never too late to reach out to your favorite professors or any you wish you’d talked to more. You can find all of their information on the school directory, as well as their department’s websites. By staying in touch over email, and even potential coffee chats, you can ask about opportunities for research or job applications that you may be eligible for as alumni are constantly reaching out for new applicants.

Barnard students get an alumnae email (uni@alum.barnard.edu) which is separate from your gBear account but includes core G Suite applications. This means you will lose access to your gBear data unless you manually transfer it to your alumnae or personal email accounts. To do so, find more steps here. Columbia graduates may continue to use their LionMail address but they can also sign up for a Columbia Alumni Association email. Students from affiliate schools can join after an approval process. More information can be found here.

You may have a circle of close friends that you made during your time here that you’ll never lose touch with. However, consider staying in touch with your other classmates who may not be graduating this year. There are endless possibilities for where you may all end up, but you could find a future roommate or a friend at your new company this way. You’ve got nothing to lose!

As you evolve from “student” to “alum,” make sure to join the alumni association for your specific college and the University in general. Scour the Barnard and Columnia alumni websites and keep your personal information updated. These alumni associations organize events and gatherings from different classes to help you connect with others after graduation. They also usually have a list of on-campus events which are open to alumni. Make sure to sign up for the newsletters and show up at the next alumni reunion!

Take a few minutes now to follow a few social media accounts corresponding to your specific college as well as the main Columbia Instagram account. From on-campus events to off-campus opportunities, you can stay up to date about what’s new on campus through the Facebook page, unofficial subreddit, LinkedIn, official Instagram account, and your official college-specific alumni Instagram accounts as well. Of course, subscribe to the Columbia Daily Spectator newsletter with your new alumni email as well. That way you can learn about how your school is doing by scrolling through your social media for a few minutes.

Happy Graduation and best wishes to you all!