Grad School Lowdown: Academic Networking

It was my second year in graduate school at Columbia, and I had just dropped off a problem set in the economics department. I got in the elevator to head to the gym, and was surprised to see Dr. Cunningham (in case you can’t tell, the name’s a fake), the resident expert on studying successes and failures of AIDS awareness programs in South Asia (okay, the topic’s a fake too). I knew I had to introduce myself.

“Dr. Cunningham! I’m Nazia Kazi. I’m a second year here. I really admire the work you’ve done in rural Bangladesh.”

“Why thank you, Nazia.”

“I’m looking forward to hearing your talk at the panel on Friday.”

“You’ll be attending?”

“Oh, yes, I love our colloquia. Are you going to talk specifically about your last paper?”

“Yes, but I also want to talk more broadly about general implications of such interventions for Westerners such as ourselves, working in the Third World.”

“That’s great. I can’t wait to hear your insight on the topic.”

Elevator doors opened. We stepped out.

“Well, I’ll be seeing you then. Nazia, right?”

“Right. See you Friday.”

Of course, the above conversation was imaginary. We rode down seven stories in silence, and I remained unintroduced to this brilliant mind.

Why didn’t I speak up?

I suppose, partly, it was because I was intimidated. What could I possibly say to someone whose work is so widely published, who is considered the go-to person on the topic by NGOs, universities, and think-tanks alike, that would sound even remotely more intelligent than I would had I spotted Heath and Michelle taking a stroll Williamsburg?

Seeing Cunningham walk out the revolving doors, I wondered—how could I have negotiated an intelligent conversation with him, in which I successfully relayed my interest in his work without sounding like a groupie?

I certainly was not one of those students who wore tailored pants and button downs to class and carried a fresh supply of individualized business cards in case of such encounters. That tactic seemed to me insincere, forced, desperate, and simply not my style. (I’m thinking of Reese Witherspoon’s character in the movie Election.)

That was the moment I committed myself to forging my own, personalized style of networking in an academic setting. Here are my practical tips to you.

First, be authentic. We’re told that a solid relationship with a well-known professor can be the key to admission to a doctoral program or future employment. What people fail to mention is that the authenticity of that relationship is what matters. That’s what will be apparent in a strong reference or letter of recommendation. If you can figure out a style of communication that works for you (you may just be the business card type!), do it.

Second, don’t be apologetic. Professors have office hours for a reason. If you run into a department giant, the way I did, don’t force yourself to have a conversation you’re unprepared for. You may end up sounding uninformed, or worse, like a star struck fan.

“Dr. Cunningham? Nazia Kazi, I’m a second year here. Do you have any available office hours in the next few weeks? I’d love to chat with you about some of your interests.” This kind of statement will allow you to seize upon the encounter but still give you some time to prepare what exactly it is you would like to say to the professor, as opposed to sucking up content-empty "face time."

Lastly, be honest about who it is you need to get to know better. I've known students who would stick around after just about every class to get those five minutes of face-time with each professor they have. And I've also known students who have found a professor whose research interests were strongly aligned with their own, and developed a professional relationship with them. I have to say, it’s the latter relationship that is more effective.

Just because you’re sharing the elevator with a campus celebrity does not mean you need to network with them. Come to think of it, the department giant probably has a long enough list of students waiting for feedback on their dissertation, a letter of recommendation, or a research assistantship to be able to even provide you the one-on-one mentorship that really comes in handy for professional development.

Even though he or she may be tough to find, it will ultimately be more rewarding to find an individual on the faculty who shares an interest with you and has availability to support you.

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