This is excellent advice. As you know, I also spent the better part of a decade working directly with students on campus in Career Services.

After working with hundreds of students, I think your point on the importance of building relationships with “grown-ups” on and off campus is especially important.
Many students have a “blind spot” with regard to the need to develop relationships outside their peer group in college. The lack of support systems in these areas can make college more difficult to navigate as a whole and is especially challenging when recommendations are needed. Without guidance, students may not become aware of the need to develop these relationship until they apply for jobs and internships–or they are ready for graduate school. By then, they’ve already lost some headway.

One of my perennial pieces of advice to students is to “shrink” the size of their campus by making one or two faculty or staff friends every semester who will take an active interest in their progress. The bonus: Students who do this will have a stronger source of support when it comes time to make tough decisions, navigate course scheduling, and ask for recommendations.

Again, many thanks for this great piece.

All the Best,
Chandlee