Tillyard Guides

Write to a graduate of your college

They studied where you do and now work somewhere you are curious about.

Not for this: You have never looked them up. Spend ten minutes first.

With scripts off, copy the text on the right and replace each {blank} yourself.

About you

Your college

e.g. Lakeside College

Your year

e.g. second-year student

Your full name

e.g. Amara Okafor

Year you graduate

e.g. 2028

About them

Their organization

e.g. the county health department

Their name, as you would say it

e.g. Dr. Lin Zhou

How you found them

e.g. the alumni directory

Their field or kind of work

e.g. public health

A question you would like to ask

e.g. how you decided between graduate school and working first

Your email

Subject: Fellow {my_school} student: a question about {their_org}

Dear {their_name},

I am a {my_year} at {my_school}, and I saw in {how_found} that you studied here before joining {their_org}. I am trying to work out whether {their_field} is right for me, and you are doing the thing I am curious about.

If you had twenty minutes for a call this month, I would be grateful for your view on {specific_question}. If now is a bad time, I understand.

With thanks,

{my_name}
{my_school}, class of {my_grad_year}

What you type here stays in your browser. Tillyard does not send the email for you. The mail link has no recipient: add that yourself.

Do

Say where you found them.
Ask one real question.

Do not

Open with flattery.
Ask for a job.

No reply? Wait about 7 days, then send one follow-up.