Ask a Wildcat

Are you curious about your career options? Do you wonder where your academic path will take you?

Ask A Question Now

Get great advice and answers to your specific questions from a community of over 80,000 Northwestern alumni.

Help Me Craft a Question

Sponsored by the Waldron Student-Alumni Connections Program

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Ask a Wildcat

Are you curious about your career options? Do you wonder where your academic path will take you? Get great advice and answers to your specific questions from a community of over 80,000 Northwestern alumni.

Sponsored by the Waldron Student-Alumni Connections Program

Ask A Question Now
Help Me Craft a Question

You ask.
They answer.

Wildcats love helping students and fellow alumni. So what’s one question you have for someone who’s done what’s ahead of you? 

connect now

Need inspiration? Here's what others like you have asked.

Hi there!

I am an English major with a minor in Linguistics. I am passionate about literature and language, but I am worried about the job prospects in these fields. I enjoy analyzing texts and authoring essays, but I am not sure what career options are available to me after graduation. Are there specific industries or job roles where my skills and knowledge would be valued? I appreciate any insights you can offer!

Thanks!
"I am a pre-med student majoring in Biological Sciences. Although I first entered college intending to pursue a career in medicine, I now know that is not the right path for me. I am finding myself drawn towards other areas of healthcare, but I am uncertain about how to proceed. Should I take a gap year to explore alternative paths?

Thank you for your advice on my dilemma!
Good day!

I am majoring in Gender Studies and Political Science and am at a crossroads about choosing my career path. Are there post-grad that focus on gender issues or industries around advocacy work you think would be a good fit for someone with my academic background? I would love to hear your thoughts on this.

Thank you!
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It’s easy as 1, 2, 3

How does this work??

You Ask A Question

Tell us a bit about yourself and what you're looking for (5 minutes).

We Recruit Experts

We find and share your question with the best alumni in our entire community.

You Get Answers

Responses get delivered right into your email inbox (2-3 days).

Click here to get started or watch our short video that will turn you into a networking rock star.

Frequently Asked Questions

WHAT CAN I ASK?

Literally anything to help with your academic or professional development. There are thousands of alumni, faculty, staff, and friends that can help with class projects, building and growing a startup, or figuring out career options.

WHAT'S A GOOD QUESTION?

Think of your question as an advertisement. Share who you are, what you are doing, and what you need help with. Keep it short and sweet. Here’s a short video on how to craft a great question that will get you results and help build your network.

WHO WILL SEE MY QUESTION?

We send your request to the best alumni, faculty, and staff in your area of interest.

HOW CAN I REQUEST SOMEONE SPECIFIC?

If you are looking to make a connection with a specific Northwestern alum, we recommended utilizing the Northwestern Network Mentorship Program, where you can search for and request to make a connection with a particular alum. If you don’t know who to go with your questions, Ask A Wildcat is a tool that will find the right alumni to answer your unique questions.

CAN I ASK A FOLLOW-UP QUESTION?

Yes, of course! Once we make a match you’ll have direct, one-to-one communication and can ask additional questions. 

HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE TO GET A ANSWER?

Our goal is to get you answers within three business days. But it depends on what you’re asking. It can go as quickly as an hour to as long as 10 days or more.

WILL MY QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS BE CONFIDENTIAL?

Your question will not be made public. It will be seen only by matched experts and a handful of administrators.

CAN I ASK AS MANY QUESTIONS AS I WANT?

You can ask as many questions as you would like. In fact, we encourage it as this is the simplest way for you to build your professional network.

I was really impressed with how easy it was to get in contact with alumni. I just had to submit a question and I heard back from multiple alumni within days. Super easy and helpful! I thoroughly enjoyed my experience. It’s quite awesome to see just how large the community is, and really encouraging to see how willing alumni are to help out current students.

Definitely recommend.
Riley H.CLASS OF ’23
After submitting my question, within a day I had multiple alumni offering me help and guidance. Several of whom were more than willing to connect with me on LinkedIn and review my resume for tips and editing suggestions. Perhaps the best part about my experience is that it did more than help with the simple question I asked. I believe it played a large role in helping me land my Co-op position.

The process took all of about 5 minutes to submit my question and I received so much great feedback from different alumni.
Drew B.CLASS OF ’23
The mentors were so insightful! One hopped on a video call and shared a lot of valuable feedback, while pushing me to think outside the box. I am going to meet with another soon. They are investing so much time and effort in connecting me with incredible resources and people. They are really going above and beyond to leverage their networks. It means the world!
Jeyashree H.CLASS OF ’20
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Go ahead and ask

It has never been simpler to get help from others that have done what’s ahead of you.

Seriously.

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The use of Ask A Wildcat is subject to our Terms Of Use. Questions? Contact us at askawildcat@northwestern.edu.