Eagle Exchange is an interactive virtual platform that fosters connections between students and Boston College alumni. You can use Eagle Exchange to build your professional network, ask career-related questions, find alumni mentors, apply to projects to build skills, and more. It is up to you to make the most of your Eagle Exchange account. The guide below will help you get started.
Quick Links
How To Guide
Activate Your Account
All current Boston College students have access to a free account on Eagle Exchange.
How to:
- Visit eagleexchange.bc.edu
- Click the “Join the Community” button.
- Select the "BC Login" button and log in using your Agora login credentials.
Questions?
If you have questions about Eagle Exchange, email us at eagle.exchange@bc.edu or visit us during drop-in hours.
Complete Your Profile
Set yourself up for success by completing your profile. You will want to make a good impression when you begin connecting with alumni. This process is similar to creating a LinkedIn profile.
How to:
- Customize your profile by clicking on the circle at the top right hand corner of your profile. Scroll down and click on “my profile”.
- Complete all sections of your profile, including work experience, courses, extracurricular activities, and more. Add a photo and summary to help your profile stand out.
- Eagle Exchange will curate a feed of suggested alumni for you to connect with based on your preferences.
- Like your resume and LinkedIn profile, make sure to keep your profile up to date.
Profile Picture:
It is highly encouraged that you include profile picture as a part of your Eagle Exchange profile. Students with a profile picture are 3-4 times more likely to have ngagement than students who don't.
If you don't want to include a picture of yourself, please consider one of our professional, class-year options:
Tips for Summary Section:
The summary is your opportunity to introduce yourself and your brand. Here you can describe yourself (what you study, what your interests are, etc.) and your goals for using the platform (to find a mentor, to learn more about a certain industry, etc). When writing your summary, it is important to remember the audience. Use shorter blocks of text and bulleted lists where appropriate. To make a strong first impression, ensure that your summary is grammatically correct and without typing errors.
Questions?
If you have questions about Eagle Exchange, email us at eagleexchange@bc.edu or visit us during drop-in hours.
Find a Mentor
The key to success on Eagle Exchange is actively reaching out to alumni. You have access to search for and message any alum on the platform. However, alumni do not have access to search for and reach out to you as a student. Therefore, it is up to you to send the first message.
How to:
- Go to the “Explore the Community” tab to view a list of alumni on the platform.
- Use the filters to narrow down your search. You can filter by industry, major, class year, and more. Based on what you are looking for help with, you can also filter by help topics.
- Once you find an interesting alum, click on the message button within their profile. You can craft your own message or choose a pre-written template and make it your own.
- You can choose to request a meeting or simply send a message. If you do request a meeting, you will need to select a topic you would like to discuss and decide how you would like to meet (phone, video, etc.).
- Click send and monitor your email to wait for a reply. Eagle Exchange will prompt alumni to respond to you within a timely manner.
- You may come across an alum that you are not able to send a message to. Alumni can set quotas based on the number of students they are able to help at a single time. If you find you can’t send a message, the alum is at their quota. You will need to wait a week or two before messaging them.
Alumni are waiting to hear from you!
Alumni are joining Eagle Exchange because they want to help current students. We recommend you reach out to at least 3 alumni per month. Possible topics of discussion include:
- General advice and networking
- Choosing a major
- Graduate or professional school
- Identifying skills
- Identity in the workplace
- Mock interviewing
- Resume critique
- Work/life balance
Join a Group
Groups allow you to connect with others who share your interests. You can join a group to access select resources, network with members, and participate in group discussions.
How to:
- Go to the “Groups” tab to view a list of all the groups. Eagle Exchange has groups for identity and shared interests as well as every career cluster.
- Join any group that interests you. Within each group, you can view members, resources, and a discussion board.
Participate in a Discussion
The discussion board is a place you can learn from others or share your knowledge. Use the discussion board to ask questions (anonymously or as yourself), answer questions, and browse existing questions and answers.
How to:
- Go to the “Discussion” tab. Add a question to the discussion feed by typing in the box at the top of the feed. Check the “Post anonymously” box if you want to post anonymously; the default is posting as yourself.
- Scroll through the discussion feed to see questions. Use the search box in the upper right if you’re interested in a particular topic or person. Answer a question by clicking in the text field below the question.
Professional Code of Conduct
As an Eagle Exchange user, I understand that my communication with other members of Eagle Exchange is to reflect mutual respect, civility, and other moral standards. Therefore, users of Eagle Exchange are prohibited from engaging in the following actions and behaviors:
- Use of offensive, rude, obscene, and/or intolerant language and the use of similarly offensive graphic or video images.
- Creating or sending of nuisance, harassing, or obscene materials or messages.
- Selling any product or service, soliciting contributions, or lobbying for political candidates.
Professional Responsibility Agreement
As a participant of the mentorship/networking program on this Eagle Exchange platform, I am preparing to professionally network and will be held to high ethical standards and responsibility. I recognize that Eagle Exchange and Boston College hold themselves and their constituents to the highest level of professional integrity and social responsibility. I understand and agree to the policies and principles below, which have been established to ensure my professionalism/character while interacting with others on the platform.
Honesty & Integrity:
I recognize that my actions will reflect upon me, fellow participants, and Boston College. I will provide accurate information in all materials and actions during my networking, communications, and career-related activities while interacting on or off premises with those in the Boston College community.
Professional Code of Conduct:
I will communicate and present myself professionally, while being courteous/respectful in my interactions (in person, in writing, by phone, video chat or email) and will:
- Manage/Monitor my digital identity content (including text, voice and picture). This includes ensuring that my voicemail messages and e-mail address are professional and make reasonable efforts to remove material professionals may deem inappropriate or unprofessional.
- Acknowledge calls, emails and invitations, and respond appropriately in a timely manner.
- Attend all scheduled one-on-one interactions with other participants. I will provide two business days’ notice for any cancellation, if possible.
Networking Terms & Conditions:
In addition to adhering to the policies and principles on the Professional Responsibility Agreement, I will abide by the following:
Do’s & Don’ts
- Do ask for advice, information, and other contacts
- Don’t ask for a job or internship Do send a brief thank you letter or email after networking with a contact
- Don’t expect networking contacts to automatically share their network contacts
- Do follow up with contact
- Don’t spam a contact with multiple emails or stalk with multiple phone calls
Consequences of Inappropriate Behavior:
- Removal from the program
Sharing of Student Data
- I understand that by joining this site, I am opting-in to share certain profile data to other community members which may be considered to be part of my educational record under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). I have reviewed my profile and associated data and agree that this data will be shared.
- Some or all program administrators will be able to view all information that I add to my profile and all communications that I send through the platform.
Why Use Eagle Exchange
“[My Alumni Mentor] was so willing to offer me honest advice, get to know me on a deeper, personal level and was incredibly easy to talk to! I felt an instant connection with her, and our conversation was very genuine. She offered me help on how best to take my next step and gave me further contacts to expand my knowledge.”
“[My Alumni Mentor] was very helpful and encouraged me to discover my path. He was not only helpful in informing me of his own work, but also through his willingness to look over my resume and connect in the future.”
“[My Alumni Mentor] gave awesome advice and connected to me to valuable resources and opportunities (one at her own company). She even offered to write me a future letter of recommendation!”