--- title: "Dex for Students: Stay in Touch With Classmates, Professors and Alumni" description: "How to use Dex in college to remember the people you meet, follow up with professors and recruiters, and keep your network going after you graduate." canonical: https://getdex.com/guides/using-dex-for-students/ updated: 2026-10-29T00:00:00.000Z source: https://getdex.com/llms.txt --- # Dex for Students: Stay in Touch With Classmates, Professors and Alumni College introduces you to hundreds of people. There's the lab partner who's now at a startup you'd love to join, the alum who gave you 20 minutes at career fair, and the professor who offered to write a recommendation "whenever you need it." Four years go fast, and a phone full of half-saved contacts won't hold all of that. [Dex](https://getdex.com/student/) helps you keep track of who you met, what you talked about and when to reach back out. Students get 50% off for a year. You don't need a big network to start. This guide shows you a simple setup that takes about 30 minutes and grows with you. ## Get your student discount Enter your .edu email on the [Dex for students page](https://getdex.com/student/) and your code arrives by email. You get 50% off for one year. MBA students get a longer discount, covered in our [Dex for MBA students guide](https://getdex.com/guides/dex-for-mba-students/). Sign up with a personal email if you can, because your school address may stop working after you graduate. Dex is your account, and you'll want it to outlast your enrollment. ## Set up in 30 minutes You'll get the most from a few connections. 1. Install the [mobile app](https://getdex.com/mobile/). Most of your Dex use will happen on your phone, right after you meet someone. 2. Connect Google under **Settings → Workflow → Sync & Import/Export** so your emails and calendar show who you've met. 3. Connect [LinkedIn sync](https://getdex.com/docs/integrationsandfeatures/syncfeatures/sync-linkedin) from the mobile or desktop app. Syncing in the browser isn't supported, so do this step on your phone. 4. Connect [WhatsApp](https://getdex.com/docs/integrationsandfeatures/syncfeatures/sync-whatsapp) or [Instagram](https://getdex.com/docs/integrationsandfeatures/syncfeatures/sync-instagram) if that's how you talk to friends and classmates. You can also sync your phone contacts, which brings in everyone you've saved so far. ## Make a few groups Three to five groups are enough. Try these: - Classmates - Professors and TAs - Alumni and mentors - Recruiters and internship contacts - Friends and family Tags are good for clubs or interests, like "debate", "pre-med" or "robotics". You can always add more later, so don't spend an hour on this. Read our [groups and tags docs](https://getdex.com/docs/workflows/organize-your-contacts) if you'd like more options, including saved views. ## Add people the moment you meet them Do this before you leave the room. Open the app, type their name, and add one line: "Met at career fair. Works in product at Stripe. Studied CS here." You'll thank yourself in the spring. Three shortcuts help: - At a career fair, use the [business card scanner](https://getdex.com/docs/workflows/card-scanner). It reads the card and creates the contact, and you can scan several in a row. The card image stays on the contact. - On LinkedIn, use the [Chrome extension](https://getdex.com/docs/integrationsandfeatures/dexextension/aboutdexextension) to add someone and write a note from their profile. - If you'd rather talk than type, **Add with voice** in the mobile app dictates a note and cleans it up. It works on every plan. ![The Dex home screen with today's calendar events, birthdays, Keep-in-Touch contacts and reminders](https://images.ctfassets.net/u17em9tc1vdb/17nnLeYPMpSY8tDOXUXiQr/45d0d1f8299acb0da964079f7610cbb0/dex-home-screen.webp) ## Follow up before it gets awkward Most student networking fails at one step: the follow-up. You meet someone good, mean to email them, and three weeks later it feels too late. Set a [reminder](https://getdex.com/docs/workflows/reminders) right after you meet: "Email Maya thank you, Thursday." It appears on your Home page and in the daily digest at 8:30am. Then use [keep-in-touch frequencies](https://getdex.com/docs/workflows/keep-in-touch) for the people you want to stay close to. These are a good starting point: - Mentors: every 90 days - Alumni who helped you: every 180 days - Professors who'd write you a recommendation: every 180 days - Old friends from home: every 30 days Dex counts from your last interaction, so if you've just messaged someone, the date moves forward by itself. ## Getting recommendations and internships Plan ahead with the people who can vouch for you. A professor can't write a good recommendation if they don't remember you. So after a good class, add a note about what you did well: your final project, a paper you're proud of. Then when you ask for the letter a year later, you can remind them of the specifics. For internships, ask [Copilot](https://getdex.com/docs/ai/copilot) things like: - "Who do I know who works in finance?" - "Which alumni do I know in New York?" - "Summarize my conversations with Priya." - "Draft a thank-you note to Daniel." Copilot writes a first draft and you make it sound like you, then send it yourself. When a recruiter's calendar invite comes through, Dex can email you a [pre-meeting brief](https://getdex.com/docs/workflows/pre-meeting) with your history together about 10 minutes before the meeting. Our guide on [organizing your job search](https://getdex.com/guides/organizing-your-job-search/) covers the rest of the process. ## A 10-minute weekly routine Pick a time, like Sunday evening. The weekly digest arrives on Sundays with your upcoming reminders and birthdays. 1. Add anyone you met this week. 2. Send the follow-ups that are due. 3. Message one person you haven't talked to in a while. Keep it small. Ten minutes a week over four years gives you more than most students will ever build. ## Before you graduate - Change your Dex login to a personal email if you used your school address. You can do this from the Account Settings page. - Add personal emails for your close friends and professors. - Add the cities your friends are moving to. The map view shows who's nearby when you visit. - Thank the people who helped you, and tell them where you're headed. ## Frequently asked questions ### How much is Dex for students? Students with a .edu email get 50% off for one year. Premium is $12 a month billed annually before the discount. Claim your code on the [student page](https://getdex.com/student/). ### I don't have many professional contacts yet. Is Dex still useful? Yes. Starting small is easier. Friends, classmates and family count, and you'll have a habit in place by the time recruiting starts. ### Does Dex work on my phone? Yes. Dex runs on iPhone, Android, web, Mac and Windows, and everything stays in sync. ### Does the discount renew? The student discount lasts one year. Contact support@getdex.com about anything specific to your account. ## Get started The people you meet in college may matter for decades. Keeping them is simple: add them when you meet, write one line, set a follow-up, and come back once a week. Start today with five people you've met this semester. [Claim your 50% student discount](https://getdex.com/student/) and start a 6-day free trial. A card is required to start the trial, and you won't be charged until it ends.