How important is the alumni network when considering which college to attend to?
Is the Alumni network significant enough to choose a big college over a small college? Does alumni network affect my chances of getting into a medical school?
No to the last question.
And why do you assume a large school’s alumni network is automatically better?
A large alumni group will be relatively diluted, and therefore may simply serve as background radiation.
The alumni network can be pretty helpful at some schools, e.g., Stanford and USC. Lots of people mention USC’s “Trojan Family” when they talk about reasons to go there. I’m pretty sure I got one job simply because I and the person running the company both went to USC. (I actually didn’t think I was a good match, but accepted anyway. I quit within months.)
At most schools, though, the alumni network doesn’t mean much. An alumni network isn’t something you should count on when trying to get a job.