I get the networking point, would be easier at more prestigious universities but you can still try at average unis, some of my lecturers know a lot of academics at more prestigious universities, or are editors for certain journals, they know a lot of academics around the world but they rarely talk about it to students because nobody cares to ask.
I was on a trip with some of my lecturers, and students as well. At the end of our activities, we all sat around. Most other students went and did something else, not sure entirely.
Me and my friends sat and spoke to the academics about what we wanted to do after graduation, most would say "oh I know X who does Y research at Z university, I could contact him and see if they're looking for a research assistant". Or they were suggesting, "looking into studying this course at masters level", "try and learn this skill."
My evolutionary biology lecturer would email me personally about opportunities in the field I said I was interested in, I'm not even some super student nor have I done anything for them. I just decided to talk to them one day and they actually responded.