<p>What is the career prospect for liberal arts college graduates in an international business environment like Hong Kong?</p>
<p>My son is looking to apply to Amherst, Williams, and Swarthmore, but he is worried that firms outside the US will not 'recognise' LACs and instead prefer traditional universities.</p>
<p>perhaps contact the career centers at these institutions and pose the same question? Ask how many of their graduates are working in Asia. If they can’t or won’t provide that info, well that tells you something, doesn’t it?</p>
<p>I have lived in Asia, including Hong Kong, for 20 years. Because my son is a graduate of Williams, I am always interested in noting the educational credentials of people I meet, both in the public and private sectors. I can tell you they are all over the board and my conclusion is that the undergraduate degree is not a significant factor in success in an international setting.</p>
<p>What is significant is what you do while you’re in college – the connections you make, how you use your summers and holidays, the internships, the travel experiences, the language skills. This is where you meet the people who will offer you that job on graduation and build that appealing resume. </p>
<p>The LACs your son is looking at have phenomenally strong alumni networks, excellent career counseling, recruitment and placement and a very high level of acceptance at graduate and professional schools.</p>
<p>My son’s highschool peers who studied in America attended a wide range of colleges and universities – big state U’s, medium sized privates, small LACs. Many of them are now back in Asia (or will be when they finish their graduate degrees). Those that went to small LACs appear to be as well placed as those that went to schools with more universal name recognition.</p>
<p>One caveat: the average person on the street in Asia, even those with good international educations, may not have heard of Amherst, Williams, Swarthmore, Pomona. Generally these are not the same people who have hiring power, but still, you have to endure a lot of blank looks.</p>