<p>My daughter is trying to choose between Elon and several other schools where she was accepted (Dickinson, Trinity Col in CT, Allegheny), some of which are more selective.</p>
<p>While Elon has a lot going for it and I think she would enjoy the Elon experience, I wonder if she would be giving up something in the value of her degree post-graduation vs. the more selective schools, in terms of future career opportunities. How is Elon's career center? Are there any reports available with statistics and information on job placement? </p>
<p>How strong is the alumni network? Does it reach much outside the NC area? I know that the current student population includes a lot of students from the Northeast, but that wasn't the case when many of the alumni were students. How is the alumni network affected by the fact that Elon is an up-and-coming school that has increased significantly in reputation relatively recently?</p>
<p>Check out this page for some info [Student</a> Professional Development Center](<a href=“Elon University / Student Professional Development Center”>Elon University / Student Professional Development Center)
My son also looked at Dickinson and Allegheny was a strong contender. We visited there twice. It seems like most Elon graduates go into the job market and a smaller percentage go directly on to graduate school. But my sense is that the career center does a good job at helping them connect with alumni. They were very helpful with helping with internship searches.</p>
<p>The career Center is great with providing info on jobs. There are also several recruitment fairs during the year where fortune 500 companies come to recruit from all over the country.</p>
<p>Yes, you are right that it is a young alumni network, but it appears to be quite active. My S is in the business school and he has been exposed to many alum in his first year.</p>
<p>The school also does a great job reaching out to parents to encourage networking and internships. My H is offering one this year for the first time and he was impressed with the apps he received. </p>
<p>Bottom line, no matter where a child attend, s/he has to do the work to get the job or internship. The career center may be great, but the student has to make an effort.</p>
<p>Just wanted to add that my son is also deciding between Elon and Allegheny (and Centre and Duquesne). To expand the discussion any further, I’d be grateful for anyone’s two cents – he’s sort of stuck at this point. (All of them “feel” right. And he is not picky about a city vs country experience, nor small vs medium.) With scholarships, the prices are all very comparable. The only notable difference is that he would be in the Honors program in Duquesne. (He hopes to major in international affairs and go on to grad school.) I’d be glad for anyone’s insight!</p>
<p>I am not familiar with Duquesne but my son considered Allegheny seriously. I do remember that a high percentage of Allegheny graduates went directly to graduate school. In retrospect I think Allegheny might have been two small. (1900 vs 5500 students at Elon). And to be honest, they get 100 inches of snow a year at Allegheny while at Elon it is pretty nice most of the school year and you can spend more time doing outside activities. I remember an Allegheny student said the students tended to “hibernate” during the winter. So it depends on what floats your boat. Does he like to be a homebody- studying and maybe playing video games or does he like to be outside for a pick up game of _______? Even just reading and doing homework on one of the Elon greens can be very pleasant.</p>