Hello
I am seeking ideas of “outcome-oriented” colleges where there is an emphasis on helping students explore career options, network with working professionals, and then launch their careers (!) Examples would be Northeastern and Drexel with their co-op programs and maybe George Washington with their very high percentage of professors who are also working professionals. Perhaps the extensive career services at Denison that ive seen mentioned here though im not entirely sure what that entails. Im especially interested in these programs that have success with non-STEM, non-business, non-premed student.
Thanks for your input.
2 Likes
U of Cincinnati
Purdue (although leans more STEM heavy)
3 Likes
Who has got some of the best placement #s High Point U (which is a unique school).
Certain majors will become more outcome oriented than others - for example, engineering because there are co ops, etc…
NEU and Drexel seem to co op most but the others mentioned push co ops too.
In the end, I"m learning - the student has to go after these outcomes. It’s there, likely at every school if they want it - taking advantage of the career center and what it offers…setting up indeed job and intern searches and applying to jobs of interest that come in (on their own), etc.
7 Likes
What majors are you interested in? Humanities? Certain social sciences? I would start with schools that are strong in your majors of interest.
Many unis, and many LACs, like Denison, have excellent career centers. Most post outcomes each year for the graduating class, so look at those. You can also contact the career center with specific questions you may have.
In the big picture though, the onus is on the student to network with alum, profs, and others they might come into contact with at the various programs many colleges run. No career center can get someone a job, the students I know even from top schools do significant leg work to find internships and ultimately their first post-grad job.
4 Likes
There are colleges with fantastic career resources-- and students who wander in a week before graduation to ask “Can you get me a job doing something which pays a lot?” (Kid- where have you been?) There are colleges with OUTSTANDING career resources, and students who claim “You just can’t do anything with a Psych degree” (not true, but you have to actually LOOK for a job).
5 Likes
I know many people who work in higher ed career services and they all share the frustration that so many students don’t seek them out until a month before they graduate. Most colleges offer a lot of opportunities for internships, fellowships, job shadowing, etc… But students need to seek it out and participate. Unfortunately it’s most often only business and engineering schools that are actually pushing experiential learning. But is’ available to all.
My daughter is only a freshman but has already participated in a fellowship and a job shadowing program. I’ve been preaching to her about the importance of experiential learning, so she is looking for the opportunities.
FSU and Duke are two schools with a long standing reputation for innovative career services. From our college search experience I’ve been impressed with Ursinus and their emphasis on practical experience and the opportunities they offer.
6 Likes
Connecticut College has a program where a student has to perform certain steps to unlock a stipend – like, submit a resume, visit the career office etc. At the end of it, they get something like $3,000 to help subsidize an internship.
ETA here’s a link to the program:
8 Likes
That’s a great idea, thanks for sharing!
Thanks very much for the replies.
I’m gathering that career services is generally not seen as a differentiator. Many, many schools have very fulsome services well beyond resume checking and job postings. It is up to the students to seek those out. I’ve also learned that “experiential learning” is the code name for a lot of what I am looking for so thank you for that response.
That said, there are a few schools that stand out in this area:
Northeastern
Drexel
George Washington?
Denison?
University of Cincinnati
Purdue (leans to STEM)
High Point (very interesting. I had not heard of this school or its approach)
FSU
Duke
Connecticut College (I like that they are trying something different)
I am the parent (if that wasn’t clear from the bent of my question). My child’s favorite HS classes have been history, public speaking, English composition, and Spanish. Maybe interested in public policy or international relations or linguistics or human geography…
2 Likes
A pretty good summary.
A few comments…I don’t see anything that stands out about GWU (a fine school), at least with respect to having instructors who work in the industry/govt(who often aren’t tenure track/tenured profs) teach classes. American U is similar and I’m sure there are more.
I don’t think Denison stands out among LACs in terms of career center programming/outcomes, although Denison is a fine school.
Note that at the co-op schools a true co-op experience (semester long+ jobs) often means the student doesn’t graduate in 4 years. Contrast that with a typical experience where students get internships each summer during college…one can do that anywhere, including at some of the co-op schools.
A coop is NOT an outcome. Yes, it’s a forcing mechanism to ensure that a student has work experience before graduation, but you don’t need a coop to do that.
Not sure what question you are asking. Conn College is a great fit for some kids, a terrible fit for others. Choosing it because of its “outcome orientation” would be a very bad idea. Denison has some geographic limitations- also not for everyone. And if a kid wants to major in history, there are dozens of options (likely your own state flagship) which have stronger history departments than Drexel and Northeastern!
I am a volunteer for my alma mater for kids (mostly humanities and social sciences types) interested in exploring corporate careers. I am not unique; there are dozens of colleges which offer this service. And many colleges where the students don’t need to tap the alumni network at all because the on-campus resources are so robust.
I think you are looking for a differentiator which doesn’t really exist!
GW is a great place for a kid interested in public policy and the like- but not because of the professors, but because it is walking distance to hundreds of internships and part-time jobs at think tanks, federal agencies, Hill committees, etc. A kid at GW who doesn’t find work is a kid who doesn’t want to work… there are abundant opportunities!
2 Likes
Absolutely this differentiator exists. At some colleges, students are required to get internships, professors follow up and grade them on it, and students spend time sharing resources, tips and success stories weekly. At others, it is hardly ever discussed, and while career services are available, if no one else is going weekly will your kid be the exception? So much easier when most others are focused on career outcomes as well. Some students dont need the extra push of peer influence, but it sure does help get them motivated in the right direction.
6 Likes
Seconding High Point, which afaik does the most ‘hand-holding’ of students linked with a very strong focus on post-college placement.
Also a +1 to @Mwfan1921 & @tsbna44’s comment about the onus being on the student.
Note that the quality of early advising can make a big difference, particularly for students who are uncertain about majors. Some colleges provide advisors specifically for ‘undecided’ students (a good advisor can help the student to id good classes for ‘taste-testing’ different majors while fulfilling gen eds, etc). Resources such as the career center can help with getting summer internships and jobs- but as everyone else says, the student has to lead the charge. Students who start engaging early in their college career know what the career center can (and can’t do) come graduation time.
re: GW- imo they are the ne plus ultra in terms of IR/PS type internships, partly because of proximity, and partly b/c the school will work with students to help them build schedules that work around in-term internships…
BUT
it takes meaningful, sustained hustle from the student. It takes a student who will apply to many internships & not give up. It takes a student who will find the registrars office and make friends there. It is as ‘outcome oriented’ as High Point but at the opposite end in terms of hand-holding!
So the question is: what sort of support will best suit your student? Does your student need an advisor who will message her to see if she has signed up for things (High Point), a school where internships are built into the curriculum (NEU, ConnCollege), or a school where all the resources are there and the department/school will send out semi-regular info on available opportunities (most schools), or one that has great resources for the pro-active student (GW)?
1 Like
Conn College’s geography works against its positioning as an internship=-friendly place. Just saying- New London is not a hotbed of commercial activity (the main industry is submarine building and some tourism), and commuting options aren’t too great either.
So there is more to being internship friendly than encouraging, cajoling, insisting. There also have to be readily accessible options.
My kid went to Santa Clara which is certainly located where there are tons of accessible options in many fields. Still…the opportunities didn’t come knocking on student doors. The students needed to do the legwork to get internships and jobs. Career center was very good and helpful but they gave the tools the applicants needed…they didn’t find kids jobs.
Lots of colleges that encourage ‘experiential learning’ don’t have relevant (off-campus) internship opportunities close enough to be useful during term time (and obvs it depends a lot on the field), so I am less bothered by that as a metric. I included Conn as an example mostly b/c it was already in the thread, and I was trying to join up the dots for the OP.
1 Like
Elon is worth checking out
USNWR is not necessarily the best source of information, but this list includes schools that were nominated 10+ times by other colleges and universities for “stellar examples of co-ops/internships.” Several names listed here are on it, as well as some others, like Agnes Scott and Endicott. For the full list, follow the link:
https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/rankings/internship-programs
High Point has a bit of reputation of finishing school for wealthy kids and a somewhat cult of personality around the president Nido Qubein who has an honorary doctorate rather than an earned PhD.
OP is looking for a school that’s outcome oriented. Regardless of what one thinks about the school, one can’t knock their outcomes.
The Dean at ASU B school til a few years ago, Bob Mittelstaedt didn’t have a PHD and I’m sure there are many more examples.
If someone wants a school that places well, HPU should at least be looked at by OP so they can decide if it’s a possible fit for them. Whether or not the President is controversial or self promoting is irrelevant to their outcomes.
1 Like