S22 narrowing list and will apply ED 1 to one of following…Williams, Dartmouth, Washington & Lee or (new fave after a great tour visit) is Davidson in NC. We live outside of Boston but I am native Southerner. S22 would be a triple legacy at Vanderbilt but he thinks too big and was turned off by downtown Nashville. I’m disappointed but not surprised. He wants to return to Boston post grad to live/work so wondering how much weight the regional reps/alum support should mean given small sizes and base. Also know W&L dealing with their history and “change the name” drama. We were there the week before the Board decision. Wonder if that will be disruptive to students and rep.?
Schools such as Dartmouth and Williams tend to be recognized for their post-graduation opportunities nationally, as in this Forbes article:
So is your concern that if he attends a smallish liberal arts college in the South, his career options will be limited if he wants to return to the Northeast after graduating? I don’t think that is the case, no.
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He will want internships as undergrad in Boston.
Could inquire with each college’s career center about which employers recruit at each. Could look at LinkedIn for alumni employed by Boston region employers.
Handshake is newer tool used by colleges to connect with employers.
Davidson was offering some grants to help with cost of living for internships
Williams has this update for where their Class of 2020 went https://careers.williams.edu/files/2020-Destinations-After-Williams.pdf
And advice for families https://careers.williams.edu/families/
Dartmouth has alum groups
I agree with concern about which college will ease return to Boston. Boston employers will recruit from regional schools and why not be a part of that pool?
Edited to add: with covid, so many employers either cancelled student internships or went remote. Hard to guess what impact this will have on recruiting going forward.
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My kids did not end up working in the region where they went to school. Career services and the alumni network as well as on campus recruiting did not tend to limit options to the region where the school was located.
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https://www.wlu.edu/after-w-l/outcomes/
Compare W&L - has active alum in Washington DC, Charlotte, NY.
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I also don’t think it matters. My D goes to school in IN but has worked in GA, OH, PA and CO.
If your student wants to return to work in the NE, just have them target internships in that area.
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Davidson and W&L were at the top of my D’s list last year so I’m happy to share her experience if you have any other questions.
I agree with the others that the undergrad location of these schools should not affect future job prospects; they are all well-regarded and connected. Both Davidson and W&L offer grants for funding research and internships. My D had some concerns about the rural location of W&L for acquiring internships, but felt very comfortable after meeting with their career services office. She is on a premed track so was asking about opportunities along those lines so I encourage your S to request a call with career services at all of the colleges he is considering to ask specific questions.
Not directly related to your question, but my D also had communications (emails and/or Zoom sessions) with current students and faculty (in majors of interest) to help with her decision. Your son may want to consider that as well to assist with his ED decision.
Best of luck!
Davidson is a great school. I am in NC and know many alums. They are a far flung bunch from upstate NY to Seattle to Kansas City. There are plenty in NC too, but by no means are they limited to staying here. One alum I know was in Boston post grad (I can’t remember if it was part of his Masters or PhD program or what).
As a general consideration, you may want to look into early career earnings, which appear in U.S. News (examples below).
https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/washington-and-lee-3768
I think your misgivings are a bit off. Much of career stuff is done on the net today and more and more will be. All these schools are well connected etc. as for the W & L name game it’s over. If anything it’s a real life education in change. It would not stop me.
The only thing you lose with W&L and Davidson is name recognition. Most have never heard of them…especially W&L but the people that need to have and what else matters.
W&L has a very strong alumni network and a good presence in the NY metro area. Not sure about Boston, but the network is very good about helping/mentoring students
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To be fair, your D may have comparative advantages in her engineering/ STEM major for national employment that a male potential liberal arts major from a southern LAC will not enjoy.
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I feel that W&L is making HUGE and substantive efforts to deal with and overcome its past. I have been blown away by the school in a way that I wasn’t by my 2 older kids’ colleges.
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I agree 100% - it’s perception, not reality. They were outstanding during the recruitment process and when we ventured on our own (campus closed) those we spoke to including a prof - what a great school. We were unfortunate not to get merit but if you do (either full ride or tuition only), what a great opportunity.
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If Southern LAC is appealing, you may want to check out Richmond and Wake Forest (although a national university, acts much more like an LAC and smaller than Vandy). William & Mary might also make sense (although a state school, much more LAC like than most).
All three have large representation from the NE and many find jobs in the NY-Boston corridor. Can’t speak for W&M but Career Services and a strong alumni (I would say fierce) are very big at UR and WFU.
Location is important as far as if and how often companies come to campus. But a combination of a strong Career Services Dept, Engaged Alumni, and an ACTIVE STUDENT (by far the most important component) can overcome location issues. More and more recruiting is taking place online, negating the importance of location. This was happening pre-covid but is pretty mainstream today. Even the top firms in highly sought after industries are going to the web for initial screening / interviews. They still have target schools but are way more open to others than even just a few years ago.
You’ll find a lot of top quality southern schools full of kids from the NE. Many like the idea of going away and enjoying new scenery / weather. Of course W&M will have mostly in state kids but they draw heavily from NOVA which is quite transient so still many NE ties and alumni.
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