Hello everyone! As a prefrosh I’ve heard great things about the alumni network at Williams, but I wanted to get some concrete answers about it from current students, graduates, and parents of students.
How responsive are alumni when you reach out?
Does the college make it easy to engage with them?
Have you found the network to be useful when looking for internships and other opportunities?
In what career field is the alumni network most prominent in? I'd guess finance, but I'm not sure.
The alum network is super connected and responsive. Ephlink is very helpful and you get a response within 24 hrs. I would set up a meeting with the career center your first semester and they will get you set up. Also, local alum groups host receptions in New York, San Francisco and other cities for students during winter study externships and summer internships.
The Williams alumni network is famous. @TennisParent is correct: go to the Career Center your first semester and see what they have to offer. Also speak to your professors if they are in a field in which you wish to pursue summer options. Our DD found great internships through professor connections. She also pursues summer fellowships (check out the fellowship page) and is on one this summer.
As for which fields the alumni are located, they are surprisingly everywhere, not only in finance/consulting. The art history “mafia” is internationally famous. There are many doctors, lawyers, educators, artists, performers, entrepreneurs, and careerists of every stripe. Don’t worry about what’s available – you’ll find what you need. Your first job is to expand your concept of the world and yourself through your classes, professors, friends and activities. You won’t be the same person four years from now when you graduate and that’s a good thing. Good luck!
As a alum who got my first job through an alum and is married to an alum and the sister of an alum, I will tell you that it is strong. Among my friends, I would say only Princeton and some of the women’s colleges seem to engender the same level of alumni loyalty.
By early career salaries (as reported in U.S. News), Williams graduates place second among the rarefied group that comprise the NESCAC LACs. As an indicator of alumni networking, this could be as good as any.