I’m a senior girl being recruited to NESCACs for XC/track and I’m super excited. I feel confident it’s going to be a really good fit and am trying to decide which school to ED to in the next 2 months.
I’ve basically narrowed it down to these 2 schools and I feel great about both. I know Wes and Midd are quite different but I like them in different ways.
In terms of my sport for the past few years, Middlebury and Wesleyan are VERY similar with Middlebury possibly having a slight edge, though they are both seem to be really comparable.
My question is more about academics because I really care about career placement and thinking ahead to the future. Are Midd and Wes similarly regarded if I want to go into econ? Based on rankings and other threads, they seem to be both super very well regarded but I just wanted to hear experiences from others about being an athlete at these schools.
Both seem like awesome experiences and I’m really looking forward to the next few years.
Not sure why you want to hear from athletes on this vs anyone.
Kids find jobs. Schools typically don’t. Cornell, itself, until recently showed how most find jobs and it’s from company websites and other social sites - likely LinkedIn and Indeed than school efforts although some do get hired from career fairs, on campus interviews, alumni and more - but at just a fraction of the amount I don’t see why Wes or Midd would be different.
There’s no assurances as all cases are different (as everyone is an individual) - you might do better even at a school that overall places worse on average.
You should ask each Econ department or the school’s placement office for outcomes, including job titles, locations and salaries.
Here’s is Wes’s but unfortunately they don’t label by major or provide jobs nor salaries so you need to dig deeper. Similarly is Middlebury’s - always a concern to me when they only provide top level data, but that’s why you should dig deeper. What are they hiding ?
My guess is they are likely similar but your ultimate career goal, whatever it is, might be better at one than the other.
They are both pretty transparent about post-graduation destinations. According to its most recent survey, 77% of Midd graduates had jobs lined up within 6 months of graduation. Eighteen percent went into Financial Services:
Of interest, fully 19% of Wesleyan graduates land footholds in the Leisure, Arts and Entertainment industries (about twice as many as Middlebury) and is the college’s largest entry-level job cohort. Financial Services is second at 12%:
An equal proportion of Wesleyan and Middlebury graduates successfully pursued career opportunities in Consulting at 8% each.
Many schools (including LACs)provide powerbi or other tables which show major, job titles, locations, salary levels and more. Amherst, which might be considered a like school, shows by major (but not salary). I think it’s no accident they do this as LACs typically don’t show impressive salaries as the recent WM rankings showed. But those are overall school and not an econ major which likely employs students at a higher pay level. This data is based on students, I believe, 8 or 9 years after starting college so . Midd was #20 with a median $63,541 and Wes at #29 at $61,195 - neither a figure a top LAC would want to brag about - hence I believe they don’t.
Transparent is not a word I’d use for either but that’s why I suggest further research including requests for info they clearly have - but choose not to share.
I have no idea what you just said. You should probably be addressing your replies to the OP, not every poster who offers a source or a personal experience.
They are literally the same. I’d pick the school that passes the vibe check. If there’s no winner there, I’d think about the coaching and team culture. You’ll be spending a lot of time with those folks. - Proud Wes alum.
As everyone stated, they are equivalent. However, one of the things that always stood out to me about Wesleyan is the number of kids that pursue varied interests. Every tour guide we encountered had the wonkiest combination of double majors. I always thought that was cool about the school.
I’d ask current team members. These are good questions to raise on a visit. Or, if you’ve already visited it’s fine to reach out after. Current juniors and seniors should have a good sense of the type of support you can expect from the career center for internships and jobs. They can also tell you anything unique to athletes and job recruiting, if any (for example, does the career center schedule everything during practice times, what sorts of opportunities have track alums found, are there track alums helping with career counseling in a formal or informal way, etc.).
I don’t have first hand knowledge on either school but they’re both good academic opportunities and I’d expect alums to have good career options.
Do you have offers from coaches at both schools for a supported slot in ED?
Wesleyan is much more centrally located amongst the other NESCAC schools, but I am not sure if travel distance is a significant factor for the XC and Track teams.
I agree with the posters above about visiting the campuses, meeting with members of the teams and thinking about how you like Middlebury, VT and Middletown, CT. Both are great schools and would offer excellent career and academic opportunities
I understand - but her concern is about career placement. If she wants to hear from them because of support levels, I get it.
But if it were me, I’d be more concerned with overall placement - and both unfortunately, like many LACs, lack transparency, which Is why I noted she should talk to the departments and/or career center - who will all the data that they choose not to share publicly like others do.
What others do on a one by one basis isn’t going to provide the answers needed and while some organizations do seek athletes (often sales), there won’t be a breakdown to that level.
She could just as easily be asking about whether and how much time spent on track might take away from studies and affect job placements to decide if it’s worth it.
I didn’t even really think about the flair I used. It was kind of the first thing I thought of because I’m playing a sport. Didn’t mean to strike a nerve
I agree. With that said, it’s not unusual for teams to reach out to their alums (that sport only) to connect them to current team members, perhaps talk about their careers, etc. This can help with internships and entry-level positions. Also, some teams do this and others don’t– even at the same school. My awareness of this is as a former multi-sport D3 athlete.
Edited to add that this initiative is not taken by the career center.