<p>I’ll note, however, that despite the regrettably poor experiences of some with the Swarthmore career office, I’ll say that it seems Swarthmore is nearly tops for admission into graduate programs. From what I’ve been told, since there are so many very qualified applicants for graduate programs, connections Swarthmore professors have with top grad programs are very important, especially since a good word from a reliable source among a pile of seemingly identical applications can mean acceptance. Swarthmore students have had incredible success getting into top grad programs, and if that’s your ambition, there are few places, at least from what I understand, that can offer Swarthmore’s excellent grad school placement.</p>
<p>Additionally, I’ve had incredible experiences within the alumni network. In fact, I’ve spent both my summers with alumni. Their advice has been very helpful in figuring out what classes to take, how to prioritize my time, etc. For the grad school bound, professors in the associated field are probably THE people from whom to seek advice; not career officers. Even pre-law students would be well off to discuss their pre-law ambitions with public policy / political science profs, who probably know at least a thing or two about admissions. Although I’ll concede I don’t know much about pre-law at Swat.</p>
<p>Finally, it’s important to remember that our networks are very different and perhaps more useful than they used to be. It seems everyone is saying this, but Facebook truly has expanded our network and has brought us benefits beyond those like reminding us what we might have trouble remembering from previous nights of debauchery. This larger network connects us to friends who have specific experiences relevant to all kinds of inquiries. Accordingly, we might find a career office to be decreasingly important as our networks expand and mature. Jus’ sayin’. :o</p>