The New York Times Profiles Carleton Externship Program

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Sun, 18 Apr 2010 02:54:40 +0000

“schools may need to do more about getting their graduates ready for the outside world.”

Agree wholeheartedly - part of the reason the externship program and Carleton’s linkage to alumni and parents has been pursued so vigorously since the financial downturn (VERY vigorously). Many employers won’t look at rising sophomores, often not even rising juniors, when it comes to summer opportunities. This also often applies to paid Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REUs). Ultimately, like it or not, connections often rule the day. And the quote by Mueller isn’t directed at Carleton or LACs in general, for that matter, but to top tier schools graduating a large percentage of kids, particularly in the non-STEM (science, tech, engineering, math) liberal arts fields, often with no specific skill set to sell in a tough job market. Hamilton, which has a relatively small number of “STEM” grads, may still be seeing 95% of its graduates working or in grad programs 1/2 year out from graduation but you’re right to be skeptical. These numbers tell only part of the story. Like numbers posted by other schools, these include a large percentage of grads in unpaid internships, part-time jobs, or just plain underemployed. All are still technically “employed.”

I know you’re new to the school but don’t be fooled by Carls for one minute. As a group, they may appear to be individualistic out-of-the-box thinkers (they are) but they are not blind to the realities of the world. The vast majority leave Northfield after 4 years much better prepared than that quote that concerned you might suggest. I’ve read many of these, but below is a random sample of this year’s senior class - a bullet of each of the 5 graduating seniors profiled in the Engagement Wanted listing this week and the general “real world” experience they’ve obtained prior to graduation in their respective fields of interest. They have not been doing macrame in their free time:


Geology major interested in systems sciences: field experience in the Siberian arctic, coastal Australia, and Tanzania.
English major interested in public health: research internships at both Duke and U Minn
Economics major interested in energy consulting/policy: worked on strategic plan for a local energy efficiency initiative, managed data set of 14,000 houses to determine impact of environmental regulations on housing prices
Biology/biochem major interested in scientific research: research experience at the Plant Gene Expression Center
Neuroscience major interested in cognitive neuroscience: research experience in physiology/biophysics and pharmacology at the NIH, Georgetown and U Minn.