Four-Year Plan

Following our annual Open House during Opening Days, Career Development collaborates closely with the first-year College Colloquium program. Many of our advisors serve as “campus partners,” and deliver presentations and events to familiarize first-year students with our services. It’s also a great time for first-year students to dive into our Career Communities and schedule a Career Advising appointment with one of our advisors. Each of our advisors specializes in a specific career cluster, and we encourage students to explore interdisciplinary pathways.

The Sophomore year of college is a critical time for students to begin making concrete, actionable plans. Students can elect to take our “Sophomore Career Quest,” a semester-long career course that guides them towards greater career awareness and foundational skills such as networking and career research. Outside the course, sophomores also often take career assessments, and meet with an advisor for a personalized interpretation of their results.

Campus internships or part-time jobs are also posted on our job platform, and students can drop by for resume and cover letter advice without an appointment. Students can also gain solid professional skills through volunteering with Civic Engagement and campus leadership opportunities.

Junior year is also the most common timeframe for internships, especially those external to Willamette. We offer courses to gain academic credit for internship experience, as well as funding opportunities to support summer internships. We offer tailored support for seeking internships such as those at the Capitol, and often invite employers to campus for information sessions.

In year 3, students take the important step of learning how to network with professionals–in and out of the wider Willamette community. Bearcats love helping fellow Bearcats, and our alumni are frequently called upon to serve as panelists, workshop hosts, practice interviewers, and interviewees. Students are supported by our advising team as they learn how to conduct informational interviews. They can also have a free, professional headshot taken, and leverage the robust Willamette LinkedIn alumni network.

Outreach to our Seniors starts first thing in year 4. Our advisors visit numerous capstone and thesis courses to engage with soon-to-be graduates. Our half-semester “Job Search Strategies” course is popular with seniors, who often use it to ensure they get a solid start on their job search materials and activities. We also host a weekly drop-in sessions for “Senior Support” to build community and skills for the job search, and seniors can attend numerous employer information sessions.

Many Willamette students opt for graduate and professional programs, and we offer programming and advising to assist with graduate school selection and application preparation. Students can gain critical skills in research through our university research grants, and also serve as TAs, tutors, writing consultants, or Colloquium Associates to build skills attractive to graduate programs. The GRE is free for students to take, thanks to alumni/donor funding. Our Prehealth advisor also provides MCAT preparation and extensive preparation support for health-related programs.

Alumni and Community Engagement hosts virtual meet-ups for students to hear from alums in their interest area. And once our seniors walk across that stage, we’re still here for them. We offer support to Willamette alumni throughout their lives.