Last month, I had the pleasure of attending one of the most superficial, elitist events I've ever been to the Employer Connections Fair. A gathering of many firms from Wall Street, Silicon Valley and elsewhere, the fair attracted numerous recent Ivy League graduates and future Fairfield County residents hoping to recruit some of Dartmouth's brightest into their companies.
Yet amidst all the phony chatter of well-dressed Dartmouth upperclassmen looking for employment in an unfriendly economy, I came across a member of the Class of 2014 (one of many '14s, in fact) waiting at the Morgan Stanley booth boasting to me about his recent internship at JP Morgan Chase probably consisting of delivering coffee and photocopying papers, but I digress. I was disgusted. Firstyears should focus on getting involved with activities they are passionate about during their first year here at the College, not on how they can secure investment banking positions on "the Street" after graduation.
Perhaps the '14s I ran into at the fair last week felt compelled to attend because of the many advertisements from the Career Services office encouraging students to attend. A blitz from Monica Wilson stated students could "MEET EMPLOYERS WHO WANT TO MEET YOU!" Desperately in search of an off-term internship, I thought I'd try my luck with these people who apparently were anxious to meet me. Of course this message was misleading, since the employers were, understandably, more interested in meeting Dartmouth seniors than spending time speaking with underclassmen. Or maybe the '14s attended because parental and societal pressures are pushing students to build a resume at a young age. Only a tender freshman, the '14 I met informed me that he desired to pursue a career in finance.
By focusing on careers just weeks into their college life, '14s miss out on several significant campus experiences. The '14 I encountered, for example, chose to attend the fair instead of enjoying one of the most beautiful days of the term thus far. These freshmen missed out on some quality facetime on the Green, canoeing on the Connecticut and playing tennis topless on the courts next to Topliff to name a few memories of my freshmen Fall. If these freshmen insist on starting early, however, joining one of the many career-related organizations on campus, ranging from the investment club to a community service teaching group to The Dartmouth, could be an enriching first step.
The benefits of getting a head start on the career search are often overrated most freshmen in college are still exploring their academic passions. By narrowing his focus to careers so soon, my new friend has ruled out a wealth of possibilities before even discovering his strengths and interests. Most underclassmen at the fair, for example, could be seen congregating around the finance and consulting booths. Maybe this trend is a result of Dartmouth's reputation as a breeding ground for future leaders in those fields, but I suspect this may also result from underclassmen following the example of peers by hopping on the finance/consulting bandwagon.
Many Dartmouth students I've spoken to come into college set on a certain career path the medical field is common and discover a passion for a completely different career by keeping an open mind and taking diverse classes. If freshmen narrow their career aspirations before even completing a term at Dartmouth, they close the door to unearthing new interests.
Members of the Class of 2014 deserve more formal guidance. Dartmouth's Career Services office should create a structure for incoming students to begin thinking about careers without jeopardizing their participation in actual college life. Encouraging '14s to attend a career fair in their first term on campus is like encouraging adolescents to touch a large bonfire they are not ready and it will not end well (but '14s, do it anyways). Instead, the folks at the Career Services office should make their presence known to '14s by educating them on how to systematically approach career selection over their four years here at the College.
While it seems like all the focus has been on the liberal arts lately, the College should not lose sight of its career advising structure. For the benefit of the freshmen class of present and of years to come, the College should provide better career guidance. Let's be honest it doesn't bode well for the school to have clueless freshmen wandering around recruiting events.