Over 400 seniors participated in resume drop this month, 86 more students than last year's total, according to acting co-director of Career Services Monica Wilson. Students submitted a total of 5,032 applications before the Oct. 4 deadline to consulting, finance and education firms through DartBoard, an online Career Services database.
Monday's resume drop saw the continuation of some trends from previous years. Consulting, a traditionally popular field, received the most applications due largely to a decline in the popularity of finance, Wilson said. The three employers that received the most applications, all consulting firms, accepted over 200 applications each.
"[Interest in consulting has] been climbing the last two or three years, especially as the finance industry has not done as well," Wilson said. "I think Dartmouth students feel that a position in consulting will allow them to explore their options, to learn about different industries, to continue doing research they enjoy, to get to travel there are a lot of things that sound attractive."
The increase in applications coincides with the release of a survey by The Wall Street Journal stating that U.S. companies hire more students from state universities than from Ivy League institutions, as well as liberal arts schools in general. Of the study's top 25 schools, 19 were public, and only one Cornell University was in the Ivy League. Wilson took issue with the study's premise, arguing that comparing liberal arts schools directly to state universities ignores key differences between the two types of schools.
"You're comparing apples to oranges when you're comparing state schools that put out thousands of students to a select school that puts out less than 700 students who are going to be looking for employment each year," she said.
Elite liberal arts institutions also tend to send a higher ratio of students to graduate schools a factor that could account for the discrepancy, Wilson said.
Furthermore, Wilson added that many of the companies that hire Dartmouth graduates are fundamentally different from those in the survey.
The Journal focused its study on the nation's largest companies, sending surveys to all companies traded on the three major stock indices, as well as the 100 largest private companies and the 50 largest nonprofits, according to The Journal's website.
"Employers who are looking for future leaders love to hire here because they recognize that Dartmouth students are well-rounded, ambitious and capable of doing so much," she said. "But if you're talking to an established, traditional company like the companies in the survey they're less likely to hold onto Dartmouth students long-term."
Dartmouth students' natural proclivities also steer them away from the types of companies the survey analyzed, Wilson said.
"I think that Dartmouth students, partly because of the quarter-term system, and partly because of the nature of who they are and why they came here, are very driven, very creative, and somewhat restless," she said. "I think most students [from Dartmouth] don't expect to stay in one place for more than a couple of years. They're looking at building a skill portfolio, and unless the company provides lots of room for growth and movement, they're going to be ambitious and look further."
Psychology major Peter Hagan '11, who submitted an application to Bridgewater Associates, said he chose to apply to the Connecticut-based investment group "on a whim." He said he plans on taking a class at the Tuck School of Business in the Spring term. and has previously worked in marketing.
"I figured I'd give it a shot," Hagan said.
Mark Li '11, an economics major, said he applied for one entry-level marketing position and plans to apply for more at the next resume drop deadline. He decided to apply for marketing jobs after talking to employers at the Career Services Employer Connections Fair, he said.
"I chose the [positions] that seemed more interesting than [investment] banking and consulting," Li said.
In the midst of a fragile economic recovery, Wilson said internships were a key asset for students who successfully entered their desired careers upon graduation.
"Employers are cautiously optimistic, but they're not ready to ramp up their hiring substantially," she said. "But they're going to be hiring a lot of interns, and internships are the window to entry-level opportunities."
The Journal study echoed Wilson's sentiments about the importance of practical experience, taking it a step further to say that practical experience matters more to employers than education in many cases.
"An internship is the No. 1 way to get a foot in the door," the study stated.
Even considering the purported disadvantage of a liberal arts degree and the tenuous economic environment, Wilson said she encourages students to follow their passions rather than pursue majors they think will earn them the best career opportunities.
"I talk to them about building that skill portfolio, thinking about the type of work environment and the type of skills they enjoy using, and looking for opportunities that will help them build on those skills, so it's not about thinking about a career," she said.
Students with liberal arts degrees hold certain advantages over students from state universities, Wilson said.
"The liberal arts education gives you the foundation to think critically, to communicate well, to make independent decisions, to fulfill a lot of the qualities that employers are looking for, but it doesn't prepare you for any specific industry," she said.
Students who participated in the resume drop submitted applications to 74 employers, 59 of whom will interview students on campus from Oct. 12 to 29. The remaining 15 employers will conduct phone interviews.
Emily Baer contributed reporting to this article.
