Career Success Report
2018-19 Academic Year
Class of 2018 Undergraduates
89% of the Class of 2018 survey respondents reported they are employed full time or attending graduate school within six months of graduation.
n=1,558 (surveyed and knowledge rate of 72%, national average of 65%)
The Cohen Career Center's data collection for student career outcomes, reflected in this report, adheres to the standards and guiding principles established by the National Association of Colleges and Employers.
Franek, R., & The Princeton Review (2019). The Best 385 Colleges (2020 Edition). New York: Penguin Random House.
91% of those working reported their career interests aligns very well/somewhat well with their work. 42% of respondents reported participating in at least one internship, externship or research project. 327 graduates responded to this question.
| Top Industries | Average Income |
|---|---|
| Accounting | $60,500 |
| Banking | $77,571 |
| Biomedical | $52,466 |
| Communications | $29,253 |
| Consulting | $65,914 |
| Education | $32,176 |
| Financial Services | $58,017 |
| Government/Public Administration | $47,344 |
| Health Care | $39,820 |
| High Tech/Information Technology | $70,722 |
| Law | $41,638 |
| Military & Defense | $55,300 |
| Non-profit | $31,858 |
Top Employers
Employers who hired four or more 2018 undergraduates
Survey respondents report being hired by 418 unique employers. The employers below hired 4 or more class of 2018 graduates.
| Accenture | IBM |
| Booz | Allen | Hamilton | JP Morgan Chase & Co |
| Capital One | KPMG |
| CGI | National Institutes of Health |
| City of Williamsburg | PWC |
| CVP | Smithfield |
| Deloitte | Wells Fargo |
| EY | William & Mary |
| Grant Thornton | United States Armed Forces |
Graduate School Enrollment
15% of the undergraduate class of 2018 matriculated to graduate school attending 107 distinct graduate programs as degree-seeking students.
The most represented schools are:
| William & Mary | 24 |
| University of Virginia | 11 |
| Virginia Commonwealth University | 8 |
| Columbia University | 5 |
| Old Dominion University | 4 |
| Eastern Virginia Medical School | 3 |
| Georgetown University | 3 |
| Harvard University | 3 |
| Johns Hopkins | 3 |
Students enrolled in a wide variety of programs, including (but not limited to): Medicine, Accounting, Psychology, Public Policy, Education, Law, Government, Counseling, Physics, Engineering and Public Health. Respondents are pursuing 25 different graduate degree types, including the following:
| PhD | 24 |
| MS | 23 |
| JD | 22 |
| MEd | 18 |
| MD | 15 |
| MA | 14 |
| MAcc | 10 |
| MSC | 5 |
| MPH | 3 |
| DPT | 3 |
First Destination Geographic Distribution
Derived from respondents who provided their geographic location for employment and graduate school.
Student Engagement
The Cohen Career Center conducted 2,919 individual advising sessions in the 2018-19 academic year, including scheduled appointments and quick advising.
One of the keys to successful career planning is an early start. The Cohen Career Center assists students with programs and opportunities open to all class years, majors and areas of interest. The graphic below illustrates the number of advising contacts (by academic class year) held through the Cohen Career Center during the 2018-19 academic year.
*The total number includes nine additional students enrolled in the University of St Andrews Joint Degree Programme and one non-degree seeking student.
FUSE (Funding for Unpaid Summer Experience)
Students were funded for participation in unpaid summer internships, allowing them to gain valuable skills and work experience in a variety of industries.
| Students Funded | 33 |
| Awarded more than | $70,000 |
*average award = $2,524
Externship Program
79 students participated in this program which allowed them to shadow professionals and gain exposure to industries of interest. 23 sites participated, offering 25 externship opportunities.
| Student participated | 79 |
| Sites participated | 23 |
My Active Career Exploration (MACE)
MACE is a 6-week career readiness series led by the Cohen Career Center and offered to first and second year students. This series examines a number of career readiness topics and gets students in the habit of networking and developing career relationships.
Design Your Next Step
Design Your Next Step is a seven-week series led by the Cohen Career Center and offered to sophomores, juniors and seniors. This series utilizes design thinking as a tool for career development and planning.
Mock Interviews
Students participate in "mock" interviews with advisors, employers or industry volunteers including parents, alumni and community partners.
Workshops 
Workshops are hosted by the Cohen Career Center and are designed to teach students about relevant career development topics including resumes, cover letters, job searching, interviewing, networking and more.
Influencer Postcards 
All faculty and staff on campus play a major role in supporting students' career success. Members of the class of 2018 identified 403 different W&M faculty and staff members as being "Most influential to their William & Mary education." Each year the Cohen Career Center recognizes these individual with a postcard highlighting this distinction, celebrating the partnership for the career success of our students!
Recruiting Engagement
*Numbers represent all touchpoints between recruiters and students, not unique values. Total includes fairs, information sessions, interview days, OCR employers, externship sites and employer mock interviews.
Annual Recruitment Events
Information Sessions1,401 attendees, 127 sessions |
Fall Diversity Brunch 2018106 students, 19 employers |
Graduate & Professional School Fair 2018148 students, 79 programs |
New York Recruiting Consortium 20194 students, 22 employers |
Fall Recruiting Consortium 201811 students, 16 employers |
K12 Education Interview Day 201967 students, 42 employers |
Nonprofit, Government & Education Career Fair38 students, 105 employers |
Career FairsFall 2018: 998 students, 85 employers Spring 2019: 578 students, 67 employers |
On-Campus Recruiting
Every semester employers come to campus to interview W&M students for jobs and internships. All majors are recruited and a variety of employers are represented.
On-campus recruiting schedules: 105 | Interviews conducted: 977
TribeCareers
TribeCareers is the hub for job and internship postings for William & Mary students. Our Employer Development team works hard to introduce students to a wide variety of opportunities throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia, the nation and the world.
Cohen Off-Campus
Each year the Cohen Career Center hosts a number of trips where students from any academic background can attend site visits and gain in-depth industry exposure.
