If you’ve ever left the Career Center crying or deeply dissatisfied, trust me, you’re in good company.
I have heard enough stories about Williams students leaving the Career Center with more than unpleasant experiences. It seems contradictory that the place that markets itself as a helpful resource disappoints and frustrates the student body time and time again.
Over my four years at Williams, I’ve heard a range of comments about the advisors, “I LOVE her! She knows what she’s talking about” to “I’m going to write to the board of trustees after I graduate, she’s the worst.”
The question here is, why would students complain so passionately about someone who is just trying to help them? The answer is, quite honestly, that Williams College cares more about its numbers and reputation than helping its students find an appropriate career.
In my personal experience, I’ve gone to the career center three times so far, once every year I’ve been at Williams, and each time I’ve left that brick building behind Paresky disappointed in myself, shattered, and carrying an even deeper sense of uncertainty than when I had walked in with. As a first year, I had walked into the career center knowing that my grades were not high enough to get into a grad school, but hopeful to hear some consolation from my advisor if I show any improvement over the next three years. Instead, she had made me feel small and kicked me into the corner by telling me she does not even think I should apply to grad school with my grades.
The advisor had made me feel small and unqualified to do anything. I had dreamed of going to grad school ever since I was a child and hearing that I was not good enough had struck me hard. Even when I showed huge improvements over the next two years, the advisor had discouraged me from applying. I knew I did not have a 100% chance of getting in, but I was disturbed to hear that it was the only thing that really mattered on my resume, discounting everything I’ve done in my internships and on campus.
Advisors at Williams College are very qualified, maybe even the most qualified advisors we could have, but they do not do the one job they promise to do, which is to give sound advice to the students. The advisors tell students to reconsider their career path, discourage them from following your dreams, and ask, after seeing your grades, if you have dyslexia when you don’t (believe me, this has definitely happened).
The biggest issue with the advisors at Williams is that they are trying to do two things at once, and that is 1) advise students towards the grad schools or careers they want to go into and 2) make sure the acceptance rate is as high as possible. The latter part is critical for the college and puts pressure on the advisor to weed out students who harm the chance of increasing Williams grad school acceptance rates.
This element is at the heart of the difference between the students who like the advisor and the students who dislike their advisor.
Naturally, if student A shows high performances in their classes and student B is only average, student A will win the heart of the advisor and unlock the key to their advice. This seems to be true for everyone I speak to.
The biggest problem with the pre-med advisor at the Career Center is that everyone who wants to apply to a grad school program must receive a letter of recommendation from her, and if she does not think you are a strong candidate or don’t follow her advice, she will not write a good recommendation, thus jeopardizing your chances of getting into the grad school of your dreams.
As you can see, this is a pretty tough predicament for anyone who wants to get into a grad school. What to do about this? For one, you can write to the board of trustees and tell them about your experience at the career center in the hopes of recruiting new career advisors. Second, you can email President Maud. She has a lot of power, and if enough students let her know about this jacked up system, maybe she’ll do something about it.