• Employers and/or graduate schools visiting and/or interviewing on campus
• 150+
• Of Williams students applying to law schools, business schools, or science Ph.D. programs, percent accepted annually
• 99+
• Of Williams students applying to medical school, percent accepted annually
• 90+
• Number of National Science Foundation Grants won by Williams students over the past five years
• 34
• Rank of Yale, Harvard, Stanford, MIT, and UC Berkeley as the graduate school attended by Williams alumni (classes 1970-1989) earning doctorates
• 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
• Percent of recent Williams alumni who earned their medical degrees from a Top 25 medical school (as ranked by U.S. News & World Report)
• 40
• Percent of recent Williams alumni who earned their graduate business degrees from a Top 25 business school (as ranked by U.S. News & World Report)
• 78
• Percent of recent Williams alumni who earned their law degrees from a Top 25 law school (as ranked by U.S. News & World Report)
• 55

Instead of thinking of a Williams education as a product—a stop between high school and medical school or a prelude to a job on Wall Street—think of it as a process that can begin with an English major, lead to taking a geology course for fun, and end up with a passion for studying the glaciers of Alaska. And consider it a way of thinking about and taking on the world that will serve you throughout your life. Here you’ll learn to approach life’s questions and problems with a critical eye, to express yourself in writing with economy and elegance, to speak your mind clearly and defend your ideas, to synthesize concepts across media and disciplines, and to become an engaged community member. In short, if we’ve done our job well, you’ll challenge—and be prepared to change—the world after Williams.

Given the flexibility of a liberal arts degree in general and a Williams degree in particular, it is not surprising that our graduates follow a number of paths. Williams’ 20,000 plus living alumni pursue careers in every field, and they advance to the highest levels. They are corporate leaders and innovators; public servants and legal scholars; artists, writers, and educators; pioneers in scientific research and medicine; and advocates for a just society. An important factor in their success: they bring a way of looking at the world—and of meeting its challenges—that is fluid rather than formulaic.

Our graduates capture a lion’s share—about 20 annually—of the world’s top grants and fellowships for further study, travel, and research. The prestige factor also enters into graduate and professional school choices—including every Ivy League and major American research university—where up to 20 percent of each Williams class enrolls directly after graduation. Five to ten years out of Williams, that number swells to more than 70 percent. Williams students applying to medical schools have a better-than-90 percent acceptance rate. Those applying to law, business, and science Ph.D. programs are accepted at rates higher than 99 percent.

"Our graduates believe in Williams and what it does, and they demonstrate it in a number of ways..."

The diverse career interests of the Williams community are reflected in the variety of programs offered through the Office of Career Counseling (OCC). Annually, we offer dozens of panels and workshops in fields ranging from international affairs to health care. We encourage students to take every opportunity to make connections between their education and the wider world, whether in the form of an internship during Winter Study or a summer job arranged with the help of a professor or an alum. Williams is also a prime destination for on-campus recruiters, with over 150 firms and organizations representing business, consulting, and nonprofits visiting each year, along with reps from America’s leading graduate schools.

Moreover, alumni loyalty to Williams is legendary—and offers tremendous benefits to our students. Our graduates believe in Williams and what it does, and they demonstrate it in a number of ways: They return to campus to share their experiences. They encourage potential students in their hometowns to consider Williams. And during the summer months and Winter Study, alumni invite students to accompany them through typical workday schedules—in cities around the world.