How to Get a Job Right Out of College

While your last days of college are here, it’s time to start thinking about that dream job. Whether you have work experience or not, these are some of the best tips to use when looking for a job. 

Here is how to navigate your way through the job search process and avoid making common mistakes that are popular among new graduates. This guide is designed to better prepare you to get a job as a recent graduate and eventually, land the job of your dreams. 

How to get a job right out of college

01

Gain experience during college

While you are in college, you will have a ton of opportunities to gain experience. There are clubs, organizations, and other events to help you gain this type of experience. Plus, if you are not working an internship or part-time job this could be a great thing to put on your resume. 

02

Start networking!

If you start networking in college, it can make finding a job after graduation a lot easier. It is widely known in the business industry that you should start networking because half of the jobs offered to you won’t be advertised online. 

It is advised to start meeting people and making connections within your major and going to professional organizations. This type of networking will open a lot of doors and opportunities for you. 

03

Research the job market

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Researching the job that you are interested in and what the market needs is on way to narrow down your search. If you can provide employers with a new set of skills, it looks better on your end. 

This will also help you better understand what the market is looking for and it’ll increase your chances of getting hired if you are studying for the position. 

04

Be proactive

If you are looking to score a full-time job right out of college then you should be proactive within your search. Consistently be searching for a job in your major and follow up with anyone that hasn’t replied to you. Take it a step further and reach out to people on linked in and network to the best of your ability. 

05

Become a volunteer

If you become a volunteer for local companies you are not only creating networking opportunities but also opening doors for yourself to potentially get a job offered to you. This will also boost your communication and interpersonal skills.  

06

Attend job fairs

Another way to stay proactive in looking for a job to secure after college is by attending job fairs. There are plenty of opportunities when it comes to going to local events like this. Not only are you working on networking, but you are applying to jobs that pique your interest as well. The likelihood of you getting hired off a job at a fair is far superior to online. 

07

Create a portfolio

Take your experience one step further than a resume and create a portfolio. This is great when most of your experience is based on what you learned and worked on in college. Putting together a portfolio will also show employers what you are capable of. 

08

Get an internship

Another way to get introduced to the work field is by inquiring about an internship. With internships, you gain experience and also the environment of working for a company. Some internships are paid while others are not. In the end, you are gaining experience and networking within the work field. 

09

Get a part-time job

This is something to consider while in college. Sometimes it is completely unfeasible, but if you have the time, a part-time job is the way to go. Slowly gaining experience with an entry-level position and then growing into more once your college degree is completed. Remember that this can be a challenging task, and it is important to keep up with your studies, but you can very well loop in some experience too. 

10

Keep an updated linkedin

You don’t need to be in person to network. If you have a profile on LinkedIn, it is another great place to communicate with people in the same industry as you. Keeping your profile up to date is important, so post about all the projects you are working on and let people know that you have the experience that they could be looking for. 

11

Leverage career services

Visit the career center at your college. They provide services like interview practice and cleaning up your resume. Plus there are companies that will leave their information with the center in hopes to get college students to apply. This is one of the best places to find new job information especially because the people leaving behind their information are open to hiring college graduates. 

12

Take online courses

Along with learning skills in classes, there are also opportunities for you to take online courses and gain more hands-on experience. If you are doing additional work to learn the material it can also help you figure out if this particular major is the right one for you. That is ultimately helping you decide if it’s the right career path for you as well. 

13

Find a mentor

Having a mentor is common when you are attending college. They are someone that you can trust to give you guidance and constructive criticism. This person is ultimately someone you will look up to, it could be a teacher, friend, supervisor, or coworker. 

14

Level up your resume

Think about how many other people are sending in their resumes to the same job posting that you are. You want to make sure yours is clear and concise. Make yours pop. Make it memorable. There are tons of ways for you to make your resume pop out of all the rest. Once this is achieved, you are bound to get the job of your dreams. 

15

Apply on the company websites

Another way to ensure that your job application doesn’t get lost in the sea of others is to apply to the company directly through their website. Using big job boards can be a downside, whether they lose your application or it simply gets overlooked. Plus if you are applying through their website it shows that you are interested and took the extra time to go through a few more steps. 

Ensure you get the job of your dreams

After all of these tips, we hope you have an idea of how to secure the job of your dreams right after college. Don’t forget to research as much as possible, score an internship if you can, and network, network, network! 

If you need an advisor or career coach Prepory has a full team of coaches that are ready to help you land the job of your dreams. Our end-to-end career coaching program, Sprout, ensures individuals gain complete guidance for their job search. Our career coaches analyze, improve, and optimize everything from your resumes, cover letters, online presence, interview skills, and more. We help you build, thrive, and grow while earning the salary you deserve and propelling your career to greater heights.

Applications for early decision​

While you were touring the colleges did you take note of their early access or regular admission dates? Are there any other important deadlines that we need to watch out for? Let’s get into the different deadlines and application processes there are for colleges.

2022-07-22T16:51:02-04:00July 5, 2022|College Admissions|
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Historically, women have been barred from higher education. It wasn’t until the 19th century that women began to pursue higher education, primarily through women’s colleges. Even then, it wasn’t common for women to attend college until the 1960s and 1970s.  

In this article, we will discuss women’s colleges’ history as well as provide a comprehensive women’s colleges list. We’ll cover the best women’s colleges in the U.S. and answer key questions, such as: How many women’s colleges are there in the U.S.? Are there any all-women’s colleges? And are women’s colleges still relevant today and why?

What is a women’s college?

Firstly, what is a women’s college? Historically, a women’s college was a college founded with the purpose of offering higher education opportunities to women. Coeducation colleges only began gaining popularity in the 1970s. Before that, if women wanted to pursue collegiate degrees, they attended women’s colleges. 

So what is a women’s college today? Some women’s colleges have remained relatively unchanged and only admit female students. Some women’s colleges, however, have decided to admit a small percentage of male students and/or nonbinary and transgender students in more recent years. The focus of the programs and curriculums, however, are created with female students as the priority and often emphasize women’s rights, gender equality, and leadership. Many of these colleges have shifted to referring to themselves as historically women’s colleges.

Women's colleges' history

At one point, not too long ago, women’s colleges filled a crucial role in higher education. Most colleges were slow to admit female students. In fact, Princeton and Yale didn’t begin admitting female students until 1969 and Columbia didn’t begin admitting female students until 1983. This is why women’s colleges’ history is so important and why women’s colleges played a vital role in equalizing education in the U.S.

In recent years, however, there has been some debate regarding the continued relevance of women’s colleges. There is an important legacy to consider concerning women’s colleges and gender discrimination unfortunately continues, but there are also very few colleges today that do not admit female students.  

How many women's colleges are there?

During the 1960s, there were over 200 women’s colleges in the United States. Currently, there are fewer than 50 women’s colleges in the United States. Of these institutions, 40 are members of the Women’s College Coalition, an association of women’s colleges founded in 1972. 

Members of the Women’s College Coalition feature public and private, religiously affiliated and secular, two-year and four-year colleges. The focus of these colleges and this association is to provide greater educational opportunities to women. 

Women’s colleges are often known for making an effort to foster student confidence, prioritize leadership, and provide students with ample

networking opportunities. In other words, women’s colleges often recognize
that female students aren’t given the same advantages as male students. 

For instance, in traditional classrooms, female confidence and leadership may not be encouraged.
This is one of the many reasons why women’s colleges still play an important role in higher education.

Women's colleges ranked

According to the 2022 College Consensus rankings, the top 25 women’s colleges in the United States are as follows:

  1. Wellesley College (Wellesley, MA)
  2. Bryn Mawr College (Bryn Mawr, PA)
  3. Barnard College (New York City, NY)
  4. Mount Holyoke College (South Hadley, MA)
  5. Smith College (Northampton, MA)
  6. Spelman College (Atlanta, GA)
  7. Cedar Crest College (Allentown, PA)
  8. College of Saint Benedict (Saint Joseph, MN)
  9. Saint Mary’s College (Notre Dame, IN)
  10. Simmons University (Boston, MA)
  11. Mount Saint Mary’s University (Los Angeles, CA)
  12. Saint Catherine University (Saint Paul, MN)
  13. Texas Woman’s University (Denton, TX)
  1. Cottey College (Nevada, MO)
  2. Meredith College (Raleigh, NC)
  3. Alverno College (Milwaukee, WI)
  4. Converse College (Spartanburg, SC) *became coed in 2020*
  5. College of Saint Mary (Omaha, NE)
  6. Stephens College (Columbia, MO)
  7. Bay Path University (Longmeadow, MA)
  8. Trinity Washington University (Washington D.C.)
  9. Agnes Scott College (Decatur, GA)
  10. Mills College (Oakland, CA)
  11. Salem College (Winston-Salem, NC)
  12. Notre Dame of Maryland University (Baltimore, MD)

Source: https://www.collegeconsensus.com/rankings/best-womens-colleges/

Best women's only colleges: Facts and figures

Women’s colleges are often very different from one another. Some are secular and some are religiously affiliated. Some are politically liberal and some are politically conservative. 

The most prestigious women’s colleges have acceptance rates below 20%, whereas other less selective women’s colleges have acceptance rates falling between 70% and 90%. 

Let’s take a look at some key statistics to help further distinguish each college. 

College

Location

Undergraduate population

Acceptance rate

Year founded

Cost of tuition 

Wellesley College 

Wellesley, MA

2,383 students

13%

1870

$61,584

Bryn Mawr College 

Bryn Mawr, PA

1,437 students

39%

1885

$58,000

Barnard College 

New York City, NY

2,744 students

8%

1889

$60,087

Mount Holyoke College 

South Hadley, MA

1,915 students

52%

1837

$56,300

Smith College 

Northampton, MA

2,566 students

30%

1871

$58,480

Spelman College 

Atlanta, GA

2,207 students

53%

1881

$28,885

Cedar Crest College 

Allentown, PA

1,088 students

70%

1867

$43,043

College of Saint Benedict 

Saint Joseph, MN

1,668 students

84%

1857

$52,108

Saint Mary’s College 

Notre Dame, IN

1,403 students

82%

1844

$53,372

Simmons University

Boston, MA

1,744 students

64%

1899

$42,920

Mount Saint Mary’s University 

Los Angeles, CA

2,014 students

89%

1925

$45,388

Saint Catherine University 

Saint Paul, MN

2,983 students

77%

1905

$46,976

Texas Woman’s University 

Denton, TX

10,656 students

94%

1901

$13,842

Cottey College 

Nevada, MO

1,850 students

61%

1884

$23,350

Meredith College 

Raleigh, NC

1,700 students

60%

1891

$42,540

Alverno College 

Milwaukee, WI

864 students

78%

1887

$31,258 

Converse College 

Spartanburg, SC

870 students

60%

1889

$21,060

College of Saint Mary 

Omaha, NE

680 students

51%

1923

$21,800

Stephens College 

Columbia, MO

373 students

56%

1833

$23,385

Bay Path University 

Longmeadow, MA

1,092 students 

78%

1897

$36,497

Trinity Washington University 

Washington D.C.

1,846 students

97%

1897

$26,420

Agnes Scott College 

Decatur, GA

1,014 students

68%

1889

$45,456

Mills College 

Oakland, CA

817 students

75%

1852

$29,340

Salem College 

Winston-Salem, NC

492 students

85%

1772

$30,266

Notre Dame of Maryland University 

Baltimore, MD

755 students

66%

1895

$38,295

Where are women’s colleges located?

There are lots of women’s colleges in the U.S. In this section, we will review some of the most popular locations in the U.S. for women’s colleges and the best women’s colleges in those areas.

Women's colleges in Texas

  • Texas Woman’s University

Women's colleges in Massachusetts

  • Wellesley College 
  • Mount Holyoke College 
  • Smith College
  • Simmons University
  • Bay Path University 

Women's colleges in Virginia

  • Hollins University
  • Mary Baldwin College
  • Sweet Briar College

Women's colleges in Pennsylvania

  • Bryn Mawr College 
  • Cedar Crest College 

Women's colleges in California​

  • Mills College
  • Scripps College
  • Mount Saint Mary’s University

Women's colleges in New York​

  • Barnard College 
  • Russell Sage College

Key takeaways

There are fewer than 50 women’s colleges in the United States today. Although these schools all share some similarities, they each have unique goals and mission statements. This is why it is important to research each school thoroughly before applying. 

Some women’s colleges are politically and socially liberal, whereas some women’s colleges are politically and socially conservative. Almost all women’s colleges are small liberal arts colleges, but some of them have student populations over 2,000, whereas others have student populations well under 1,000. 

If you have more questions about women’s colleges and feel like you could benefit from more guidance during your college application journey, reach out to learn more about our services. 

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