Critical Abilities for 21st Century Success
Sarah Lawrence College is committed to graduating students who are critical thinkers, with the ability to acquire new skills and adapt to a fast-changing landscape—and who can put their learning to work in the world immediately when they graduate, as well as 50 years from now, achieving a satisfying and meaningful life in whatever field and at whatever financial reward they choose.
To deliver on our commitment, we have identified six critical abilities required for our students’ personal and professional success, specifically the ability to:
- Think analytically
- Express ideas effectively through written communication
- Exchange ideas effectively through oral communication
- Bring innovation to their work
- Envisage and work independently on a project
- Accept and act on criticism
Sarah Lawrence is uniquely designed to deliver on this promise because our students take direct responsibility for themselves and their learning from the very beginning:
- Our open curriculum teaches students to design their own course of study and map out the direction of their four years (under faculty guidance and supervision, of course)
- Because every student conceives and executes an independent project based on their own interests in every class, students gain strong habits for working independently and for revising work and responding to critique. These projects further promote risk-taking, innovation, and cross-disciplinary thinking as students develop their own ideas within a structured framework.
- And because even first-year students study predominately in small seminars, they learn early and quickly to present and defend their ideas, respond to challenge, and learn from the contributions of others.
Holding Ourselves Accountable
We believe in holding ourselves accountable for delivering on what we promise. Faculty use a web-based assessment platform designed to measure student performance against these critical abilities. This tool, coupled with the in-depth narrative evaluations of coursework that have always been at the heart of our approach, provides us—along with grades—with a comprehensive, personalized evaluation for every student in every course for every semester. Faculty members are able to look not only at a student’s performance, but also the factors and reasons behind a student’s performance.
In addition to demonstrating mastery over specific content, our students emerge with the confidence that they have the abilities to tackle the world and make it their own.
Internships
Internships
Internships continue to remain the centerpiece of our offerings. We continuously emphasize to our students the importance of gaining experience through internships, which provide an opportunity to apply the knowledge gained in the classroom to a real-world setting, develop and enhance professional skills, and forge relationships with industry professionals. For more information about Sarah Lawrence’s internship program, visit the Internships tab.
Online Databases
Our primary online platform, Handshake, enables students to apply directly to thousands of internship postings, make appointments with career advisers, and RSVP to our programs & events.
SLC Connect is an extension of Sarah Lawrence’s Career Communities program, which connects students with peers, faculty and alumni professionals who share an interest or expertise in a particular industry. This platform enables students to join a career community, message alumni for career advice, and apply to internships & jobs posted by alumni.
New York City As A Resource
Sarah Lawrence College is located just north of New York City, giving students access to many prestigious internship opportunities. Recent internship sites in New York City include:
- ACLU
- Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft
- Comedy Central
- Council on American Islamic Relations
- ELLE Magazine
- Guggenheim Museum
- HarperCollins Publishing
- HBO
- Legal Aid Society
- Mount Sinai
- New York Botanical Gardens
- Simon & Schuster
- The Climate Museum
- The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon
- UNICEF
Practice-based Experience in the Sciences
Summer Undergraduate Research Program in Science & Mathematics
The Summer Undergraduate Research Program in Science & Mathematics at Sarah Lawrence College gives students the opportunity to work with science and mathematics faculty members in their ongoing research projects and become immersed full-time in experimental and theoretical explorations into different areas of biology, chemistry, computer science, mathematics, and physics. This is a paid internship, with on-campus housing available.
Examples of the most frequent careers in the sciences sought by recent Sarah Lawrence graduates in the last 10 years include Nursing, Clinical and Research Psychology, Medicine, Genetic Counseling, Health Advocacy, Research Scientist, Engineering, Ecology, and Pharmaceuticals.
Nonprofit, Community-based Experience
Summer-Leadership Action Program in Yonkers
The Summer-Leadership Action Program in Yonkers is a 10-week, community-based fieldwork opportunity for rising sophomores, juniors, and seniors offered by the Office of Community Partnerships.
Students selected for the program receive a living stipend, funding for transportation to community organizations, and the ability to stay in summer housing on campus. The program consists of four main components:
- An orientation to the city of Yonkers
- Thirty hours per week of work in a community-based agency
- A required weekly leadership seminar
- A closing/wrap-up session
Graduate School Advisement
For students who wish to pursue their education beyond Sarah Lawrence College, the Office of Career Services works in collaboration with the faculty to help provide support to determine the right path and the right school and reduce some of the stress of applying to graduate or law school.
Graduate Study After Sarah Lawrence
70 percent of Sarah Lawrence graduates go on to graduate or professional school to attain an advanced degree or certificate. Alumni attend prestigious schools and universities across the country and around the globe, including:
- Columbia University
- New York University
- London School of Economics
- University of Pennsylvania
- UC Berkeley
- Georgetown University
- Johns Hopkins University
- Harvard University
- Yale University
- George Washington University
- Brown University
- Fashion Institute of Technology
- Miami University
- Cornell University
- California College of the Arts
- Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
- St. Johns University
- Oxford University
Alumni pursue and earn a wide range of advanced degrees, including:
- PhD
- Juris Doctor
- Master of Fine Arts
- Master of Business Administration
- Master of Social Work
- Master of Science
- Master of Education
- Master of Public Policy
- Master of Architecture
- Master of International Affairs
Pre-Professional Advisement
Sarah Lawrence College provides four pre-professional advising programs for continued study in education, health, journalism, and law, to support students in their professional development. For more information, please visit our Pre-Professional Programs page.
Career Services for Students
Sarah Lawrence students have access to a variety of programs and services through the Office of Career Services. Offerings include:
- One-on-one counseling appointments
- Access to internship and job databases
- Career exploration and planning programs
- Resume, job search, and interview preparation services
- Networking opportunities
- Job and internship programs, events, and opportunities
SLCeeds: Innovation & Entrepreneurship Immersion
After seven successful years, SLCeeds transformed from a five-day intensive to a semester-long course. The course, "Ideas from Concept to Creation," allows students to combine theory and practice in a learning environment. In keeping with the tradition of SLCeeds, student teams will once again develop and pitch an idea or business to panel of judges posing as investors.
Services Available for Alumni
Sarah Lawrence College alumni are encouraged to take advantage of the services available through Career Services and Alumni Relations. Recent graduates, two years out or less, should contact our office for their career development needs. All other alumni, please contact Georganna Poindexter ’17, Manager of Alumni Networking and Affinity Programs within the Office of Alumni Relations for assistance with job search, career change, and alumni networking.
In addition, the Office of Career Services actively encourages alumni to hire Sarah Lawrence students for internships as well as for jobs post-college. A number of student recruitment opportunities are in place to facilitate this mutually beneficial experience.
Alumni Network
Sarah Lawrence’s alumni form a global network of more than 15,000. You’ll find Sarah Lawrence alumni in every industry and on every continent, using the skills and confidence they gained at Sarah Lawrence to address problems in any field, articulate and enact change in any industry, and see projects through to successful completion. Take a look at a few examples:
- Dr. W. Ian Lipkin '74 used his Sarah Lawrence education to work in medical research, ultimately discovering the West Nile Virus. He now runs the Center for Infection and Immunity at Columbia University.
- Rahm Emanuel '81 was a Congressman before he became Chief of Staff to the President of the United States. Currently, he is the Mayor of Chicago.
- Author Ann Patchett '85 not only won a PEN/Faulkner Award and a Guggenheim Fellowship, but her bestselling novel Bel Canto was turned into an opera.
- Barbara Walters was the first female news broadcaster to break out beyond simple human interest pieces, and she is known for her insightful interviews with some of the most important figures of the 20th and 21st centuries. In her own words: “Sarah Lawrence College taught me how to ask questions.”
Recent Sarah Lawrence alumni have been hired at companies as diverse as Disney, Doctors Without Borders, Morgan Stanley, MTV, The New York Times, RocketScienceLab, the US Department of State, and Warner Brothers, among others. From law to health services, media and entertainment, business, and community activism, Sarah Lawrence alumni are making a difference everywhere.