For those eagerly looking to leave rural Michigan for the hustle and bustle of city life, Hillsdale College is providing students two opportunities to do just that over fall break.
The career services office and alumni relations office are sponsoring trips Oct. 13-15 to two metropolises: Chicago, Illinois and — revived after a few-year hiatus — Washington, D.C. These excursions look to give students of all majors and years the feel of what it is like to live and work in a new city, Director of Career Services Joanna Wiseley said.
The sessions include networking events with local alumni, a job shadow, a guided tour of the city, and free time to explore. The cost to attend Chicago is $350 and Washington, D.C., is $400, which includes travel, meals, and lodging.
Larissa Clark ’17 attended “Living and Working in Chicago” in 2015.
“There’s a difference between coming to career services and working on your resume versus actually practicing your elevator pitch and networking at an event.” Clark said. “It’s a chance to apply what you’ve been learning.”
Clark also received an internship offer from the organization at which she shadowed.
In Chicago, students participate in a private tour of Google led by its head of industry, John Farrar ’98. Students also work with career services to choose where they shadow. In the past, they have gone to Valassis Communications Inc., The Private Bank, the Illinois Policy Institute, and others.
Students attending the Washington, D.C., trip will tour the Pentagon. They’ll also have the chance to shadow Hillsdale alumni at the American Enterprise, Manhattan, and Charles Koch institutes, among other organizations.
“If a student is looking to get outside their comfort zone, this would be a great trip for them to take,” Director of Student Activities Anthony Manno said. “Although we do have some structured programming, a large part of the trip is self-exploration.”
Students interested should register on Handshake, career services’ online platform, by Friday for Washington, D.C., and Oct. 4 for Chicago.