Exploring Careers in the Health Professions

Cindy
Cindy Seltzer, Ed.D., MBA

Working in a health profession can provide you with an interesting, satisfying, and stimulating career that will allow you to help others.

Prospective Wellesley Students Interested in Careers in the Health Professions

Cindy
Cindy Seltzer, Ed.D., MBA

Thank you for considering Wellesley College for your undergraduate education. Here you will develop the skills of a liberal arts education, including critical thinking, problem solving, synthesis of information, and effective communication. These skills will serve you well throughout your lifetime, and are highly valued by health professions schools. As you explore your options, here are answers to some of the questions you may be asking:

Introduction to Careers in the U.S. Federal Government

Nicole
Nicole D. Park

 

If you are passionate about making a difference in the world and eager to help the United States government tackle complex issues, you may want to explore career opportunities in the federal government. From climate change to national security, highway safety to space exploration (and everything in between), the federal government offers a huge range of internship and job opportunities in every branch of government and in over 400 federal agencies.  Did you know:

  • Federal employees work in every U.S. state and territory, in Washington D.C
  • ...

Navigating the Job Search: The 4 Step Model

Wellesley Career Education logo
Wellesley Career Education

The four steps in this resource will help keep you focused and productive in your search. You should plan on revisiting each step as your knowledge and understanding of positions and industries grow. Each step below is outlined without a specific industry or position in mind. It is best to schedule an appointment with your Advisor for Career Exploration (ACE) or an Industry-specific Career Advisor to customize your process. The questions we have provided at each step are designed to help you reflect on your preparedness and identify what you may need to move forward in the process.

The Susan Rappaport Knafel ’52 Scholarship for Foreign Study or Traveling Fellowship (seniors)

Kate Dailinger
Kate Dailinger

Scholarship for Foreign Study – up to $36,000
The scholarship will be awarded to a member of the graduating class who displays a desire for learning and an ability to impart knowledge and judgment to others.  It will fund a year of study at a foreign institution to pursue a specific subject that requires contact with foreign scholars, libraries or other resources.  

Traveling Fellowship – up to $36,000
The fellowship will be awarded to a member of the graduating class who displays an interest in and an acceptance of others, and who displays the ethos of a Wellesley education.  It will fund a year of purposeful travel abroad to explore a particular interest with the requirement that the recipient not remain in the same area for more than two months.

Mitchell Scholarship (rising seniors & graduates)

Kate Dailinger
Kate Dailinger

*As of March, 2024, the Mitchell Scholarship has paused the selection of new Scholars. There will be no new class selected in autumn 2024, but they hope in future to be able to re-open this award.

Supports one year of study in any discipline at a university in Ireland. Eligible are graduating seniors and graduates who are US citizens between the ages of 18 and 30. Campus application deadline for seniors (who must seek institutional nomination) typically in August; graduates apply directly for the Mitchell but are very welcome to seek application advice from Wellesley's Fellowships office.

Graduate Degrees and Program Examples

Wellesley Career Education logo
Wellesley Career Education

This resource covers key questions to explore when considering a degree and program type, and provide information about:

  • Certificate & Post-Baccalaureate Programs
  • Master’s Programs (MA, MS, MBA, MFA, MEd, etc.)
  • Doctoral Degrees
  • Dual Degree Programs

How to Sign up for Industry Newsletters

Wellesley Career Education logo
Wellesley Career Education

Update your Career Interests in Handshake to sign up for Industry-Specific Newsletters!

Test Preparation Book Loan Program

Wellesley Career Education logo
Wellesley Career Education

 

Wellesley Career Education has LSAT, GRE, MCAT and DAT test prep books to lend to current students planning to take one of these exams in the near term. 

Marshall Scholarship (rising seniors & graduates)

Kate Dailinger
Kate Dailinger

Supports one or two years of study in any discipline at a university in the United Kingdom. Eligible are graduating seniors and recent gradiates who are US citizens. Campus application deadline for Wellesley's endorsement typically in August.

Getting Started in Politics, Advocacy, Government at the Local & National Levels

Nicole
Nicole D. Park

Local and state government offers students a great opportunity to see how agencies and legislation work on a smaller scale. For students passionate about their state or a particular issue, state politics is a wonderful place to get started! Below, I highlight a few ways to get involved in politics at the local (including at Wellesley!) and state level. In terms of gaining experience at the national level in US politics and policy, DC is the place to go. This document will address finding a range of internships in DC as well tips for networking. We’ll start with the three branches of government, briefly address other government agencies, move to international organizations, and finish with think tanks and nonprofits. For students interested in international affairs and government, intern and/or study abroad to demonstrate your regional expertise and intercultural communication and adaptability skills.   

Introduction to Think Tanks

Nicole
Nicole D. Park

Think tanks are public policy research, analysis, and engagement organizations. They are organizations that generate policy-oriented research, analysis, and advice on domestic and international issues that enable policymakers and the public to make informed decisions about public policy issues. Think tanks may be affiliated with political parties, governments, interest groups, or private corporations or constituted as independent non-governmental organizations (NGOs). 

Thomas J. Watson Fellowship (rising seniors)

Kate Dailinger
Kate Dailinger

The Thomas J. Watson Fellowship offers graduating seniors a one-year grant for independent study and purposeful travel and exploration outside of the United States, to enhance their capacity for resourcefulness, imagination, openness, and leadership and to foster their humane and effective participation in the world community. Campus deadline typically in August.

Churchill Scholarships (seniors & graduates)

Kate Dailinger
Kate Dailinger

Supports one year of graduate study (including one-year research degrees) in science, mathematics, or engineering at Cambridge. Eligible: graduating seniors and recent graduates of Wellesley College who are US citizens with majors in appropriate STEM fields. Campus application deadline typically in early October.

Wellesley Career Education Summer Internship Grants (Stipends for Student-Identified Placements)

Lorraine
Lorraine Hanley ’98

Through the ongoing and generous support of our donors, the College is able to offer funding to support unpaid internships which students identify on their own. Many award recipients pursue internships in nonprofit organizations focused on education and other community development areas, but funding is available for opportunities in other sectors both within the United States and internationally, as well. In addition to the stipends, Wellesley Career Education staff provide ongoing professional development and career education training throughout their summer experiences.

Rhodes Scholarship (rising seniors & graduates)

Kate Dailinger
Kate Dailinger

Did you know that citizens of any country are now eligible to apply for the Rhodes Scholarships, for graduate study at the University of Oxford? Campus deadline for Wellesley applicants for Global Rhodes is typically in early June and for the Canadian and US Rhodes typically in late August. Application deadlines for other Rhodes competitions may fall even earlier (see their website, and Career Education deadline listings). All prospective Wellesley Rhodes applicants are encouraged to seek advice from Kate Dailinger, of Wellesley's Career Education, and learn more through this resource page.

Elisabeth Luce Moore ’24 Wellesley-Yenching Fellowship at Ginling College in Nanjing (seniors & graduates)

Kate Dailinger
Kate Dailinger

Each year the Wellesley-Yenching Program sponsors two English teaching fellowships in cooperation with Ginling College, part of Nanjing Normal University in Nanjing, China. Wellesley College seniors or graduates are eligible to apply for this one-year fellowship which can be extended to a second year. The Wellesley-Yenching Committee interviews applicants, then sends the credentials of one or two nominees for final approval by Ginling College.