{"id":127,"date":"2020-02-10T19:32:58","date_gmt":"2020-02-10T19:32:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/offices-test.csilverman.com\/careers\/?page_id=127"},"modified":"2025-10-03T14:25:52","modified_gmt":"2025-10-03T14:25:52","slug":"four-year-plan","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/offices.vassar.edu\/career-education\/explore-and-plan\/four-year-plan\/","title":{"rendered":"Four Year Plan"},"content":{"rendered":"<!-- Inserted by Dropdownizer plugin. Forces video embeds contained in dropdowns to have a size --><style>.dropdownizer__dropdown iframe { width: 100% !important; height: 100% !important; }<\/style>\n<p>Vassar College has an array of opportunities to support you in achieving a well-rounded education.&nbsp;The following suggestions are designed to assist you in maximizing your college experience to ensure career satisfaction.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Hiring Timelines by Industry<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Have you ever wondered when to start looking for jobs or internships in the industries you\u2019re considering? Follow our guidelines below for what to expect!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1800\" height=\"1200\" src=\"https:\/\/offices.vassar.edu\/career-education\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/10\/college_recruiting_timeline_no_title.jpg\" alt=\"A horizontal bar chart showing typical recruiting months by industry. See text version for detail.\" class=\"wp-image-3000\" srcset=\"https:\/\/offices.vassar.edu\/career-education\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/10\/college_recruiting_timeline_no_title.jpg 1800w, https:\/\/offices.vassar.edu\/career-education\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/10\/college_recruiting_timeline_no_title-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/offices.vassar.edu\/career-education\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/10\/college_recruiting_timeline_no_title-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/offices.vassar.edu\/career-education\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/10\/college_recruiting_timeline_no_title-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/offices.vassar.edu\/career-education\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/10\/college_recruiting_timeline_no_title-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/offices.vassar.edu\/career-education\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/10\/college_recruiting_timeline_no_title-220x147.jpg 220w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><em>* \u201cJust in time\u201d hiring also happens year-round in most industries!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/offices.vassar.edu\/career-education\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/10\/college_recruiting_timeline_accessible.docx\">Download an accessible text version of the \u201cHiring Timelines by Industry\u201d graphic<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>First Year: Transition, Exploration and Discovery<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Get involved in campus activities and organizations<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Familiarize yourself with the resources of the various offices and departments on campus<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Set up contact with the Center\u00a0for Career Education (CCE)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Get to know your\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/vassar.joinhandshake.com\/\">Handshake account<\/a>\u2014it can be used to schedule appointments at the CCE, to plan for interviews and events, and to find jobs\/internships\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Identify your interests, skills, and values as they are all important in life and in your career<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Begin\/update your resume<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Plan for the summer<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Sophomore Year: Academic Decisions, Hands-On Exploration, and Involvement<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Continue to explore the wealth of information the many offices and departments on campus offer<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Declare your major<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Consider Study Away options<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Network with family, friends, and colleagues<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Plan for internships, jobs, and other experiential opportunities<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Become a leader\u2014step up in the organizations and clubs you are a part of<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Junior Year: Research, Experience, and Strategizing<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Pursue an internship in your field of interest<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Consider graduate school and the related testing<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Solidify relationships with faculty, supervisors, and others who have influenced you<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Attend workshops and presentations that might further your goals<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Seek out employers who are attractive to you and scout opportunities<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Request references from professors and employers<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Reach out to alums in relevant fields through our extensive\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/connect.vassar.edu\/s\/1654\/2\/16\/interior-ai.aspx?sid=1654&amp;gid=2&amp;pgid=2962\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Alum Directory<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Senior Year: Planning, Graduating, and Transitioning<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Keep exploring your options<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Continue to attend workshops (some are senior-specific!) and other development opportunities<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Prepare and take tests for graduate work (i.e., GRE, LSAT, MCAT)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Polish your resume\u2014assure that it is up-to-date and accurate<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Continue to network<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Vassar College has an array of opportunities to support you in achieving a well-rounded education.&nbsp;The following suggestions are designed to assist you in maximizing your college experience to ensure career satisfaction.&nbsp; Hiring Timelines by Industry Have you ever wondered when to start looking for jobs or internships in the industries you\u2019re considering? Follow our guidelines [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":124,"menu_order":1,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-127","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/offices.vassar.edu\/career-education\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/127","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/offices.vassar.edu\/career-education\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/offices.vassar.edu\/career-education\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/offices.vassar.edu\/career-education\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/offices.vassar.edu\/career-education\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=127"}],"version-history":[{"count":50,"href":"https:\/\/offices.vassar.edu\/career-education\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/127\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3012,"href":"https:\/\/offices.vassar.edu\/career-education\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/127\/revisions\/3012"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/offices.vassar.edu\/career-education\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/124"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/offices.vassar.edu\/career-education\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=127"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}