Finding Your Path
Preparing our students for successful professional and personal lives is what we've been doing at Simmons for more than 100 years. It's not a sideline or an afterthought for us — it's our mission.
While not all of our students start out with a vision of their future, Simmons allows students to get hands-on experience, build impressive resumes, connect with alumnae, and ultimately find their path to a successful career.
Jumpstart Your Career
Simmons has a proud tradition of preparing women for high achievement in the careers of their choice. Alumnae credit Simmons for providing them with the hands-on experience, knowledge, and confidence to pursue meaningful careers and find ways to contribute to the world, at home, and abroad.
Educational Value
Invest in a school where you will graduate with a degree that not only puts you on the path to a fulfilling career, but that also is prized in the market place and in the world. Ultimately, a Simmons education works!
- 93% Percent of the Class of 2011 that was employed or in graduate school within one year of graduation, of which 79% were full-time and 14% were part-time. Of those who secured full-time employment, 90% reported that it was related, or somewhat related to their major at Simmons.
- The top employment fields of the Class of 2011 are: health care, business and finance, communications and media, arts and culture, science, and education.
- The average starting salary for the Class of 2011 is $41,530
- Fulfilling employment at top companies* including:
- Americorps
- Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
- Boston Children's Hospital
- Brigham & Women's Hospital
- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
- LPL Financial
- Massachusetts General Hospital
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- St. Anne's Hospital (Fall River)
- Allen & Gerritsen
- Bainco International Investors
- Bright Horizons
- Brooklyn Academy of Music
- Digital Bungalow
- Education Development Center
- Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts
- Herca Solar
- Hill Holiday
- Invest in Girls
- Jackson Laboratory
- KPMG
- Medfield Public Schools
- MediaFriends
- Meditech
- Mitre Corporation
- New Hampshire Historical Society and Museum
- Newton Public Schools
- Swiss Re
- Talbots
- Tufts Medical Center
- Warner Babcock
- Yale New Haven Medical Ctr
* List of selected employers from Class of 2011
All data taken from the 2011 Graduate Employment Survey Results.
Alumnae/i Professional Networking
In addition, CEC facilitates alumnae mentorship and job shadowing programs. The Success Connection Leadership Program connects Simmons seniors with highly successful alumnae for onsite mentoring and job shadowing in some of the most dynamic work environments in the country.
Recent Mentorships:
- Lucille Sheehan '75, from the Emergency Family Assistance Program mentored Shalima Quiles '10 in Boulder, Colorado.
- Carmen Baez '79 and president of DAS Latin American at Omnicom Group mentored Marjorie Riggs '10 in New York City.
- Millicent Gorham '76 and executive director at the National Black Nurses Association mentored Jai-Me Porter '10 in Washington, D.C.
- Kristen Ingersoll, the fashion and entertainment director at Hearst Magazines International mentored Marissa Window '11 in New York City.
Read about Marissa's experience » - Heather O'Neill at CNN Productions mentored Erica Moura '10 in Atlanta, Georgia.
"This program was truly one of the most exciting, informational, and valuable experiences of the 'real world' that Simmons could offer."
— Emily Carey '10, mentor Joyce Elden '80, Lawyer at Akerman Senterfitt, Miami
Learn more about Simmons's alumnae mentoring programs
Success Stories
Rosy Gonzalez '11
International Relations Major
"It was through the Simmons network that I found out about an opening as the Director of Constituent Services in Boston City Councilor Felix Arroyo's office. After a week's worth of interviews I was fortunate enough be offered the position, and before I even graduated!"
Kate Lindquist '03
Communications & Graphic Design Major
"A friend from Simmons introduced me to the Director of Research & Media for Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and soon afterward I started working for the Mayor's press office. For a young person who was interested in politics and urban design, it was an ideal place to be."
Cassandra Cacoq '10
Chemistry Major
"As a budding young chemist, I gained hands-on instrumentation and laboratory techniques early on--techniques that most students in other undergraduate chemistry programs receive in their junior and senior year. I am now enrolled in a master's program in polymer chemistry at the Material Science Institute at University of Oregon. What are my plans after that? I can't honestly say. But I can say that Simmons has prepared me for whatever new endeavors are headed my way."
Erika Howe
Women and Gender Studies Major, Leadership Minor"Coming in as a transfer student my junior year of college, I was unsure of what Simmons would be like. However, I would not trade my experience at Simmons for anything. Being at an all women's college has helped me grow and understand myself in ways I never would have if I stayed at my previous institution. I was accepted to graduate school before I even graduated from Simmons, and am attending Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, for their master's program in Student Affairs in Higher Education. Although I am a fourteen-hour drive away, I will always be a Simmons woman."
Our Alumnae
For more than a century, Simmons women have been pioneers in their professions, recognized for their dedication, achievements, and remarkable careers. Today, Simmons alumnae work in business, the arts, health care, nonprofits, and technology, as well as countless other areas in the U.S. and around the world.
- Meggan Beaulier '96
Chief Operating Officer
Simply Divine Brownies - Ali Brown '93
President, Founder, and CEO
Ali International, LLC. - Heather Cabot '92
Media Consultant
Yahoo! - Nikki Cohen '08
Professional basketball player
Israeli team Hapoel Be'er Tuviya - Denise Coll '95SM
President, North America
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. - Denise Di Novi '77
Producer, Warner Brothers
Edward Scissorhands, Batman Returns, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, and Little Women - Rehema Ellis '74, '00 Honorary Degree
Education Correspondent
NBC News - Yvonne Fu, '07
Associate Producer
O.G. Sun Film Productions, Co. - Ann Fudge '73
CEO, Young & Rubican
Member of the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform - Christa Garubo, '91
Art Director
ABC News - Linda Gassenheimer '64
Producer and Host
Food News and Views, WLRN National Public Radio - Connie Lawn '66
White House Correspondent
Author - Gwen Ifill '77
Managing editor and moderator for Washington Week (PBS)
Senior correspondent for The NewsHour (PBS) - Roselyn Jaffe '50, '10 Honorary Degree
Co-founder, Dress Barn - Elinor Lipman '72, '00 Honorary Degree
Author of over ten books - Kathleen Morenski '87
Russian Economics/Diplomat
U.S. Department of State - Lisa Mullins '80, '05 Honorary Degree
Anchor/Senior Producer
WGBH Radio, The World - Angela Patterson '85, '88HS, '97HS
Founder of CVS Minute Clinic, Co-owner and clinical director of Atreva Health Care Inc. - Allison Schwartz '70
United States Representative
Thirteenth Congressional District of Pennsylvania - Sharon Tennstedt '69
Vice President
New England Research Institute - Jill Zarin '85
Zarin Fabrics
Real Housewives of New York City
A Lifetime Of Career Support
Simmons's Career Education Center (CEC) helps students and alumnae develop the skills and knowledge to make informed decisions about their careers and to be prepared for today's workforce. A lifelong resource for Simmons graduates, CEC services include one-on-one coaching, online job-search tools and resources, resume and interview assistance, job fairs, a career resource library, and more.