University of Chicago Career Toolkit

Career Advancement assigns every College student a career adviser and organizes advising into 14 industry-specific ‘Careers In’ communities — each with a dedicated adviser who has real industry experience. Students and alumni up to 5 years post-graduation are eligible for advising. Note: reneging on an accepted Metcalf offer results in permanent deactivation from campus recruiting in UChicago Handshake.

• Book a Career Advising Appointment

  Schedule 1:1 appointments via Handshake: click Career Center → Appointments → Schedule a New Appointment. First-years should select ‘1st Year Assigned Adviser Appointment.’ Choose in-person, phone, or virtual. Send all application materials to your adviser at least 24 hours before any review appointment. Career Advancement advises on careers, internships, jobs, and graduate and professional school across all fields.

• Prepare for Your Appointment

  Before your first appointment: subscribe to career newsletters in your fields of interest, monitor Handshake for postings, review the Metcalf spreadsheet, and come with a list of questions. For document review: send materials 24 hours in advance. For interview prep: request a Practice Interview appointment specifically — it’s a different appointment type from general advising.

• 14 ‘Careers In’ Industry Communities

  Career Advancement is organized around 14 specialized career communities, each with its own adviser, programming, employer connections, and newsletter. Communities: Arts & Humanities, Business & Finance, Consulting, Data & Technology, Education & Social Sciences, Engineering & Physical Sciences, Environment & Sustainability, Global Health & Health Policy, Government & International Affairs, Law, Media & Communications, Medicine & Life Sciences, Public Interest, and Social Impact.

• Careers in Business & Finance

  Advisers in this community have backgrounds in consulting, finance, private equity, quant, and venture capital. Runs the Business Bulletin newsletter, the Trott Business Program (see below), the Consulting Symposium, Marketing Pathways, and the Sophomore Finance Networking Night. Close employer relationships in IB, S&T, consulting, branding, and corporate. Business Career Competitions — including the Rural Innovation Challenge — are organized through this community.

• Careers in Technology

  Advisers Claire Silcox (formerly led recruiting at LinkedIn) and Joey (background at Microsoft and Target early career programs) specialize in CS, data science, tech, and gaming careers. Runs a Slack workspace for peer networking and interview practice. Organizes Career Exploration Week immersion employer visits. The Careers in Tech community runs the Vibe Coding Hackathon each year — an AI-focused team competition open to all majors.

• Graduate & Professional School Advising

  Career Advancement advises on law school, MBA, PhD, MD, and other graduate and professional program applications including personal statements, program research, timelines, and interview prep. Note: nationally competitive fellowships (Rhodes, Marshall, Fulbright, Gates Cambridge, NSF, Goldwater, Schwarzman, etc.) are handled separately by the College Center for Research and Fellowships (CCRF) — not Career Advancement.

Handshake is the primary platform for all UChicago career activity. International students are eligible for many Metcalf internships but must apply for CPT authorization through the Office of International Affairs if working off-campus in the US. Students studying abroad can apply to Metcalf internships — disclose your abroad status to employers in the cover letter.

• Handshake @ UChicago — How to Use It Effectively

  Log in with your CNet ID. Jobs tab → type ‘metcalf’ → filter to current year label for Metcalf opportunities. Set up job alerts for your target industry and role type. All Metcalf postings are staff-reviewed. International students: filter for positions that note international student eligibility. If you have a technical problem with a deadline approaching, take a timestamped screenshot and email careeradvancement@uchicago.edu immediately.

• Metcalf FAQ — Key Rules & Policies

  Critical rules: Employers expect a response to offers within one week. If you receive multiple offers simultaneously, contact Career Advancement — do not renege without consultation. Reneging on any offer is grounds for permanent deactivation from campus recruiting in UChicago Handshake. Metcalf fellowships are taxable income (with limited exceptions). International students working off-campus Metcalf internships in the USA must apply for CPT through the Office of International Affairs. Students studying abroad are encouraged to apply and should disclose their status in the cover letter.

• Micro-Metcalf Program — Year-Round Paid Short Projects

  Part of the Metcalf Program: paid short-term professional projects (20–40 hours, 2–4 weeks) posted on a rolling basis and completable remotely year-round. Find on Handshake alongside regular Metcalf postings. An excellent way to build resume content between internship cycles and test out employers before a longer commitment. Employers span all industries.

• Metcalf Clinics — Paid Co-Op Projects

  Team-based paid co-op projects facilitated by an employer. Students work in small groups on a real business challenge. Different from a traditional internship — structured around a defined deliverable rather than a daily role. Good for students who want team experience or want to explore a specific company before a formal application.

• International Students — Job Search Resources

  Career Advancement’s International Resource Center provides specialized guidance for international students navigating the US job and internship market. Covers CPT/OPT planning (coordinate with OIA), US interview expectations, work authorization considerations in applications, and international internship searches. Book an ‘International Job/Internship’ appointment type via Handshake.

Career Advancement provides 1:1 resume and cover letter review through scheduled advising appointments. The Resume & Interview Toolkit provides online guides and templates 24/7. The Practice Interview Program is a distinct appointment type — book it specifically, not as a general advising appointment.

• Resume & Interview Toolkit — Guides & Industry-Specific Templates

  Written guides and downloadable templates for resumes and cover letters across all industries. Includes samples for business/finance, consulting, technology, law, public interest, and arts/humanities. Review before your first adviser meeting to make the most of your advising time.

• Resume & Cover Letter Review — Advising Appointment

  Book a document review appointment via Handshake. Send materials at least 24 hours in advance. Request an adviser from your specific career community for the most targeted feedback — a finance resume for a Goldman Sachs application looks very different from a research CV or nonprofit cover letter. The community-specific advisers know what recruiters in their field actually look for.

• Practice Interview Program

  Structured mock interview program — book as a ‘Practice Interview’ appointment type in Handshake (separate from general advising). Specify your target industry, role, and interview format (behavioral, technical, or case). Advisers provide written feedback after each session. Best used after you’ve done some self-preparation — come knowing your STAR stories before your first practice session.

• Industry Guides — Interview Expectations by Career Field

  Written guides for all 14 career communities covering what interview formats to expect, what employers value, recruiting timelines, and how to position your UChicago liberal arts background in interviews. Read the guide for your target field before your first practice interview.

• Career Competitions — Business, Tech & Policy

  Career Advancement organizes several employer-partnered competitions each quarter. The Rural Innovation Challenge (fall, sponsored by Byron Trott AB’81 MBA’82) puts students in teams to design ventures for rural communities. The Fall Policy Competition works on local policy challenges (Fall 2025 topic: Chicago budget and tax reform, with the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability). Competitions are employer-facing resume lines and genuine skills-development experiences.

UChicago’s alumni network is unusually responsive to student outreach. The Alumni Directory, Job Shadowing Program, and Career Treks are the three primary tools for alumni-based career exploration. Career Exploration Week is an annual immersive event. Career Treks run to cities and organizations throughout the year.

• Alumni Directory — Search by Industry, Employer & Role

  Search UChicago alumni by industry, employer, role, and graduation year. Use for informational interviews — the Network 101 guide (linked from the Career Toolkit section on the Career Advancement website) provides a step-by-step framework for effective alumni outreach. UChicago alumni respond well to sincere student outreach. Aim for 3–5 targeted alumni in your field before recruiting season opens.

• Job Shadowing Program — Shadow a UChicago Alum

  Shadow a UChicago alumnus or parent to experience a ‘day in the life’ at their organization. 1–5 days, in-person or virtual, flexible scheduling around academic breaks (winter, spring, summer). The most accessible career exploration tool for first and second year students — no prior experience needed. Access via Career Advancement’s student opportunities page.

• Career Treks — On-Site Employer Visits

  Small-group trips bringing UChicago students on-site to organizations in target cities. Organized by career community (Tech, Finance, Media, Policy, etc.). Attending a Career Trek provides the relationship foundation to follow up with a firm before formal applications open — a meaningful competitive advantage over applying cold. Treks run throughout the year and are posted in Handshake events.

• Career Exploration Week — Immersive Employer Visits

  Annual week of immersive employer visits and industry exploration organized by Careers in Technology and other communities. Students visit top employers’ offices, participate in workshops, and meet alumni and recruiters. Open to students from all majors — Tech community specifically notes this helps students ‘demonstrate their talents to employers,’ not just observe.

• Vibe Coding Hackathon — AI Technology Competition

  AI technology hackathon organized by Career Advancement and open to all College majors — coders and non-coders both welcome. Teams design and ship real-world solutions using AI. A genuinely distinctive employer-facing event that doesn’t require a CS background and adds a verifiable team project to your resume.

UChicago has one of the most comprehensive internship funding ecosystems of any university. Multiple distinct grant programs fund different types of experiences — not just summer internships but also academic-year, arts/media, human rights, and biological sciences research. Read each program’s eligibility carefully as they have different requirements.

• Metcalf Summer Experience Grant

  Primary summer internship funding program. You must have a secured internship offer before applying. Funds summer experiences only — academic-year internships use separate funding streams (Odyssey Scholars, JAMGrant). Review the current grant cycle timeline on Handshake for application dates. Contact Career Advancement if you have a conflict between two offers while waiting on a decision.

• JAMGrant — Journalism, Arts & Media

  Funds off-campus academic-year internships in journalism, arts, and media (Fall and Spring quarters). The Summer JAMGrant covers summer internships in the same fields. Applications for fall go live September 1 via Handshake. Also: the Practitioner Program funds paid projects mentored by working artists, writers, and journalists — a distinct program from JAMGrant.

• Human Rights Summer Internship Program

  Specialized summer funding for internship experiences in human rights — with advocacy organizations, international bodies, legal services, and policy groups. Listed under the internship grants page. Contact the Careers in Policy, Government & Nonprofits community adviser for program-specific details.

• Seidel Scholars Grant

  Funds career projects directly tied to your academic major. Strong for students in sciences, social sciences, and humanities who are pursuing major-aligned applied experiences rather than traditional corporate internships. Contact your career community adviser for eligibility and the relationship between your major and your proposed experience.

• Odyssey Scholars — Academic-Year Internship Funding

  Funding for Odyssey Scholars completing academic-year (fall or spring quarter) internships. Unlike Metcalf Summer grants, Odyssey Scholar support covers the academic year period. Contact Career Advancement for current cycle details — program structure and timing varies.

UChicago has 400+ Recognized Student Organizations (RSOs) managed through Blueprint and the Center for Leadership and Involvement (CLI). CLI provides advising, funding (Annual Allocations each Winter-Spring and SGFC weekly funding during quarters), and leadership development support. The Student Involvement Fair at the start of Autumn Quarter is the fastest way to survey the full RSO landscape.

• Blueprint — Complete RSO Directory (400+ Organizations)

  UChicago’s official directory of all 400+ Recognized Student Organizations. Filter by category or search by interest. Covers academic clubs, cultural organizations, service groups, political organizations, performance groups, professional associations, and athletics. This is the definitive starting point — not every club has a visible external website, but all are searchable here.

• Center for Leadership and Involvement (CLI)

  CLI supports all RSOs with dedicated advisers, funding processes (Annual Allocations for larger requests once per year; SGFC for smaller, ongoing funding requests weekly during quarters), facility access, and leadership development workshops. If you want to start a new RSO or need help navigating CLI resources, apply through CORSO during Fall Quarter.

This section is UChicago-specific. Career Advancement runs a set of highly selective multi-year cohort programs for undergraduates beginning as early as first year. These programs offer structured access to industry training, employer networks, and internship opportunities that go well beyond standard advising. Applications open during Winter Quarter of your first year for most programs.

• Trott Business Program — Selective 3-Year Business Leadership Program

  A selective 3-year program preparing UChicago students for investment banking, sales & trading, consulting, and corporate management. Four pillars: career exploration, foundational skills (Excel, accounting, financial statement analysis, networking), recruiting expertise, and networking events. Year-1 workshops cover Excel, networking, and financial statement analysis with industry case study exercises. Signature events include the Consulting Symposium, Marketing Pathways, and Sophomore Finance Networking Night. Graduates who meet all requirements (workshops, Financial Accounting + one other Booth course with letter grade, 3.0 GPA) earn a special transcript designation. Near-perfect full-time job placement rates annually. Applications open in Winter Quarter of first year — next cycle opens December 2026.

• Trott Emerging Business Leaders Program

  A series of career exploration events and internships to fast-track first-year students to success in business. Serves as a feeder and introduction for students who may eventually apply to the full Trott Business Program. Access via First-Year Career Cohorts page.

• Quantum Business, Innovation & Technology (QUBIT) Cohort

  One-year pre-professional program providing professional development programming, community engagement, and funded research and internship opportunities for students pursuing careers in quantum computing, engineering, R&D, and related fields. One of the more distinctive programs in the country for students at the intersection of physics, CS, and business. Access via First-Year Career Cohorts page.

• Entrepreneurship First-Year Cohort — Startup Development Program

  Year-long program for students passionate about entrepreneurship. Participants develop a startup project culminating in a pitch competition, attend regular workshops on entrepreneurship frameworks, and build a founder’s toolkit. Connects to UChicago’s Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation for continued venture development. Access via First-Year Career Cohorts page.

• Career Competitions — Rural Innovation & Policy Challenges

  Career Advancement partners with employers and UChicago experts to run industry-themed competitions each quarter. The Rural Innovation Challenge (fall) tasks teams with designing a venture for rural community benefit — sponsored by Byron Trott AB’81 MBA’82. The Fall Policy Competition addresses Chicago-specific policy challenges with real nonprofits as judges (Fall 2025: Chicago budget/tax reform with the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability). Students receive coaching and feedback from experts regardless of outcome. Open to all experience levels.

This section is UChicago-specific. The College Center for Research and Fellowships (CCRF) is the primary resource for undergraduate research and nationally competitive fellowships — it is completely separate from Career Advancement. Engaging with CCRF is a distinct career pathway, particularly for students targeting PhD programs, research-intensive careers, and competitive postgraduate fellowships.

• CCRF — College Center for Research and Fellowships

  CCRF supports undergraduates in two distinct ways: (1) undergraduate scholarly research through faculty mentorship, research grants, and the annual Undergraduate Research Symposium; and (2) nationally competitive fellowships including Rhodes, Marshall, Gates Cambridge, Churchill, Mitchell, Schwarzman, Boren, Goldwater, Truman, Udall, Fulbright, and NSF Graduate Research Fellowships. In 2025: 2 Marshall Scholars (Logan Hanssler and Elijah Jenkins), multiple Goldwater Scholars, and multiple Fulbright semi-finalists. Career Advancement does not advise on CCRF programs — go to CCRF directly.

• CCRF Research Opportunities Database

  Searchable database of undergraduate research opportunities at UChicago — institutional, domestic, and international. Search by type: Research Opportunity (structured projects), Research Funding (grants), Mentor (faculty who invite undergraduate inquiries), and Labs Institutes and Centers (research groups that regularly involve undergraduates). Note: this database is a starting point — many undergraduate research opportunities are found by directly contacting faculty whose work interests you, not through the database alone.

• Finding a Research Mentor — CCRF Guidance

  CCRF’s primary guidance on finding undergraduate research: most opportunities are found by reaching out directly to faculty mentors, not through structured programs. CCRF advises: identify faculty whose published research aligns with your interests, read their recent work, and send a personalized email explaining your background and specific interest. CCRF also hosts quarterly Undergraduate Research Information Sessions to help students get started.

• CCRF Research Grant Programs

  CCRF manages grant programs to support undergraduate research. Includes: College Summer Institute (CSI) in the Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences (faculty-mentored research experiences); the Quad Faculty Research Grant Program (includes up to 4 grants of $4,000 for third-year students conducting research in Africa for minimum 8 weeks); and research grants for specific disciplines. Contact CCRF for current grant cycles and application deadlines.

• Undergraduate Research Symposium — Annual Campus-Wide Event

  CCRF hosts the annual UChicago Undergraduate Research Symposium — the only campus-wide interdisciplinary celebration of undergraduate research. Presenting at the symposium adds a strong credential to graduate school applications and demonstrates sustained scholarly engagement. Any undergraduate conducting faculty-mentored research is eligible to present.

• Nationally Competitive Fellowships — CCRF Advising

  CCRF’s fellowships team advises on all major national scholarships and postgraduate fellowships: Rhodes (Oxford), Marshall (UK graduate study), Gates Cambridge, Churchill, Mitchell (Ireland), Schwarzman (China), Boren (language immersion), Goldwater (STEM undergrad), Truman (public service), Udall (environment/Native American issues), Fulbright (international exchange), and NSF Graduate Research Fellowship. Join the CCRF listserv (linked from the CCRF website) for upcoming information sessions, relevant opportunities, and deadlines. The complete annual list of UChicago recipients is published on the CCRF National Scholars page.

This section is UChicago-specific. UChicago has unusually strong pre-law and pre-health advising and placement. 90% law school acceptance rate. Career Advancement handles professional school advising while CCRF handles fellowship advising — make sure you are working with the right office for your goals.

• Pre-Law Advising — Careers in Law Community

  Career Advancement’s Careers in Law community provides pre-law advising: LSAT preparation guidance, application strategy, personal statement support, program research, and interview prep for law school admissions. UChicago’s 90% law school acceptance rate reflects both rigorous advising and strong institutional reputation. Book a Careers in Law appointment via Handshake.

• Pre-Health & Pre-Med Advising — Careers in Medicine

  Careers in Medicine & Life Sciences covers pre-medical, pre-dental, pre-pharmacy, pre-PA, and other health professions pathways. Advisers help with academic planning, clinical experience strategy, personal statement writing, research experience strategy, and application timelines. Clinical and research experience at UChicago Medical Center and associated labs is accessible through faculty connections and the CCRF Research Opportunities Database.

• PhD & Master’s Program Advising

  Career Advancement advises on PhD and master’s applications across all fields: identifying programs, crafting statements of purpose, navigating faculty outreach, and preparing for graduate school interviews. UChicago’s emphasis on research and faculty mentorship through CCRF creates strong PhD placement across all disciplines — many faculty are willing to write detailed, relationship-based recommendation letters.

• Common Year Program — Fellowships Seminars (CCRF)

  CCRF offers a series of three seminars annually as part of the Common Year Program for students interested in pursuing national fellowships. These seminars help students understand the fellowship landscape, identify which awards match their goals, and build the relationships and experience needed for competitive applications. Contact CCRF directly for current schedule — not listed in Handshake.