Internships and Careers

At Lake Forest, both quality academic programs and internship experiences help students prepare for the working world. Our proximity to Chicago offers access not only to extensive internship options, but also to a network of powerful alumni and friends.

Career Pathways

Lake Forest College facilitates five career communities called Career Pathways to help students explore major/career options and position themselves for the internships that will help them to further prepare for productive and rewarding careers after graduation. Students from all majors can participate in the Career Pathways to shape their career goals alongside of their academic interests.

Explore the Career Pathways by participating in events, reading profiles of students’ and alumni experiences, and by  joining a pathway (or two). Remember to look at the next steps pages to get ideas for immediate ways to prepare yourself for great internships and a productive, rewarding career after graduation. 

Get a job in chemistry!

Our graduates have gone on to succeed in many fields. From teaching high school chemistry to researching at internationally recognized pharmaceutical companies, our students know how to mix their education and alumni network to get good jobs.

Lake Forest chemistry students don’t just get career advice during scheduled meetings with faculty. Our faculty get to know the students well, so they can talk about career opportunities specific to that student. They are constantly being counseled during laboratory sessions in the free minutes while reactions take place and outside of classroom conversations. They’ve also got the best knowledge of our alumni network to help connect students with the right people in the field.

Foresters have landed rewarding jobs at:

• Baxter Healthcare
• GlaxoSmithKline pharmaceuticals
• John Hopkins Hospital
• Pepsico research and development
• AbbVie pharmaceuticals
• WR Meadows manufacturing
• Major research universities such as the University of Florida and Georgetown University

Many chemistry graduates decide to further their education before getting a job. Our students get into top PhD programs and even go on to do post doctoral fellowships at prestigious institutions such as: University of California-Berkley, Cornell University, and the National Institutes of Health.

Students have been recently admitted to the following doctoral programs:

• Princeton University
• Cornell University
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Northwestern University
• University of Rochester
• Pennsylvania State University
• Duke University
• University of California-Irvine

Recent Masters Programs

• Yale University, environmental sustainability
• University of Leipzig, Erasmus Mundus program of advanced spectroscopy
• Emory University, Rollins School of Public Health