Career exploration starts before a job search
BU’s Center for Career Development (CCD) supports students at different stages, including when they are still deciding on a major or exploring career options. The CCD describes career exploration as a process involving self-assessment, research and conversations with a career coach. Students can explore Career Communities aligned with interests and connect with coaches, alumni, employers, events and resources. These are decision tools, not a placement guarantee. Use them to turn a broad interest into practical questions: what roles exist, what skills appear in job descriptions, which courses or experiences build those skills, and what additional credentials or work authorisation might be needed? BU’s services directory also links to academic advising, pre-health and pre-law advising, the Educational Resource Center, the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program and student employment. Access and eligibility may differ by school or activity. Ask your department which career support applies to your degree and whether school-specific advising complements the university-wide CCD.
Tools for building an application
The CCD website links to resume and cover-letter reviews, career-coach appointments, Career Communities, BU Internship Gateway, career tools and Handshake access. Students can use these services to refine an application, find opportunities and prepare for interviews. A productive sequence is to identify a role family, compare current postings, map required skills to coursework and projects, then revise a resume with evidence of those skills. A career coach can help frame experience, but students remain responsible for checking role requirements, location, compensation, work status and deadlines. Use the Internship Gateway and Handshake as discovery channels, not proof that a position is eligible for your visa status or school programme. For an internship tied to a course, practicum or graduation requirement, confirm academic credit and approval with the school before accepting an offer. Keep a record of application dates and employer communication, especially when recruiting happens before the academic term begins.
Internships and experiential learning
BU’s 2025 First Destination Survey reports that 87% of 918 respondents had completed at least one experiential-learning activity before graduating. BU defines the group of activities to include apprenticeship, co-op, externship, internship, paid learning experience, practicum and research. In that same survey subset, 72% reported at least one internship. These are survey results for respondents, not a promise that every programme requires an internship or that every student can secure one. Ask your school which opportunities fit the degree, whether a practicum or research role counts toward requirements, and how early students typically apply. International students should consult the ISSO before accepting work: BU’s ISSO guidance says F-1 curricular practical training for required off-campus training needs prior authorisation, and optional practical training has separate procedures. Do not begin a role on the assumption that an offer letter itself supplies work permission. Confirm academic approval, immigration authorisation and the employer’s requirements in that order.
Use outcome information with its cohort and denominator
BU’s 2025 First Destination Survey reports first destinations for the Class of 2025 undergraduate degree recipients. Of 4,951 bachelor’s recipients, the CCD gathered information on 3,846, a 78% knowledge rate. Among those reported destinations, 61% were in full-time employment, 25% were in graduate or professional school, 7% were in military service, volunteer service or part-time work, 1% were not seeking employment or further study, and 5% were still seeking. The figures are campus-wide and do not isolate international students, a particular major or a specific campus. BU’s survey methodology page describes the survey as tracking undergraduate alumni’s initial landing within six months of graduation and collecting information through survey responses and other sources. Treat the percentages as a snapshot of the cohort with known outcomes, not a guarantee for an entering student. For a programme-level question, BU says students must submit a formal data request to the CCD and that some requests may not be answerable.
Salary figures are limited observations
BU’s survey page reports a mean starting salary of $74,956 for 580 Class of 2025 First Destination Survey respondents. The CCD describes the figure as an unweighted mean. It is not a median, not the salary of every graduate, and not a programme-specific or international-student salary. The sample is smaller than the 3,846 respondents with any destination data, so do not infer that all respondents reported salary. A useful personal estimate should be built from occupation, location, industry, experience and current job postings, then adjusted for taxes, health coverage, rent and visa constraints. BU’s CCD site includes labor-market tools that can display occupation descriptions, employment trends, employers, education levels, earnings, technical skills and job titles; the underlying geographic filter and source basis should be checked before applying a number to a specific career. Compare like for like: city, job family, degree level and year. If you need department-specific outcomes, use BU’s formal data-request route rather than assigning a university-wide mean to one major.
International work authorisation needs separate planning
Career opportunities and permission to work are related but distinct. BU’s ISSO pages describe F-1 curricular practical training (CPT), pre-completion OPT, post-completion OPT and STEM OPT as separate processes. The university states that required off-campus training through CPT needs prior authorisation; OPT also has its own eligibility and application steps. A career coach, employer or academic department cannot replace immigration approval. Before accepting an internship, confirm whether it is curricular or optional, whether the course or school requires it, when authorisation must be granted and which documents must be updated. Ask ISSO before changing a role, work location, hours or programme. Students should also check whether an employer can hire a candidate with the relevant work authorisation and timing. Rules and processing times can change, so use current BU and government instructions for your individual case. This planning is especially important when an internship is a required component of a degree or the offer begins before a new academic term.
A practical career plan at BU
In the first year, explore roles through a Career Community and discuss course choices with both the academic adviser and CCD. Build a resume around projects, research, part-time work, service or student organisations, then request feedback before recruiting begins. For an internship, check the course calendar, application timeline, school approval and any work authorisation at the same time. Use job boards to identify skills that employers request, but confirm that each opportunity is current and open to your applicant category. Keep outcomes in perspective: the 2025 survey says 78% of bachelor’s recipients had known destinations; the employment and salary numbers are not programme guarantees. Seek school-specific information where it exists, and ask the CCD whether a formal data request is appropriate. Finally, compare job options with the actual role, location, salary basis, visa requirements and cost of living. A strong career plan is a sequence of verifiable steps, not a promise that a university ranking or internship statistic predicts one student’s result.