Located in the bustling city of Seoul, Ewha Womans University stands tall as a beacon of academic excellence for women. With a rich history spanning over a century, Ewha continues to empower its graduates to break barriers and achieve their dreams.
As the latest batch of graduates prepares to leave the campus, their diverse career choices serve as a testament to the university's commitment to providing a well-rounded education that prepares them for success in whichever field they choose. Whether in finance or social welfare, technology or the arts, graduates shine as pioneers, paving the way for women across the globe.
According to Ewha Career Development Center (CDC), over 50 percent of graduates successfully start their careers each year.
It is also noteworthy that most universities within Seoul had depleting employment ratios during the two years of the pandemic, while Ewha had an increased employment rate during the same period. In specific, Yonsei University and Sungkyunkwan University had a one percentage point decrease, Korea University and Hanyang University had a three percentage point decrease, and Ewha Womans University had a one percentage point increase. Therefore, it is definitive that Ewha graduates have an allure in the job market that makes them special.
Ewha graduates are not just flourishing in companies and industrial areas, but are also dominating the political sphere. In 2020, 14 Ewha alumni were elected to the 21st National Assembly. Out of the 57 female members of the assembly, Ewha alumni account for 24.6 percent, which is equivalent to one out of every four people. Ewha graduates are auspiciously paving the road to women’s rights and are capable of expanding into various areas of society.
So Min Lee, a graduate from the Division of International Studies, shared her thoughts on the reasons job markets seek Ewha graduates.
“Ewha students are fundamentally hard- working, goal-achieving people,” Lee said. “Since everyone is trying their best, we are influenced by each other more than we can imagine. It is like a default setting.”
In Lee’s case, she was able to visit Laos and New York during her first and second years thanks to Ewha’s overseas tours led by her professors. She visited many international institutions such as the World Bank and met several lawyers who greatly influenced her career.
As such, through programs like Ewha Global Initiative and Global Frontier, Ewha students are more exposed to their fields of interest even before graduation compared to students from other colleges, which may be one of the reasons companies prefer Ewha graduates.
An anonymous student who graduated in 2016 from the Department of Consumer Science, suggested her employment at Merck & Co. Inc. provides a deeper insight into why companies prefer Ewha graduates.
“Ewha students develop themselves in a safe environment referred to as ‘Etopia,’” she said.
Ewha CDC holds numerous sessions such as national exam preparation classes and customized job preparation classes where students are allowed to fail and challenge themselves through one-on-one classes with personnel managers actively working in the field.
In addition, the school offers classes such as business writing and language workshops to help students develop specific skill sets, which is perfect for companies as they require curious, proactive employees who can adapt quickly to new situations. The anonymous student added that, consequently, Ewha’s programs were what helped her secure a job at Merck & Co. Inc.
Papitchaya Boosakul, an international graduate from the Division of Communication and Media, also agreed that Ewha has been helpful in her career development.
Boosakul is currently working on an event planning assignment that requires skills that she has learned from her MICE class from her double major. MICE is a type of industry that fuses the four fields of planning, tourism, conventions, and exhibitions. Through this, she learned how to plan an official conference and is now able to use the knowledge acquired in real-life situations.
Going through the success stories of Ewha graduates, it is clear that Ewha students gain more than just a degree upon graduation. With inspiring accomplishments in diverse fields, Ewha graduates are leading the way, setting the standard for what it means to be a powerful, accomplished woman in today's society. This leads to an anticipation of the incredible achievements lying ahead for Ewha’s trailblazing alumni.