Seniors struggle to find graduate school space
Kirsten Adams
Issue date: 2/19/09 Section: News
With national unemployment rates reaching a 16-year high of 7.6 percent, an unprecedented number of Hillsdale College graduates are trying to wait out the dragging economy by applying for internships and graduate programs before entering the job market.
Vicky Arno, assistant to the director of Career Planning, said she has already seen an increase in graduate school enrollment for the class of 2008, and expects to see an even larger increase in graduate program applications for the class of 2009.
"The difference is seen in students who usually seek employment," Arno said. "Many of them are now applying for graduate programs instead."
The Career Planning office assists students in the application process by providing information on different graduate programs, helping put together resumes and setting up mock interviews for students.
For many students, however, getting into a graduate program is proving to be harder than they thought. Senior Calla Brodbeck, who is applying for entrance into a graduate program in clinical psychology, said the increased number of applicants is making the competition much stiffer than usual.
As companies lay off workers and institute hiring freezes, more and more professionals with work experience and an undergraduate degree are returning to graduate school. Some students are now being turned down by graduate schools for lack of work experience, Arno said.
While GPAs, GRE scores and interviews are still important elements in the application process, the influence of work experience, internships and other extracurricular experiences has increased.
Graduates who choose to take their chances with the job market also have to work harder than before in order to find work at even the most entry-level jobs.
Senior Troy Morris, who is pursuing a job with Thomson Reuters, is waiting to see if he will be invited back for a fourth interview. The company is trying to fill eight positions in sales by the end of the year, and Morris expects to find out in the next two to three weeks whether or not he has been invited back.
"I was not expecting the amount of work," Morris said. "There's a ton of research, plus all the time spent on applications."
Morris said he spent about an hour per company on applications and research, plus time with the Career Planning office working on résumés and attending job fairs. Out of the entire graduating class, Morris said he only knows of three or four students with jobs already lined up.
"I consider myself really lucky to already have an offer," he said.
Despite the poor economy, Arno said, students have not been discouraged from applying to graduate programs, internships or jobs other than what they had originally planned.
"There are many who won't be going into their dream jobs," Arno said. "But they are thrilled, with the economy the way it is, to be able to get any experience at all, be it an entry level sales position or getting into that master's program."
Vicky Arno, assistant to the director of Career Planning, said she has already seen an increase in graduate school enrollment for the class of 2008, and expects to see an even larger increase in graduate program applications for the class of 2009.
"The difference is seen in students who usually seek employment," Arno said. "Many of them are now applying for graduate programs instead."
The Career Planning office assists students in the application process by providing information on different graduate programs, helping put together resumes and setting up mock interviews for students.
For many students, however, getting into a graduate program is proving to be harder than they thought. Senior Calla Brodbeck, who is applying for entrance into a graduate program in clinical psychology, said the increased number of applicants is making the competition much stiffer than usual.
As companies lay off workers and institute hiring freezes, more and more professionals with work experience and an undergraduate degree are returning to graduate school. Some students are now being turned down by graduate schools for lack of work experience, Arno said.
While GPAs, GRE scores and interviews are still important elements in the application process, the influence of work experience, internships and other extracurricular experiences has increased.
Graduates who choose to take their chances with the job market also have to work harder than before in order to find work at even the most entry-level jobs.
Senior Troy Morris, who is pursuing a job with Thomson Reuters, is waiting to see if he will be invited back for a fourth interview. The company is trying to fill eight positions in sales by the end of the year, and Morris expects to find out in the next two to three weeks whether or not he has been invited back.
"I was not expecting the amount of work," Morris said. "There's a ton of research, plus all the time spent on applications."
Morris said he spent about an hour per company on applications and research, plus time with the Career Planning office working on résumés and attending job fairs. Out of the entire graduating class, Morris said he only knows of three or four students with jobs already lined up.
"I consider myself really lucky to already have an offer," he said.
Despite the poor economy, Arno said, students have not been discouraged from applying to graduate programs, internships or jobs other than what they had originally planned.
"There are many who won't be going into their dream jobs," Arno said. "But they are thrilled, with the economy the way it is, to be able to get any experience at all, be it an entry level sales position or getting into that master's program."
Be the first to comment on this story