As the economy continues to decline, upperclassmen are beginning to sweat bullets as they decide what to do after graduation.
The future graduate begins to question his or her resume, major and why his GPA differs from 4.0. Though there are resources available such as University Career Services, in this economy UCS is not sufficient for students. There should be more courses offered at the University for the student that cater to his or her professional development.
When one reads headline news, it sometimes feels as though college graduates are hopeless. According to a November 2009 article from CNN, "Hiring for graduates will remain near its lowest level in decades after a 40% plunge last year... degree will decline by 2% compared to 2009." It can be concluded that the market for graduates from college has become more competitive. In addition to these statistics, The Huffington Post reports that "Those just graduating are entering one of the worst job markets since the Great Depression. Graduating in a recession has been shown to result in wage loss over a lifetime for young graduates, something that is likely to affect them for many years after beginning employment." Since the economy is so devastating for a college graduate, the University should take a more aggressive approach by offering the students courses geared toward life after college.
The University Internship Program is a prime example of the University properly aiding its students. This program is a combination of an academic seminar with internship opportunities. A student can choose either a year-long course, a summer program, or both. The UIP program boasts that since beginning in 1976, it "has placed over 6,500 U.Va. interns in public and private sector organizations in the Charlottesville area. A conservative estimate of the value of UIP interns' contribution and service from 1976 through AY 2006-07 to organizations in the Charlottesville area is $13 million dollars." Through the knowledge of this information, one can conclude that the program is very popular amongst students. The seminar is divided between two semesters, with the first focusing on personal and professional development, and the second semester focusing on the post-graduate transition topics. The information provided in these seminars is undoubtedly helpful information for any student looking to enter the job market.
However, one question remains - why does the University not offer more programs of this nature? Though UCS may offer student and alumni career services, it still would be good information for the students to have. Perhaps a student is doing something incorrectly and does not realize the severity of the mistake he or she is making in the corporate environment. It would be better for students to receive a variety of information in a corporate environment, as it would teach them how to compete with other students in a bad economy. These proposed courses should be offered for credit, and modeled after the UIP program. A semester-long course with more relevant information for those students graduating should be offered, covering business skills such as cover letter writing skills, interview tactics and learning the sociology of business.
In addition to this, the University should offer free prep courses for exams that students are also preparing to take (e.g. LSAT, GMAT, GRE, MCAT). Though it can be argued that students can take up these courses in their own free time, it is not unusual for these courses to run over $1,000. In an economy that is suffering, that is a relatively high price. It could be argued that it is students' responsibility to take it upon themselves to study for these tests on their own if they cannot afford it, but it is rather difficult maintain the necessary grades in a final semester in addition to studying for an exam. However, these courses are necessary because they too can make the student more competitive. In a bad economy, it is no surprise that applications to graduate schools are up. Of course, there are only a limited amount of spots available, so more applications means much more competition for a spot in graduate school. The University should make more of an effort to set a student up for success after graduate schools, by offering more courses for their personal benefit. At times, UCS is simply not enough for students. These courses would prepare a student not only to enter the difficult market, but it will also give them skills to use throughout their lifetime.
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