The decision of where to attend college for an advanced degree used to be a much simpler decision. However, with the economy in its current state, this decision has become more difficult due to fewer current jobs available to students following graduation.
“If I decide to go to grad school it would be because the work force is down right now, making grad school worth it,” 2007 CHS alum Richie Kupitsky said. “The goal would be to give the economy a chance to recover.”
One person who is attending grad school in hope of finding a better job when opportunities open up is Jeremy Davidson, who graduated from CHS in 2004. He is currently attending Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in New York.
Jeremy became a victim of the economic downturn after not finding a job.
“After several months of not finding a steady job after graduation that actually required me to have a college degree, I decided it would be a good idea to go to law school,” Davidson said. “Now that I’m here, I really think it was the right move.”
Taking a year off before going to grad school isn’t always the plan, but Michael Root, a 2008 graduate, is planning on taking a year off to get some job experience in the medical field before applying and going to medical school.
“At this point I am a pre-med student,” Root said. “I have three years to find a place to go though, so there is still time.”
The process for obtaining a job as well as applying and attending grad school is different for everyone, yet the process for most people during this economic crisis is aimed at acquiring a job after completing the program.
“In 2009, the number of applications we received was the same as it has been in previous years, so we haven’t seen how the economy will affect people’s decisions,” said Richard J. Smith, the dean of graduate school admissions at Washington University. “This may be in part due to the applications for graduate school being due in December or January, which hasn’t left very much time for students to take exams like the MCAT.”
With all the recent changes in the economy, the question as to whether the attendance or applications being sent to graduate schools will increase is yet to be determined.
“We will have to wait and see whether or not more students will be applying to graduate school until this coming January,” Smith said.