Mackenzie Hurlbert – Managing Editor
NEW HAVEN – Graduating seniors at Southern Connecticut State University are facing a heftier question than “To be or not to be.”
The real question these seniors ask as they face their future is: “To go to grad school or to join the workforce?”
Senior Danielle Szymaszek, for instance, said she is debating whether to go to graduate school or to pursue her dream of becoming a cop.
“Honestly, I’m not sure what I’m going to do after college,” said Szymaszek, “and as of right now, I’m leaning towards two options. I could go to grad school and get my master’s in speech-language pathology, or I am seriously considering becoming a police officer.”
Data from the Council of Graduate Schools shows that between 2011 and 2012 there was an overall increase of nine percent in the number of students applying to graduate schools internationally.
This increase in students who want to further their education may be related to the rate of unemployment among students who enter the workforce with a bachelor’s degree. In a recent publication from Georgetown University titled “Hard Times,” authors Anthony Carnevale, Ban Cheah, and Jeff Strohl said, “Unemployment for students with new Bachelor’s degrees is an unacceptable 8.9 percent.”
The article adds that this risk of unemployment is dependent on the student’s major. According to the article, students with majors in the humanities, architecture, and the arts are more likely to be unemployed than those in science and technology related fields.
Szymaszek said the main reason she is hesitant to pursue graduate school is that she doesn’t know if it’s what she truly wants.
“I’m not that thrilled with the idea of more college,” she said. “I don’t know if I want to dedicate three more years of my life to graduate studies.”
Szymaszek is considering Southern Connecticut State University, University of Hawaii, Emerson College, and University of Canterbury in New Zealand as her options for graduate school.
While some students are still in the throes of indecision, others have narrowed down their options.
Alexandra Murray, 21, said she has not settled on a path just yet but is thinking about choosing a different route than graduate school or the workforce. She said she is considering joining the Peace Corps.
“I’ve considered a lot of options actually besides the traditional undergraduate-graduate program route,” said Murray, editor of Folio, the campus literary magazine. “Most recently I looked at the Peace Corps as something I could probably do.”
As an English major, Murray said she thinks her future in the Peace Corps would consist of teaching English.
“I’ve always been interested in traveling, and this is one of the only times when I feel like I will have the opportunity to both travel, experience a culture wholly different from my own, and use the skills I’ve garnered through my undergraduate program,” Murray said.
“I guess I’m also considering programs in America like AmeriCorps and Teach for America,” said Murray.
While graduate school is still an option she said she is considering, Murray said she is thinking of her finances as a major factor when deciding. For example, just the cost of graduate school application fees range from $50 for Southern Connecticut State University to $100 for Yale. When considering the future of one’s finances, Murray said the debt she’s in from undergraduate student loans is enough to cause hesitation.
“I think what draws me to these options is that they are not as financially permanent as grad school and will still provide a unique learning experience for me,” said Murray.
While making that decision, Murray said she is handling the stresses of being a senior and taking the GRE test needed for most graduate school applications. According to its website, the GRE tests a student’s skills in quantitative reasoning, verbal reasoning, and analytical writing.
“I’m trying to be as calm about it as possible,” said Murray about her upcoming GRE test.
Szymaszek said she has already taken the GRE and felt it went OK.
“I took the Praxis 1 and GRE over the summer,” said Szymaszek, who found the Praxis much easier than the GRE.
The Praxis is a standardized test for those looking to go into education.
According to its website, Praxis tests “measure basic skills in reading, writing and mathematics and include multiple-choice questions and an essay question on the writing test. The tests are designed to evaluate whether you have the academic skills needed to prepare for a career in education.”
“The writing and verbal parts were fine, but the math part sucked. I’m really bad at math, so I saw that coming,” Szymaszek said about the GRE.
“If you’re unsatisfied with your scores you can always take them again,” said Szymaszek, “however, both tests are super expensive. I think the GRE was $185 so I won’t be taking it again.”
Murray said she thought the standardized tests for graduate school are not as effective as many think they are.
“I mean I think that it has its place but I’m not sure exactly how effective it is in judging every single person,” said Murray, “because some people aren’t good at standardized tests. I know I am not particularly good at math yet I will be tested on it for the GRE to go into a field where I won’t need math.”
While senior Jake Grubman will not be taking the GRE, he said he is also facing the pressures of impending graduation. For him, graduation means entering the workforce and graduate school is not on the itinerary, he said.
“I’m thankful that I’ve been able to intern at enough places to figure out my niches,” said Grubman. “I think it’s important to have options and be passionate about more than one thing.”
Grubman said he will be studying media and TV production in Spain this spring semester through Southern’s study abroad program.
Grubman said his niches include video production along with “food, traveling, science, and the Spanish language.”
“My plan for after college is to break into the television industry, first by becoming a video editor or writer and then ultimately working as a producer,” he said.
Grubman later added he would eventually like to open his own restaurant.
As Grubman has decided the workforce will be his destination after graduating from Southern, Natalie Sabino, a Southern alum, graduated last spring and chose to attend the University of Rhode Island for graduate school this fall.
“Applying to graduate schools was a large process,” said Sabino. “It took a lot of time to decide what schools I wanted to apply to.”
Sabino, who is studying student affairs at the University of Rhode Island, said the main factor in making the decision of where to go to graduate school was how the school offered her program. Sabino said in her field of college student personnel and student affairs, there are many different forms and specializations of programs.
“I am glad I decided to attend graduate school right after undergraduate,” said Sabino.
“I did question if I wanted to take a year off. For me this was the right decision, and I am enjoying my courses so far,” she said.
