With graduation ceremonies just around the corner, most fourth-year liberal arts students are preparing to take on life outside of the University. According to Ladd Flock, director of the Arts & Sciences Career Services, the world outside of the University of Virginia welcomes liberal arts graduates with open arms.
This year's College of Arts & Sciences graduates have a variety of opportunities available to them.
Flock said the job market, the Peace Corps, Teach for America or graduate schools are all prominent options for 2006 University graduates.
Flock explained that this year's graduates will be similar to those of last year. He added that the top destinations for liberal arts students that reported their post-graduate plans to University Career Services in 2005 were Teach for America, the armed forces, Corpsorate Executive Board and the Peace Corps.
Flock said 2006 graduates of the College of Arts & Sciences will face ample employment and post-graduate opportunities. He added that a degree from the University of Virginia, as opposed to a degree in a specific major, is exactly what many employers are looking for.
This week, post-graduate programs such as the Peace Corps and Teach for America are hosting introductory meetings for new recruits, graduate and professional schools are assembling next year's classes and many University students are entering the work force.
Job Opportunities
A stronger economy has improved job prospects for graduates looking to enter the workforce, Flock said.
HoosTrak, a database of job listings compiled by UCS is recording 650 newly listed job and internship opportunities a week, has seen a significant increase from 450 listings a week last year. Flock also said he attributes the large number of listings to increased promotion by UCS to alums and employers.
"There are a lot of alumni out there that push their companies to [search for employees] from U.Va," Flock said.
The job opportunities for the University's 2006 College graduates appear to be similar to those of last year's graduates of the College of Arts & Sciences, Flock said. Exact statistics about the destinations of 2006 graduates will not be compiled until this summer because many College students will not be offered jobs until June.
Flock said that while College of Arts & Sciences graduates do not have as much immediate success with employment as Engineering and Commerce students do, College graduates usually find out about hiring during the summer months.
"You can't compare Commerce and Engineering to the College because they're in a whole difference experience on the employers' side," he said.
Where Do They Go?
A third of the 2005 College graduates chose jobs in the Washington, D.C. metro area, Flock said. In addition, 13 percent of graduates from the College remain in Charlottesville and 10 percent are living in the New York City area.
Overall, Flock said he was "optimistic" for this year's graduating class's job opportunity outlook.
We had a "great turnout at job fairs, and a phenomenal number of listings on HoosTrak and steady On-Grounds interviewing over in the stadium," he said.
Keeping the Peace
The Peace Corps is one of the top recruiters of College graduates, Flock said. Peace Corps representatives and new 2006 graduate Corps members met Monday for an introductory meeting in celebration of their new posts. The University sends more students into the Peace Corps than any other midsize university, said Matt Hural, the University's campus recruiter for the Peace Corps.
Nationally, there are currently 7,810 Peace Corps members in the field, and 85 to 86 percent of them come directly out of undergraduate programs, said Bart Kendrick, public affairs specialist for the Peace Corps.
Hural, who graduated from the University with an undergraduate degree in architecture and went on to serve in the Peace Corps in Mongolia, said that the University gave him multiple opportunities that helped prepare him for his two-year term, including studying architecture in China.
"U.Va. has a commitment to volunteerism," Hural said.
According to Hural, the University is approaching 1,000 students who have entered the Peace Corps after graduation. Since 2000, Hural said there have been roughly 400 former University students involved in the Peace Corps.
Applying for the Peace Corps is a multi-faceted process which, though tedious, increases the appeal for the program, explained newly recruited fourth-year College student Paul Mastin.
"I think the application process was involved enough because it makes you think about it before you sign up for it," Mastin said. "The recruiters make you think about what it all entails and what it really means and just the impact you can have on people when you're abroad."
Student Becomes Teacher
Teach for America, another top recruiter of University undergraduates, also held its introductory meeting for new recruits yesterday. The ceremony was to congratulate the accepted TFA students on their acceptance to the program.
The mid-Atlantic recruitment director responsible for the University, Rachna Pahuja, said that 31 fourth-year students have accepted posts with Teach for America starting with the 2006-2007 year.
Pahuja, a former TFA teacher in Baltimore, said that University students have a long tradition of involvement with Teach for America.
"I have this long list of those individuals who have graduated from U.Va.; we have a couple of U.Va. grads come back and help with recruitment [every year]," Pahuja said. "We've had individuals who [were] fourth-years just a year ago come back to help recruit because they're having such a great experience."
Ileana Weinstein, a fourth-year College student who is planning on being stationed in Los Angeles, is preparing for the first part of the Teach for America program, the summer training institute.
"The first requirement is that you actually be there for the six weeks for training ... and your teaching summer school," Weinstein said. "They find you a job, I don't have a job yet, and ... they set me up with interviews."
More School
Another option that many graduating students pursue is graduate studies in business administration.
Wendy Huber, associate director of admissions at the Darden School of Business, said the University's undergraduate schools are a significant "feeder" for Darden. Huber said Darden also consistently accepts students from Vanderbilt, Stanford and Georgetown.
Huber said there has been a slight increase in the entering 2006-2007 Darden class in the number of students accepted to the school directly after receiving an undergraduate degree. In previous years, there have been more entering students with work experience.
"You're going to see a shift, if you were going to look from five years ago none [would have been accepted]," Huber said. "If someone coming in directly [was without] fulltime professional work experience, they were traditionally joint degree candidates," who were also enrolled in another graduate program, such as Law.
In the last year, Huber explained, Darden has accepted enough directly post-graduation undergraduates that it has recently reworded its Web site to show that Darden is accepting more and more immediate graduates. Huber said as a rule, however, Darden only accepts recently graduated students that have a high level of maturity and have significant experience interning in "Blue Chip" firms. "We're not saying we are going to be opening the floodgates, but we realize there is a talented pool out there," Huber said.
According to Huber, most students who enter Darden directly out of college are concerned about financing and, more significantly, their ability to contribute in situations with more traditionally-experienced students.
Students coming straight from undergraduate programs ask "am I going to feel like I'm a valued member of the community?" Huber said. "If they take the time to come and visit and explore, I think they'll find that they could absolutely be contributing members of the community."
The Law Route
The University of Virginia Law School also takes a significant number of students from the fourth-year class, titling them "double Hoos." These students are dubbed "double Hoos" because of their acceptance in both undergraduate and graduate schools at the University of Virginia, said Susan Palmer, dean of admissions at the Law School.
Palmer explained that there are usually somewhere between 45 and 60 University fourth-years admitted to the law school. Though there aren't statistics available on next year's class, last year there were 46 University undergraduates in the first year U.Va. Law class. The year before that, 48 were admitted.
"Only about 40 to 45 percent comes directly from undergraduate [schools], nationwide only about 35 percent are undergrads," Palmer said. "[That's] what we call the non-traditional student in the law school environment ... most have been out in the work force for at least a year or two."
Students Look Ahead
With less than a month until they graduate, fourth-years are preparing to take their first leap out into the "real world." As they look to the future, these soon-to-be alums look at their current situation with feelings of both excitement and anxiety.
Annie Cardi, a fourth-year College student who plans on attending Emerson College in Boston in the fall for a graduate program in creative writing, said she now understands the mixed feelings associated with graduation.
"I'm ready to move on and try something new, but there's so much I'm going to miss here," Cardi said. "It's a combination of being excited and ready for the new phase of my life, but every time I look around I think, how can I leave U.Va?"
Fourth-Year Trustees President Jordan Levy looks forward to his job with a consulting firm in Washington, D.C. Levy, who only got his job a few weeks ago, said it seems as if his class is ready to make the step.
"I think that, at least for most of class, they have an idea of where they want to be, and that's the hardest part to figure out," Levy said. "U.Va. prepares everyone very well -- I think no one should be worried that they're never going to find a job."
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