Four years of college have passed, and you’re debating whether or not your education is over. Many recent grads face this dilemma: workforce or grad school? The experience vs. higher education debate may have your brain spinning with conflicting information, but here’s what you need to know to make a decision.

When Local is Best

The majority of master’s students are enrolled at the local level (in smaller, community-based schools). These are good choices in three scenarios:

1. When you plan to stay local.  While these schools don’t have the reach of their top 10 counterparts, they do have strong brands and alumni communities in their areas. A degree from a local school will provide professional recognition and a network, both of which can greatly help for job placement in your area.

2. When you need it to move forward. Some career paths, such as physical therapy and engineering, require advanced degrees to move forward. In these cases, attending a local school can be a great investment.

3. When you are going to school part-time. Not everyone has the time or money to pursue an advanced degree full time; local schools tend to be cost-effective and flexible. Read the rest of this entry »

A trend that many have suspected to be on the rise – including college graduates – has been confirmed in a recent survey regarding employment rates among young people. An online survey from PayScale.com conducted between July 2011 and July 2012, showed that 63 percent of young people between the ages of 18 and 29 have a bachelor’s degree, however, are often forced to take jobs that don’t require one.

The survey included input from nearly 500,000 young workers, and only further suggested that a four-year college degree doesn’t mean as much as it used to when it comes to securing a job.

As reported by MarketWatch, a similar survey conducted by Rutgers University saw similar conclusions. They found that nearly half of young people who have graduated in the last five years say their jobs don’t require a four-year degree, and only 20 percent said their first job was actually in their desired career field.

Cliff Zukin, a professor of political science and public policy at Rutgers, told MarketWatch that these findings paint a grim picture of employment for recent college grads, saying, “Our society’s most talented people are unable to find a job that gives them a decent income.” Read the rest of this entry »

“What’s your major?” “Have you declared a major?” “Why haven’t you declared a major?” “You cannot enroll for another semester until you declare a major.”

Any of this sound familiar? If it does, then I know just how you feel. I could never decide which educational path I wanted to take in college. I felt so much pressure, I felt that the major I chose would determine my career. What if I hated it but it was too late to back out? I tried everything and really liked a lot of what I learned. I found holes in what I thought I wanted to do and I was surprised by the classes I thought I’d hate. However, nothing really jumped out at me and said, “This is my major.”

Maybe if I had seen the new infographic produced by Rasmussen College I might have ended up with something other than “General Studies” on my diploma. The chart shows incoming students which degrees are getting higher paying jobs, which are the top paying industries, the top hiring industries, and how college grads are getting hired in today’s market.

Read the rest of this entry »

The end of summer is nearing for many. The only indicator is the start date of classes bearing down upon us; Lord knows it’s not the weather. If your first day of class is coming up, take a minute to think through what you’d like your semester, year, or entire college experience to look like and maybe heed the advice of those of us who made enough mistakes to offer you a few useful tips.

1. Don’t write off the first day of class as “pass out the syllabus day.” Many of us assumed it was a pointless day that guaranteed early release and that’s all we focused on. Instead, listen closely, ask questions, and if needed, go directly to the registrar’s after class and drop it while it’s still refundable.

If it’s early in your college career, you can replace that class with another credit – one that’s worth your time, one that you’ll care more about. Those classes are expensive and time consuming; if you don’t jive well with the professor or care enough about the content, find a class that better suits you. Read the rest of this entry »

Hollywood is ripe with eclectic celebrities, a majority of whom reach stardom before they ever think about entering college. Perhaps to them, the fame and fortune is greater than a college degree. But there are some celebrities who go to college before diving head first into acting careers, including a surprising number of big name comedians.

Conan O’Brien received his bachelor’s degree from Harvard University in 1985, majoring in history and literature. He even graduated with honors and wrote for the Harvard Lampoon – a humor magazine at the university. Conan’s writing skills came in handy when he became a staff writer at Saturday Night Live, where he would occasionally appear on skits. Eventually, he started hosting his own television show, ‘Late Night With Conan O’Brien,’ which he’s most well known for now. Taking a look at Conan’s resume, it’s not hard to see that this funny man is a smart one, too.

John Krasinski, known for his witty character on NBC’s sitcom “The Office,” attended Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. During his time there, Krasinski studied theatre arts where he was also part of a sketch comedy group. Around that time he landed an internship with the above-mentioned funny man on ‘Late Night With Conan O’Brien.’ In addition to an Ivy League college education, Krasinski also taught English in Costa Rica before attending school, which proves he has much more to offer than just his funny quips and good looks. Read the rest of this entry »

This is not good news for the college class of 2012. According to an article on USAToday.com, college graduates who have their bachelor’s degrees are having a harder time finding jobs, and many are accepting lower-wage jobs, such as serving jobs in restaurants and receptionists in business offices.

However, it’s not every college graduate who is suffering due to this poor job economy. There are some who are still doing just fine. Students who majored in education, health, and science are finding jobs, but those who studied arts or humanities are having a hard time. This problem could also be because these students have not studied for a career, per se, like those who have majored in science, education, or health are more likely to have done.

“I don’t even know what I’m looking for,” said Michael Bledsoe. Bledsoe graduated in 2010 with a degree in creative writing. Since then, he has been working at a coffee shop as a barista because his college degree did not open up all the doors he thought it would. After two years without any results from his numerous job applications, Bledsoe is considering attending graduate school as his next step in the job-hunting process. “There is not much out there [with his current level of education], it seems.” Read the rest of this entry »

In an effort to encourage students to enjoy science, President Obama held the first White House Science Fair last fall in the State Dining Room. During this event, he tested and played with various projects that students had made. This was just one way that President Obama has been trying to increase the USA’s international competitiveness in the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) industries.

For years, politicians and educators have been trying to think of ways to increase the level of interest that their students have in science. This is even more important today than it has been in the past, as Americans are competing with people from other countries for jobs in the international marketplace.

Sadly, it seems like most Americans are still losing interest in this fields shortly after their days of science fairs end. Why? According to David E. Goldberg, an emeritus engineering professor, it is because when they get to college, they face “the math-science death march.”

Recent studies show that 40 percent of college students who plan to pursue a major in the engineering or science fields change their majors or do not earn a degree at all. If you include pre-med students in this figure, the percentage jumps up to 60 percent. This is twice as much as the attrition rate of all other majors combined.

Read the rest of this entry »

For many years, women have been underrepresented in the top tiers of the business world. Companies have used various tactics, such as offering childcare and flexible working hours, to encourage women to take on these jobs. However, colleges have taken a different approach. They have been working from the bottom-up by getting more women to enroll in M.B.A. programs and teaching their students about diversity and family-friendly working environments in these programs.

Sadly, these efforts have not had quite the effect that those who work in academia have hoped. This is evidenced by the fact that fewer women are enrolling in business-school than men. Additionally, fewer women are picking an education in business than in other professional schools, such as law or medical schools.

One school that seems to be doing it right is Insead, a business school that is located outside Paris, France. The business school has recently seen a drastic increase in the percent of females who attend it. In 2005, only 17 percent of the students were female; this year, the female population has increased to 33 percent.

“When women are only 17 percent of the group, they are far less likely to speak up,” said Herminia Ibarra, an organizational behavior professor at the school. “When they are over 30 percent you can be sure they are raising the issues important to them.”

Read the rest of this entry »

If you’re ready to declare a major, this single thought may be lingering in your mind: Should I or shouldn’t I attain a double major? Sure, it could mean more job opportunities and higher pay, but a double major could also mean twice the stress and a hefty tuition bill.

To ease such torment, read these pros and cons of double majoring, and decide the right path for you.

Pros:

• As a prospective employee, you’re more marketable. Having a double major shows that you’re flexible and well-rounded in more than one area of study. For instance, foreign language as a second major, specifically Spanish, is always a huge plus with employers. With this tough job market, a double-whammy could mean that you’ll get hired straight out of college.

• It may be the only solution if you’re equally torn between two majors. It’s likely that if you don’t follow your destined education path now, you’ll head back to school after you graduate. Going back isn’t the worst thing in the world, but it’s tough to do when you’re working a full-time job. It’s best to get your degrees out of the way now while you have education on the mind.

Read the rest of this entry »

The devastation in Japan left many students asking what they could do to help.

When I was in kindergarten, the OKC Murrah Building was blown up by a bomb. This experience was quite shocking for me, but since it was not in my town, I was not nearly as affected by this disaster as Carlene Pinto. When Pinto was in middle school, she watched the second World Trade Center Tower crash to the ground and then walked home as paperwork and dust fell from the sky all around her. Lindsay Yates was another young child who saw disaster strike her hometown when Hurricane Fran killed 24 people in her state. What do we three women have in common besides tragic events in our childhoods? We could all study disaster mental health at SUNY New Paltz.

The university is one of many schools that are now offering programs that focus on emergency management and disaster response. This new trend is in direct response to the numerous catastrophes that have plagued our nation and the world in recent years. In 2001, there were only about 70 emergency-management programs in the USA; today, that number is more than 230.

“This generation has never known a time without terrorism or disaster, and I think it has drawn many of them to this field,” said Karla Vermeulen of the Institute for Disaster Mental Health. “They were 10 at the time of 9/11 and 14 during Katrina, and it’s really shaped them.”

Read the rest of this entry »