Graduate goals

With grad school looking better and better, remember to focus on grades.

Imagine you’re one of thousands of University students who will earn their undergraduate degrees in May, say goodbye to Athens and dive head-first into the job market. Unfortunately for you, that market’s looking a bit shallow right now.

What if you could put off working 9 to 5 for a few years, pad your education and your résumé and enter the job pool when it’s a bit more inviting? That’s what several students are considering, shown by an increase in the number of people taking graduate school entrance exams such as the GRE, GMAT, MCAT and LSAT.

This especially seems to be a trend for those of us at The Red & Black whose hopes of getting jobs in the journalism industry have dimmed in recent months. Certain members of the editorial board have recently been spotted carrying “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Acing the GRE.”

Some students plan on continuing their education to gain a competitive edge in a much tighter economy. Others wrap themselves up in the grad school security blanket until the job situation improves.

Even if you have no desire to go to grad school, it never hurts to have a few options. Since standardized test scores usually stay valid for five years, we highly recommend taking at least one while you’re still an undergrad.

We also encourage you to pay attention to your grades. It’s true that many job recruiters don’t spend much time worrying what a prospective employee’s college grades were, but graduate admission officers definitely do. If you’re only concerned with keeping your GPA at a HOPE-worthy level, remember that a 3.04 average won’t look so hot when applying for graduate programs, whether you’re 21 or 31.

Keep your fingers crossed for the economic stimulus package to work its intended effect. But be proactive, too. A great test score is a good remedy if you hit your head when you dive into that shallow job pool.

- Drew Wheatley for the editorial board