Graduate school workshop offers students advice for the future

Career Services recently held a Graduate School workshop on Oct. 16. The purpose of the workshop was to give students information about applying for graduate school.
Steve Brown, Director of Career Services, presented the Graduate School workshop. The presentation at the workshop focused on resources meant to help students who are considering graduate school.
A small group of students met at the Connell Student Center. Brown began his talk by saying that many seniors start to consider the possibility of graduate school around this time of year.
He mentioned that even if a student may not be a senior, they should still not hesitate to speak with Career Services. He said that whether they are considering graduate school or an internship, they are willing to help.
Brown had this to say to students who are considering graduate school, “It’s never too early to be thinking about it and in some cases, it’s never too late it just depends on what you want to do.” Another important thing he said was that students should not feel like they have to choose between graduate school and full time work, they can do both if they desire. “You can treat graduate school as one of your full time job opportunities.”
One piece of advice he gave was to start the application process early if it is possible. He said that filling out an application does not obligate a person go to that school if they are accepted, but that it would to their advantage to start the process early rather than wait until later.
An important idea that Brown discussed at the workshop was the belief that you need to go to graduate school to be competitive in the job market. He said that while graduate school is helpful for finding a job, the unemployment rate has always been lower for college graduates. He also mentioned that employers are saying that they will increase the amount of people they will hire and that graduate school is not the only option.
Another important point raised at the workshop is that students need to ask themselves if they need to go to graduate school for the career path they are considering. Brown said that while certain career paths such as law and medicine require graduate school, other paths might not require it.
Brown followed this statement by saying that sometimes, it is better to have work experience than to go to graduate school. He said that sometimes, going to graduate school could over-qualify someone for a job.
The Graduate School workshop is just one example of the assistance that Career Services provides to students. “We understand that a lot of people come to Mercer with one thing in mind as far as an academic major and a career path they might choose,” said Brown.
Other ways that Career services tries to assist students is by holding workshops to help build resumes and teach students ways to develop connections with the right people. The aim of the workshops Career Services puts together are to get students started on the path of finding a job or finding a path to take after college.
One such example of an event that career services held was the Graduate School Fair in the University Center on Oct. 23 from 9:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
The Graduate School Fair was similar to the Career Fair held earlier this year.
The focus of the Graduate School Fair was to gather information and network.
On Mercer’s website, the Bearlink section is a listing of internships that are currently active. Any student that desires help finding an internship should look there, as these are opportunities where the recruiters specifically ask for Mercer Students. Students can also go to the career services page on Mercer’s website for information on how to set up appointments for further help.


Sources
http://apps.mercer.edu/calendar/event.asp?ID=24343
Steve R. Brown Director of Career Services
Phone: (478) 301-2863
Email: brown_sr@mercer.edu
www.mercer.edu/mucareer