Washington Week: Student Voices (O)

In tight job market, graduate school gains popularity
By Elizabeth Rubin
Daily Pennsylvanian, U. Penn
February 26, 2009

"Nothing is a sure bet anymore," 2008 U. Penn alumnus Yoni Levinson said of his future. The biochemistry major had planned on pursuing a career in renewable energy or sustainable technologies after graduation. Now, he is applying to medical school.

Like many recent and soon-to-be college graduates facing a tumultuous economy and tight job market, Levinson is turning to graduate school instead of entering the workforce right away.

Students are using the opportunity to build skills in anticipation of the economy's resurgence, spurring an increase in graduate school applications across all disciplines.

After the clothing company he planned to work for as a business analyst went bankrupt in July 2008, Levinson tried working at a restaurant and then consulting.

However, with the unreliable stock market and Wall Street chaos of last fall, he noted that "with everyone who lost their job and me being a biochem major who worked in labs didn't really stand a chance."

Now, he said, is a chance to assess his options and is look forward to pursuing a new goal.

"Most people see this as an excellent time to increase their skills base so that they are in a strong position once the recession ends," said Allison Peirce, the director of marketing for Executive Masters in Technology Management at Penn.

She added that while the program, which requires a minimum of five years of work experience to apply, has seen a "significant increase" in early-admission applications, she "really [doesn't] know what the full year will suggest."

Test preparation company Kaplan reported a 45-percent rise in interest in law, business and other graduate-school programs since September 2008.

The influx of applicants will likely cause programs to become more competitive while class sizes stay the same. Most schools appear not to be not accepting more applicants or hiring more personnel.

And though many graduate programs are reporting a rise in applications, some -including a number of Penn programs - note that all their numbers are not yet in so the economy's effect is not yet apparent. The long-term impact of the economy is also unclear.

This year, Penn Law school saw a 6-percent increase in applications. Spokesman Mark Eyerly, said the school "typically see[s] an increase in applications where there is an economic downturn."

While the applicant pool is filled with a larger number of stronger applicants than in the past - most applicants had a 3.8 or higher GPA and at least a 170 on the LSAT - Eyerly said Penn Law plans to keep enrollment in line with previous years, at about 250 students.

The Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University has seen a 35-percent hike in applications for the Masters in Public Policy program, but is not planning to accept more students, wrote Doug Gavel, associate director of media relations and public affairs, in an e-mail.

Harvard's Divinity school also saw an 11-percent increase in applications this year, program spokesperson Jonathan Beasley said.

Penn's Graduate School of Education also saw an increase, with about 200 more applications than usual, but does not plan to increase enrollment, said administrative coordinator Latoya Floyd.

For now, graduate education is a way to bide time and build skills for students like Levinson who have found the job hunt tougher than expected.

"If I got a cool environmental consulting opportunity, then I would go with it," he said. But, he added, "I wouldn't wait around forever until that happened."

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