I hope that finals treated everyone well. For the seniors who are graduating: Congratulations! It’s a great accomplishment. I hope that you remain involved in Penn State and work to give back some way to the undergraduates who are remaining and who have yet to enroll.
This issue of Dispatch from the Other Side is aimed at the students who have some more classes left at Penn State. If you’re planning on more classes over the summer or if you have a few years left ahead of you, I hope you can learn from some of my “classmates.” I recently ran across some information from a survey of recent graduates (all different types of universities and colleges throughout the country) that I thought might be useful. The survey attempted to measure the biggest (professional-related) regrets that recent graduates have regarding their time in school. I’m going to throw out a few of the numbers and a little bit of my analysis.
Over a quarter of the students surveyed said that they wish they had networked more prior to graduation. 18% of them said that they wish they had done more internships. I think that these two numbers illustrate the importance of taking a step back and learning about your surroundings. I wrote a while ago about leveraging connections at Penn State, and I think this data indicates that students wish they did more of that. At Penn State, you have some remarkable opportunities for networking and internships: just look at the alumni base around you and the wide array of internship/co-op assistance available to you.
26% of recent graduates wish they had applied to more jobs when they were in school. 26% also said they wish they’d started their job searches sooner. 12% said they wish they had spent more time on their application materials. These data seem to indicate that planning is critical. Getting an early start thinking about the kind of jobs you want to apply for and then identifying potential application opportunities (I recommend using the Nittany Lion Career Network for at least a glimpse at the variety that you have). If you start earlier, you’ll be able to apply for more jobs with greater depth and sophistication. Employers can tell if you spent a few days on the application materials or a few minutes. If you are graduating in May 2012, there are plenty of employers who would like to take your application in November 2011 and interview you sometime over the winter.
14% of students say they would have changed their major. 8% think they should have gone directly to graduate school. What these statistics tell me is that students really must take the time to think about what academic opportunities are right for them. If you are in the College of the Liberal Arts, you have an incredible selection of majors and an excellent set of advisors that can help you figure out what programs are right for you. You may decide to add a major outside of the College too – whatever you choose, just remember to think through your major(s) and how you want to structure your education. You will be glad that you put the thought into it. Consult with professors, advisors, and other members of your personal community to get as much information as possible.
What do you think of the numbers: do you think that they represent recent graduated you know? What kind of work have you done to put yourself in a better position and have fewer regrets once you graduate? If you have any questions, feel free to put them in the comments. And if you have a topic for me to write about in the future, I’m always open for suggestions in the comments or on Twitter.