<p>Roderick - Rushing means going through formal / informal greek rush (aka fraternity / sorority)</p>
<p>Really, numbers don’t mean didly squat in my major (marketing / management). A 3.2+ suffices almost all the time. Unfortunately it seems like so many business CC people all want to be ibankers / wall st…</p>
<p>I really appreciate the posts from the recent grads, they fall in line with the experiences that many of my oldest’s friends are experiencing. </p>
<p>While my 09 graduate son (econ major) was able to find a job after dozens of first interviews, and finally, that all important “home office” visit, where he was offered a JOB (not what he planned on doing “when he grew up”, but it pays the bills and he has health insurance), most of his friends are/have been living on parents’ couches and job hunting, and/or applying to grad schools. </p>
<p>I think what helped my son the most in actually securing a job was that he was a bartender then bar manager for 2 years while in college. That seemed to be the thing that they asked about in the interviews. It wasn’t what his grades were or what his major was, it was questions like, “How did you make your hiring and firing decisions?” and, “How did you handle inventory controls?” So, all that bit**ing I did about him wasting his time being a bartender turned out to be wrong. ;)</p>
<p>He has one friend who graduated with a 3.6 from Rice (econ), with incredible activities and recommendations, who went to Thailand for 7 months to teach English in a rural country school. He’s now applying to law school - BUT, he has found that even with his grades and accomplishments, he is getting rejections or waitlists because SO MANY qualified kids are applying to law school this year! So, don’t count on that!</p>
<p>My middle son is a junior, working on his Master of Public Accounting in a concurrent undergrad/grad school program, and is not seeming to be having any trouble finding paid internships or future employment. It seems as if they are in high demand. I guess accountants are needed in boom times and in bad times. </p>
<p>I will say though, that, as with damitssam, greek membership has really helped with his connections and interviews. At 3 of the Big 4 acctg firms, fraternity connections are helping get his foot in the door.</p>
<p>Anyway, that’s my two cents. :)</p>
<p>rbchicago, stop bragging about your daughter. Her experience is inconsistent with those of the other posters in this thread. I came here to gather advice, not to compliment you about your daughter’s extremely unique position.</p>
<p>I agree, whistleblower1.</p>
<p>“With six months until my student loans would kick in…”</p>
<p>technical financial question that is relevant to this thread since it is financial nuts and bolts and kinda determines how long a student can not be income-less :</p>
<p>What,specifically, are the rules for paying back college loans that are based on the student graduating? Please comment on the stafford subsidized, unsubsidized, the perkins sub and unsub if appropriate, and any other loans that come due on graduation that I may not have mentioned.</p>
<p>recharge,
I wasn’t bragging about d. I was pointing out that having to cobble together temporary and part-time jobs to make ends meet seems to have become the norm for recent grads who want to work in their fields of study. And riding out this recession by going back to grad school has become the fallback position for many of them.</p>
<p>roderick,
Believe me, d partied at Penn! But she had attended a rigorous boarding high school where 6 hours homework and Saturday classes were the norm so she learned how to exist on very little sleep. By the time she got to Penn, even though she had probably developed decent study habits, she blew off her first semester - probably 2.5 gpa - before realizing she was limiting her future options if she didn’t buckle down. After that, she would figure out what it would take to get an A in a class and then do just that amount of work -no more and no less. (So you’re right, she probably was a bit of a grade grubber).</p>
<p>When I said she was lucky enough to get a full scholarship to MIT (and other schools), I was referring to the fact that she applied just as the economy was improving and school’s are probably feeling flush because their endowments are so much higher than just a year or two ago. Her acceptances were probably based on her ug record and her resume, but the financial aid offers are likely a matter of good timing.</p>
<p>and that is where the luck comes in . understood.</p>
<p>“Please comment on the stafford subsidized, unsubsidized, the perkins sub and unsub if appropriate, and any other loans that come due on graduation that I may not have mentioned.”</p>
<p>Google is your friend or start your own thread.</p>
<p>northstar, what I was trying to reveal in this thread is how long students have to pay back loans after graduation. I wondered if there are different kinds of loans out there with different timings. I am not an expert who could provide the answer, but this question is relevant to this thread about the 1st yr after graduation , especially without employment. </p>
<p>I think I phrased the question too much like I was looking for an encyclopedia answer - sorry for framing it this way.</p>
<p>If a student does not have a job after employment, then what are the consequences for the student’s loans? Can the student wait to pay til there is employment, ANY kind of employment (even if just a pittance)? What are the consequences if you do not pay due to no job?</p>
<p>Would they come after the parents? Does it depend on the kind of loan ?</p>
<p>This is a HUGE item to be considered in this kind of thread especially with the magnitude of some of the loans of people just starting out. I recall a tragic tragic case reported on these CC pages about some student who was so heavily in debt after graduation that he killed himself since he could not find adequate employment.</p>
<p>The OP apparently did not have loans - at least it was not mentioned in the post. What of the more typical case (isnt the avg debt of american students upon graduation something like $20-30k, or something like this?)?</p>
<p>Yes, I could google, but I and others who might be viewing this thread might not get a clear summary answer that I bet some knowledgable and experienced users in this forum might better provide than 435,00 hits on google, including something from Wells Fargo.</p>
<p>[student</a> loans after graduation - Google Seawch](<a href=“student loans after graduation - Google Search”>student loans after graduation - Google Search)</p>
<p>thanks, everyone reading, for patience with my question, and feel free to ignore if you think it is irrelevent.</p>
<p>roderick - sledfish does indeed seem fortunate that his situation isn’t further complicated by debt. There are loan forgiveness programs, loan deferrment options and ibr (income based repayment plans) however, nothing is as recession proof as not being neck deep in debt in the first place. Excellent web sites for financial stuff: [FinAid</a>! Financial Aid, College Scholarships and Student Loans](<a href=“http://www.finaid.org%5DFinAid”>http://www.finaid.org) and to see what happens when things go really wrong: [Project</a> on Student Debt: Home](<a href=“http://www.projectonstudentdebt.org%5DProject”>http://www.projectonstudentdebt.org) click on voices section - there are far too many sad tales of lives overburdened by debt.</p>
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<p>The part about the relatives living close to the area you intend on job searching should be emphasized. You’re likely to wind up working in the area where you’re living while looking for work. Employers usually prefer to interview local candidates. Even after hired for your first job, it’s often difficult to get employers in other areas to consider you. The upshot is that wherever you go, you’re likely to wind up working there, possibly for a few years.</p>
<p>Obviously, this is a problem if the area has limited opportunities, you dislike living there, or both. In these cases, you’re better off in the long run finding any job which makes it possible to pay the rent where you are. It might be unpleasant in the short term to work at a menial job while putting a great deal of effort into your job search. It might be more unpleasant in the long run to spend several years in an area you dislike.</p>
<p>Also, going back to the area you lived in during high school won’t be like living there during high school at all. University has changed you so much that you won’t relate to the place in the same way. And most of your high school friends have probably moved on. Even if you enjoyed being there during high school, you might not now.</p>
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<p>QFT.</p>
<p>At best, you’ll apply for graduate school in a field you don’t really want to work in. In this case, you’re wasting your time and, if not fully funded, your money. But at least you could go for yet another Master’s program in the field you actually want.</p>
<p>At worst, you’ll perform poorly because you applied for a program or field which wasn’t right for you. In this case, you might now have difficulties applying for programs you actually want at a later date. It also looks bad when trying to reintegrate into the job market.</p>
<p>this helped me understand the reality of the situation a little better, thanks</p>
<p>It seems to me that if you want vocational training you wouldn’t study liberal arts… that’s the point, right? It makes sense to me that those with the least technical skillset are going to be hit hardest when the economy takes a dive. At least you guys didn’t sell your souls to corporate America… when the economy picks back up, God willing, you’ll be able to do something fun.</p>
<p>like some said, don’t blow off a position just because it looks menial to you. My community service stint/tutoring are often asked about in my interviews. I have a low paying internship right now but I’ve been given the wink that someone in my department will retire, so others will be promoted, including me, to a $40,000 job, yah!!! </p>
<p>Oh yeah, I feel sorry for those that wound up in law school and ended up with nothing. My mom keeps telling me to get a Master’s, CPA, but you have to be smart about these things and not just do stuff to do stuff.</p>
<p>BTW, to a lot of the hopeless miserable people here, why don’t you consider the military? If you score good on the AVSAB, you’ll likely have more to do than be on the frontlines (operate submarines, satellites, intelligence, psyops).</p>
<p>Don’t turn your noses up to an accounting degree. It can lead to many different paths. Also, going overseas to teach English can be lucrative and in some situations comes with housing, medical benefits and loads of fun.</p>
<p>Take3, you are exactly right about living near where you intend on finding employment. I was fortunate enough to have parents who lived about an hour from where I sought employment. I did meet others however who took the huge (yet often necessary) financial risk of moving to the area they sought employment BEFORE they received a job. Some waited up to 6 months to get a job but in the end, got the break they were hoping for. Of course, money opens doors that are closed for most.</p>
<p>Wow thanks for posting this! I haven’t had a chance to read through ALL of the replies, but your story sounds similar to mine:</p>
<p>I graduated during the peak of the recession in '09. My academic department promised to help me find a job and help me out after graduation and I believed them. (I started to consider switching majors at the last minute and they pulled out all the stops to get me to graduate from their program). Anyway, I graduated a year early with honors. I made good grades and was involved a little bit in school (work study at the paper, holding an editor’s position as well as other positions but didn’t join any clubs). I lived off campus and rarely partied (was never late to class, never failed).</p>
<p>I started applying for jobs in and out of state my last semester of school, but nothing turned up. I managed to find a temporary position in my city, but only 4 months later they let me go. I’ve been applying to jobs aggressively for 6+ months and have had many interviews. However I’m either over qualified or under qualified. I’ve applied to every kind of job there is. In college I worked in food service and in retail for 2 years. I’ve probably applied to every retail store in this city, unfortunately after many successful interviews I realized that my old boss has some imaginary beef with me and it’s costing me those jobs. (I’m not sure how to check this for sure, unless I call her myself). I’ve had to take that 2 year experience off my resume before it costs me more possible jobs.</p>
<p>I’ve pretty much turned job hunting into a full time job. 60% of jobs on those job hunting websites are scams and I have to do a bunch of research on the company (unless it’s well known) before I even try to contact them.</p>
<p>Out of all the people that I graduated with in my major, only one has a real job in that major. The rest are unemployed or work in retail. Only 2 of my high school friends have found a job (and one of them works for her dad, so that doesn’t count). The rest are in grad school or unemployed.</p>
<p>I decided to go back to school and am trying to fund it myself (I made a thread about it). I’m hopeful this will help me out, but I’m stuck in a big rut. </p>
<p>Emotionally this has been really hard to deal with, because I did work hard on my degree and it’s worth nothing. People say, “if I were you I’d do this…” or “you should apply to more places” etc… It’s so frustrating because I’ve applied to 100+ in every field and done everything (including volunteering, networking) and there’s just not much out there.</p>
<p>My best advice has actually come from random people. I lost my insurance and my mom insisted that I go to the eye doctor/dentist and she would pay. Both the eye doctor and dentist gave me some great advice and made me feel better about my situation. I know it sounds silly, but tell everyone about your situation. It sounds desperate, but I AM desperate, so what do I have to lose, you know?</p>
<p>My mom has been great to help me out thus far and I’m so thankful for her. Good luck to everyone else out there trying to find a job!</p>
<p>OP, thank you for your post.
I think the main thing people need to realize is that even if they are unsure about their future, they should still be striving to do the best that they possibly can.
Don’t get me wrong, socializing and partying are also important aspects of college life, and I have a blooming and awesome one at that. The most important thing is still to do well, not only because it helps any future paths you might want to take, but because this is a valuable characteristic to develop no matter what you end up doing. Whether you become a doctor, businessman, computer engineer, teacher, or just a housewife, half-a**ing anything will not get you the best results and in the end, you are just hurting yourself and making a mocking of your own potential by doing so.</p>
<p>I know that everyone basically knows this, and I catch myself procrastinating/not-working-as-hard-as-possible all the time, but this is something that I try hard to stick to, and whenever I hear an announcement about so-and-so coming to campus, or this opportunity or that, I always, at the very least, consider how it would benefit me, and in many cases, this go-for-it attitude has paid off.</p>
<p>I am still not 100% positive on what I will be doing with my future, but my GPA and my hardwork, along with the friends and connections I’ve made, are really helping me to ease any stress I might have had from just partying hard in college and not-giving-a-crap about anything else, which is sadly what a lot of kids do, and sadly the precursor to a lot of these kids working in fast food or boring low-paying office jobs for the rest of their lives.</p>
<p>@ Hope2getrice While your advice is good, right now the economy doesn’t really care how much you partied in school or how well you did. I made all A’s, dean’s list, worked on campus, knew TONS of people and that didn’t help me one bit. I majored in Journalism, and I knew some of the top notch writers/editors at the Washington Post but even they couldn’t come through. My best friend’s dad owns a paper here and offered to help with an internship, but you can tell they’re struggling and I haven’t heard anything back yet (it’s been 3 or 4 months now). </p>
<p>After graduating, I found myself competing with PhD’s and MA for jobs (even in retail, call centers, etc). I guess I’m fortunate not to have a family to take care of, I mean, how can I compete with that?</p>
<p>I’ll say internships help, in some cases you can move up in the company or secure a position (I know a guy that did this at FedEx and now he has an amazing job). It all just depends on the situation and luck, I guess.</p>
<p>Here’s a strange (for this website) thought: don’t rely on others for employment. Start your own company or figure out a way to work for yourself.</p>