The following is a guest post from Margaret Mannix the Executive Editor of U.S. News & World Report’s best-selling higher education reference books, including Best Graduate Schools 2013 and Best Colleges 2012.
Given today’s economic turmoil, corporate belt-tightening, and abysmal unemployment rate, a second degree could mean a higher salary, a big career boost if you’re already out there in the working world, or an exciting new direction if you’re still floundering around with that part-time job at the mall. It’s a pricey proposition—you’re talking tuition and fees of $9,000 at public universities and more than $20,000 at private schools—but the payoff could be tremendous: People with master’s degrees earn more over their lifetimes than those with baccalaureate degrees.
For many of you 20-somethings, the decision might be a no-brainer. Coming out of grad school in your 20s or early 30s means you’ll have decades of high-earning power. And just think what that fatter paycheck will help with—rent, clothes, a car, and those student loan payments that seem to have no end. But—and this is a huge caveat—pulling in the big bucks in this day and age depends on your chosen field. The median salary for someone with a master’s in engineering is $107,600, according to a recent report by the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce. That’s more than twice what someone with a master’s in English will earn.
Here are some things to think about if grad school is on your horizon (and you’ll find much more advice in our just-published Best Graduate Schools 2013 book!):
*Do your homework—and not just in choosing a program. Grill the career service people at all the schools you’re researching: Ask how many grads got jobs, what kind, and how long it took to get them. Ask about the long-term career path. Ask about the starting salaries for the jobs—and when you can expect a bump up in pay. Ask where all the good jobs are.
*For aspiring B-school grads, while the boom times aren’t back yet, there are definitely some bright spots. The tech sector is hiring more M.B.A.s, and international firms are seeking talented grads to help them take advantage of emerging markets like China.
*Prospects for newly minted engineers are excellent, with robust demand across the board—especially in electrical, biomedical, aerospace, computer, mechanical, and petroleum engineering, to name a few.
*Med school applicants will find that primary care practitioners are enjoying a seller’s market. Openings for nurse practitioners and physician assistants abound, too, and get this: One expert told U.S. News that more than 90 percent of people with a master’s in nursing nab a job within six months of graduating.
*Would-be J.D.’s might want to consider healthcare and intellectual property law, which are showing signs of rejuvenation thanks to recent legislation on healthcare, patents, and financial services.
eCampus.com has the absolute lowest price you will find for the Best Graduate Schools 2013 guide.
In college, sometimes things get tough. I’m going to shed some light on how you can help yourself get through these “tough” times and not get too stressed out.
Scenario number one: I need a job! Money is tight for most all college students. If you have time to work but are worried you won’t be able to find a job in your new town, don’t be! I moved from Iowa to Omaha and I wanted a job more than anything. You have to be proactive. I went around to various stores and introduced myself to many managers. I filled out numerous applications and sure enough, quickly got multiple interviews. The key is to look for a job right at the beginning of the school year. Most part time jobs have seasonal workers who maybe live in your college town but go to school elsewhere. When these employees to away to school, they need people to fill their shoes fast during the school year, it’s perfect! Be confident and go get em!
Scenario number two: Homework overload! College is interesting because although you will suddenly have an abundance of free time, you will also find yourself with insane amounts of homework. If you put two and two together, do your homework in your free time! I know it doesn’t sound like the most fun to use your free time for your studies, but it will benefit you. If you use time between classes or at lunch to study, you can use your evenings to relax. I’ve found myself mastering the art of getting everything done early in the day or afternoon; it’s so nice to be able to relax when dinner time rolls around.
Scenario number three: I got dumped! I know the initial thing to do after being dumped is going to one extreme or the other. Either you don’t eat or you eat the whole pantry. Either you don’t sleep or you sleep your life away. Either you don’t work out or you never stop. Point is, neither extreme is healthy. College brings change that sometimes high school relationships or summer flings can’t handle. If you find yourself suddenly riding solo, embrace it! Think of all the new fish in the college sea. I know at first it will seem as though no one can compare to the one you were with, truth is; only time will tell. If you are supposed to be with that person, eventually it will happen if not, it might as well end sooner than later. Have fun, remain confident, and don’t always think you NEED to be in a relationship to be happy.
Scenario number four: I’ve gained weight! Everyone has heard of the so called, “freshman 15.” It’s true that college can initially lead to weight gain. This is due to eating at later times in the night, eating more fast food, and not working out as much. Alcohol is also one of the main causes of weight gain in college students. To fix your sudden weight gain, start with eating right. Pick meals that include each food group, and attempt to snack less. Along with eating the right foods, try and eat all your food before 9 at night. The later you eat, the more food sticks on your body once you sleep. Eating breakfast is one of the main contributors to a healthy diet. Breakfast gets your metabolism going sooner, and leads to less hunger overall throughout the day. If you must go to a fast food restaurant to eat, try and pick a subway or order off the lower calorie menu. The best advice is to just avoid fast food. Other things to avoid include pop and alcohol. These beverages are loaded with a ridiculous amount of calories. If you feel a good workout is in order, just do it! Now that the weather is getting nice, try going for a run or a bike ride. Getting active is a step in the right direction.
I hope if any of my scenarios related to you, my advice will also. Have an awesome last few weeks of school!
-Speedy G.
As the semester draws to a close and finals loom, grades are a pressing worry now more than ever. Are the grades you’re expecting not as good as you hoped? Sometimes it can feel that despite your best efforts, your classmates outpace you with seemingly less effort.
I know in my case my high school did not have a strong math or science department. I tried (and almost failed) a molecular biology class my freshman year. Aside from the horrifically boring nature of the course material (sorry, biology majors!), I found that I was significantly behind my peers. That realization can be incredibly deflating, particularly as you venture outside your comfort zone after getting general education requirements out of the way.
If you find that the deflating feeling just won’t go away, be assured that there is actually a name for it. It’s called the Big Fish Little Pond Effect (officially recognized by psychology professionals), and you are in good company. The effect is a hypothesis that the self-concept of students is negatively correlated with the ability of their peers in school. In essence, how you feel about your academic accomplishments depend snot only on your own successes but is correlated to the relative success of those in the school you attend.
I choose to be reassured by this knowledge, and I think it’s something every freshman should be informed of. In your high school you may have been in the top ten percent, but when you get to college you’re suddenly surrounded an awful lot of other top ten percenters.
As long as you are trying, even though it may be of little comfort to you at the moment, you will likely experience the Pygmalion effect, which refers to the phenomenon in which the greater the expectation placed upon people, often children or students and employees, the better they perform. According to Wikipedia, “the effect is named after Pygmalion, a Cypriot sculptor in a narrative by Ovid in Greek mythology, who fell in love with a female statue he had carved out of ivory after it became human from his wishes.”
In other words, your classmates are likely experiencing the same feelings you are as you all struggle to get through a tougher course load. All that work has a way of exposing weaknesses, but your own are likely to be magnified. But according to the Pygmalion effect, the harder you work the better rewarded you will be in the long run!
-WonderBread
I’m reading iSpeak: Public Speaking for Contemporary Life
It’s no secret that jobs are in high demand right now. Every day we see the unemployment rate fluctuate and play with our emotions. Graduating college seniors know all too well the struggles that accompany a serious job search. In these last few weeks, as they all prepare to walk across the stage, many are reflecting back on the last four years and pinpointing what may or may not have helped them land a “real-world” job. I’ve been listening, and taking notes trying to figure if there is a successful formula to finding a career after college, or if lady luck is the only one who can predict our professional fate.
I’ve heard it through the grapevine, and partially through experience, that employers are looking for a mix of things. They want to look at everything you’ve done in the last for years—and more recently, even your Facebook page! Employers will look at your GPA, you major, activities and your experience. So what matters most? How can you prepare yourself to be an attractive employee? (Regardless of the job you’re applying for!)
Seniors going out to work now swear by their internships and hands on experience. They say that nothing helped them more! So do internships, summer jobs, and networking make all the difference when it comes to the top and bottom of a candidate pool, or is there something else to consider?
Whether it’s your class work, activities or your experience, the way you spend your four years in college could have a huge impact on your future, so listen up!
No one will tell you that you can’t have fun in college. In a way, people will sometimes even encourage you to do so—you have four years before the rest of your life starts. Learn lots, make a few mistakes, and mature into the adults we are all capable of being. However, what many mean by the phrase “make the most of the next four years”, is slightly deeper.
Yes, we should have fun, and branch out. But we also have to remember that four years flies by. It will be over before we know it. And while “fun” makes for great memories, if we aren’t careful we won’t have much to show our future employers—except for those Facebook pictures you only wish they couldn’t see! Our coursework, our major and our activities say a lot about who we are. Our resume showcases our academic capacity and interests. Our activities show our potential to work with groups and form leadership opportunities. But do these bullets on our resumes say enough about us, or do we need the “hands-on” experience to proof to support the words?
If you ask me, you should try your very hardest to get an internship, co-op, or summer job. The experience is invaluable in the work world. It shows future employers that you can handle a job, hopefully in your field of study, not to mention you already have some time under your belt. You can use your experience from campus—your classes, or student organizations history— to your advantage and really showcase your skills in the office, or on the job.
Need another reason to give up your summer pool time to work? You can get a feel for an industry or job before you commit to it full time. Think of it this way, applying for jobs can be great, but what if you get one in a field you don’t really mesh with? Use this time while you’re still a student to decide if your “desired” path is right for you.
Internships, like jobs, don’t grow on trees. They can be competitive. But do your research and apply often and early! Find connections on LinkedIn, network and chat with as many friends, coworkers, alumni and professors as you can! The more you network and research the easier it will be to find openings in companies and areas that interest you. When you’re in college summer seems like a time to let loose and relax—only a few months until class starts up again! But don’t get sidetracked! This time can be precious and could mean the difference between being hired and being left behind in “the pile”.
-Ring Queen
I’m reading Focus on Personal Finance
In the blink of an eye we went from January to April. Now, on the brink of yet another summer, college co-eds everywhere are forced to take a long, hard look in the mirror and face the facts. Winter is over, spring sprang, and now summer is staring us dead in the face.
We can’t cover up with coats, or blame the “post spring break” lull for the dust settling on our dumbbells! Second semester is not only in full swing, but sadly folks (or happily for some), we have a few shorts weeks left to wrap up another term. So how are you going to get into tip top shape in time to hit the beach? (Or pool, or puddle, or however you are planning to stay cool this summer…)
This time of year isn’t so much about losing weight as it is about feeling great and being confident. It can be difficult for some to slip out of the sweats and feel comfortable wearing shorts and breaking out the flip-flops. Of course, that excludes the brave young men who wear shorts year round—rain, sleet, snow or sun.
To make the transition from shy in sweats, to confident in whatever you wear, it might be time for a workout shift! If you’re anything like me, after your spring break routine paid off, you took a little break. You indulged in a few sweets, and decided to take a few days off from the gym. A few days turned into a week, and a week turned into a few more. How did I justify not going? Well, isn’t it obvious? It was all too easy to excuse away the laziness… “I’m tired, I’m busy, I have sooo much work, I’ll go tomorrow, I walked around campus A LOT today, etc”. The excuses could go on forever. But all that stops now.
We are tired, we are overworked, and we all know we’re ready for a little fun in the sun. So ease into fitness slow and steady—it will pay off in the long run. We all know how exercise lifts our spirits and can put us in a good mood. It’s a double win. You can kick start your fitness, and round out the semester feeling and looking great—who knows, it could even help you focus and prepare for your finals!
Here are a few easy suggestions on how to get moving and get active!
First, consider investing in a pedometer. I swear by mine and use it everyday to track the amount of steps I’m taking. It’s amazing to see how active (or inactive, cough, cough) you can be in just one day! A good goal, and one I’ve seen in various ads and fitness campaigns, is 10,000 steps. You can go higher or lower, run them or walk them, but either way you get yourself moving and compete against your worst excuses. You won’t be able to say you moved around when you really didn’t! Talk about accountability! Pedometers can range from simple to superstar. And lucky for us college kids, there are pedometers out there for every budget and price point!
My second and slightly smaller fitness tip is drinking water. Before spring break I was basking in H2O and drinking every drop I could get my hands on. For lent and the Easter season I did my best to stay away from soda, but once spring break and Easter came and went, I somehow cuddled up once again to my favorite physician, Dr. Pepper. But if you want to drop the sluggish feelings, and constant need for naps, I would trade your 20oz of fizz for some much needed water. Carry a water bottle to class and challenge yourself to drink so many bottles a day—my goal is at least 5! Your skin will thank you and your energy is sure to pick up. Plus there is something so refreshing and clear about water. There definitely won’t be any guilty conscious feelings after you indulge in a little H2O!
Whether your gym savvy, or scared to get on a treadmill, summer fitness isn’t something you need to shy away from. Make a commitment to get back to your fit and ready ways—either by hitting the weights, running in the sun, or just getting off your tush and getting a few much needed, and craved steps in for the day!
-RingQueen
