Fair helps USU students choose graduate school
With GRE’s and LSAT’s on the minds of seniors at Utah State University, Career Services is doing its best to ease the stresses and worries that accompany continued education.
USU Career Services hosted the professional and graduate school fair featuring 18 schools Wednesday in the Taggart Student Center Ballroom. Schools ranged from California to Wyoming and programs from podiatry to accountancy.
Gieoy Eaquinto, a graduate assistant for student services for the public management program at BYU, was present to answer questions from students.
“We’re here because we want to publicize our program and branch out from BYU’s applicants,” she said.
Students milled around the ballroom from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. asking questions, getting information and speaking with representatives from the schools.
Krystal Cazad, a senior majoring in political science and business, was pleased with the fair. She said she’s planning on law school after graduation and doesn’t mind if it’s outside of Utah.
“USU does a good job with their fairs because it’s all in one area so it doesn’t take much effort to come and look around,” she said.
Schools from all over the nation had some form of information at the fair today, said Randy Jensen, assistant director of Career Services. He acknowledged that tight budgets don’t allow all invited schools to attend the fair but that he is pleased with the regional schools that bring people here to ry to get a good cross-section of schools,” he said.
Jon Winn, a senior majoring in business administration, doesn’t mind the local programs represented at the graduate fairs. He plans on attending law school at either BYU or the University of Utah and was pleased with the chance he had to ask questions to people from the schools about the program he’s interested in.
“I have a good amount of information already but [the fair] helped me get in touch with the colleges and get applications started,” Winn said.
Samuel Meritt College, based in Oakland, Calif., had a table at the fair and David Tram, an assistant professor, said he has a key role in deciding which graduate applications are sent on to the deciding council each year.
“Your personal statement plays a big role,” he said.
His colleague, Anne Elizabeth Seed, director of admissions at Samuel Meritt, mentioned that Utah participates in the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE), a program offering financial support to students who cannot find a public in-state university with their major or program, requiring them to attend a university out of state. She hoped to recruit some California residents at USU to come back home for graduate school, and other students who might be able to benefit from the WICHE program.
Nick Taylor, a junior majoring in mechanical engineering, is participating in the five-year concurrent program here at USU. He’ll receive his bachelor’s and master’s degrees after only five years of school.
“I’m looking at maybe a Ph.D. or an M.B.A., it’s pretty open,” he said.
USU was well-represented at the fair with 15 programs featured, ranging from veterinary science to the counselor education program.
“We’re a distance education program,” said Sarah Hunt, assistant for school counseling program. “We want to get as many students interested as we can today and let them know our program can reach them all over the state.”
The variety of schools and programs are the work of Career Services. The grad school fair is the only one offered by them this year but Jensen said individual colleges and departments will most likely hold smaller events for their particular students later on in the year.
Career Services will also hold a “Tech Expo” on Nov. 4 for the information technology students, and their annual career fair in March.
“We have the largest career fair in the state,” Jensen said. “There are usually 150 to 180 employers for it.”
Jensen also stressed the need for student input in the graduate school and career fairs. Before the fair was over he had already received suggestions for having a school of dentistry represented next year.
“We’re always looking for suggestions,” he said.
-ireneh@cc.usu.edu