Tracy Domingo
Assistant Living Editor
Pepperdine Seniors off to explore the world.
Spring is finally upon us and the feelings of rebirth and change are in the air. But for many Pepperdine seniors, the change this spring brings will taste bittersweet as life as a Wave officially winds to an end.
With April 30th looming just around the corner, the seemingly never-ending countdown to graduation that was once configured in years and months has suddenly turned into weeks and now even days. Baffled at how fast the past four years have sped by, many seniors find themselves standing in a state of confusion and disbelief, asking themselves the dreaded and tired question, “So, what now?”
In an attempt to answer this daunting question and shed light as to what life after Pepperdine will be like for seniors, the Graphic conducted an informal, random survey of approximately 100 seniors questioning their future career plans. The survey asked four simple questions including the name, major, whether or not the senior knew what he or she will do after graduation as of March 28 and if so, what their plans entailed.
According to the data gathered, approximately 44 of the students surveyed still have no solidified plans for post-graduation life. (So, for those students who have not even the slightest inkling as to what you are going to do, it appears you are not alone in this predicament.) The other 65 students surveyed said they had some kind of specific plan already in place, albeit some less specific than others.
Determining from the information gathered from the survey, Pepperdine seniors said they plan on pursuing careers/activities that cover a very wide spectrum of choices. Many are jumping right into their career while others plan on taking a year or two off to travel. One student stated his plans were to “get a job, get sponsored and get a greencard.” Another student simply stated, “I’ll probably get a job.”
Fortunately for those students who plan on entering the job market, a recent study entitled “Spring Graduate Job Market Outlook” conducted by a Chicago-based firm named Challenger, Gray and Christmas, Inc., revealed college graduates are entering the most promising job market in more than three years. With 1.4 million college students projected to graduate this spring, employers are said to be hiring in an effort to make up for the record downsizing era that cleaned out more than four million employees.
However, according the Graphic survey, a large number of students are opting out of the job market for now and have set their sights on continuing their education beyond Pepperdine by attending graduate schools, law schools, medical schools, etc.
Kami Teal, a California native and sports medicine major, plans on attending Medical school in the fall. While she does not know the exact school she will be attending, she said that as of right now, she is 80 percent sure she will be attending Ohio State Medical School. Teal, much like many other seniors wonders where the time has gone.
“I absolutely think the time has flown by,” Teal said. “I really cannot believe it’s almost over.”
Another recurring answer from the data gathered revealed that many Pepperdine seniors are making the ultimate commitment after graduation by saying their “I do’s” at the altar. In fact, six individuals surveyed said their weddings were taking place this summer immediately following graduation. Other answers included intent to travel overseas, teach, join the Peace Corps, join the Air Force, play professional baseball, take the year off, take two years off, and one individual surveyed stated he plans on “mooching off my parents for a little while longer.”
Regardless if the answers gathered in the Graphic’s informal survey were serious, quasi-serious or strictly for comedic value, it is evident that the Seaver College class of 2005 will be touching all corners of the world.
With only 21 official school days left in the year, it is not uncommon to see nostalgic, misty-eyed seniors wandering the campus reminiscing about the past four years of their life spent in Malibu. For many, mere words cannot describe the priceless, memory-filled four years spent as a college student at Pepperdine.
Kevin Koehler, a senior from Clay Center, Kan., has no real plans after graduation besides just “going with the flow.” However, Koehler said one thing he is sure of is he will definitely miss Pepperdine.
“I won’t miss the classes,” Koehler said. “But I will miss the ocean, the trailer park, and all my friends.”
The winds of change may have come a little sooner than many seniors may have anticipated, but no matter where life takes them, the memories of life as a Wave will undoubtedly remain in their memories forever. So, good luck Class of 2005 with all your future endeavors … especially to those 44 students who are graduating in a month and still don’t have a clue what they are doing.
03-31-2005
