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Super senior status not detrimental to employers |
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Tuesday, 22 April 2008 |
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by JEFFREY KOEHLER
Intern News Reporter
Seniors who graduate late are not at risk of being overlooked by potential employers, Director of the Career Development Center Marjorie Ellis said Friday.
“I don’t think there’s ever been concern from a recruiter over how long you took [to graduate],” she said.
Ellis said those who are graduating late should take advantage of their extra time to gain additional exposure to the career they have chosen to pursue, for example, by taking on internships.
“If you’ve got an extra semester, fill it with experience in your field,” she said.
Ellis said there were a variety of reasons why students graduate late, including changes in major,
personal illnesses, illness in the family and/or taking on an internship.
Virginia Page, a career counselor at Appalachian State University’s Career Development Center, said
some students had the problem of lacking direction, while others simply want to do everything possible
at Appalachian.
Page said she felt the number of years it takes a student to graduate is not a major factor for
prospective employers.
“As long as you’ve gotten the courses you need, I don’t think it affects your chances in the job
market,” Page said.
She said a major issue for some students was starting off without a clear career in mind and having to
change majors as they discover a new interest.
This causes students to stay longer in college due to course hours required.
“I think society puts a lot of pressure on us to have things done by a certain point,” Adam B. Cohen,
senior technical photography major, said.
Cohen is in his fifth year at Appalachian and pursued a variety of majors, including psychology,
sociology, small business administration, finance, insurance nursing and real estate before deciding on
technical photography.
He said it was real-world experience that ultimately led him to pick a major that satisfied him.
He suggested that students in similar situations take time off and “get real experience instead of
jumping from major to major.”
Alyssa T. Atalese, a senior marketing major at Appalachian who will graduate in May 2009, said the
existing four-year system is a good plan, but she had a hard time figuring it out early in her college
career.
Her original major was interior design, but she decided to change to business.
“I decided [interior design] was something I preferred to do in my spare time,” Atalese said.
Once in the business field, she started as a business management major, but said she found it was
dull.
She decided to change her major to a more satisfying choice, marketing.
“I like that it uses the creative side of business,” Atalese said.
Senior accounting major Jonda S. Sanders has been working her way through college, with the help of
student loans and grants.
She said the time commitment necessary to work to support both her tuition and the cost of living as a
student has lengthened the time it will take her to graduate.
Sanders said when she started college she worked 30 to 40 hours a week until her grades began to fall.
She said she then reduced the hours she worked per week to 20 and 30, but still worked long hours and weekend shifts.
Page said students in Sanders’ position might take longer to graduate, but they earn valuable real-world
work experience as a result of their employment.
Ellis said the Center for Career Development wanted all seniors, regardless of their date of graduation,
to take advantage of the resources Appalachian provides.
Appalachian’s Career Information Network (CIN), a database of alumni who attempt to assist students
in finding employment, is a valuable tool for prospective graduates, she said.
Ellis said CIN can be accessed by any student through their Web site, careers.appstate.edu, and
students can enter the password “cinonline” in order to access the network’s services.
Ellis said another important tool for students is the Career Gear Account, which allows users to post
resumes, cover letters and portfolios online for prospective employers to read.
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