The University Career Center hosted a Graduate and Professional School Fair Monday, providing students the opportunity to learn about a variety of graduate school options.
The annual event, held in the EMU Fir Room, hosted representatives from 29 graduate programs, as well as the U.S. Marine Corps.
Clarice Wilsey, associate director of the Career Center, said the fair helps students sort through the process of finding and applying to the appropriate graduate school.
“Going to grad school is the same process as finding a career,” she said. “You need to go through a self-evaluation process. You need to analyze why you’re going to grad school and what you’re going to get out of it.”
Diane Jensen, a senior studying psychology, came to the fair hoping to learn more about master’s programs in Counseling Psychology.
Although Jensen already had potential graduate programs in mind, she said the process of finding a graduate school was challenging.
“I feel like I had no idea what I was getting into when I decided to go to graduate school,” she said. “Any information is helpful.”
Monday’s fair offered students information about pursuing advanced degrees in law, education and business, as well as less common degrees, such as a master’s in Women’s Spirituality from the New College of California.
Graduate programs pay the Career Center for the right to appear at the fair. Representatives said the cost was worth paying if the event could increase their exposure to prospective students.
“I would like to think that it is effective in terms of visibility,” said Andrew Brusletten, manager of the Policy Studies program at the University of Washington.
Brusletten added that the purpose of the event is not to recruit specific students but to get students thinking about graduate studies.
“I’m trying to make sure people make the right decision for them,” he said. “I’m not trying to make a hard sell.”
The Career Center used Monday’s fair to gain a clearer picture of what types of students come to learn about graduate schools, Wilsey said.
Before entering the fair, students were asked to either swipe their student body card or fill out an information card. The Career Center will use that information to determine the demographics of students attending the fair.
By analyzing the turnout by class and major, the Career Center will be able to tell prospective graduate schools what kinds of students they will meet at future fairs, Wilsey said.
Students interested in graduate programs will have another opportunity to gather information this afternoon. The Career Center will host a program called “Graduate School: What Works, What Doesn’t and Why?”
Don Asher, an author on graduate school and career development issues, will speak and answer questions in the Gerlinger Lounge from 3:30-5:30 p.m. today.
Wilsey said Asher’s presentation will offer students strategies and tips for applying to graduate school as well as ideas on how to pay the cost of more schooling.
“He gives tons of wonderful information,” she said. “He’s also very entertaining in the way he presents it.”

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