CAREER SERVICES AT ST. JOHN’S COLLEGE | SANTA FE | DECEMBER 2012 – JANUARY 2013
INSIDE YOU’LL FIND GRADUATE SCHOOL: A HISTORICAL STARTING POINT ASKING FOR LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION LORS: PROBLEMS AND PRACTICES AN UPDATE ON AGORA!
Career Services Office Contact: Career Services 505-984-6066 Fax 505-984-6167 Web address: www.stjohnscollege. edu/admin/SF/career.shtml AGORA: www.myinterfase.com/sjcsf/student Facebook: www.facebook.com/sjcsf careerservices Email: careerservices@sjcsf.edu Office located in the basement of Weigle Hall, Room 13
Office Hours: Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. or by appointment Career Services Staff: Margaret Odell Director Barbara Lucero Sand Assistant Director Chelsea Allen Internship Coordinator Christine Kng Publications Editor Allen Matsika Research Assistant Melissa Latham-Stevens Art Director
Thoughts About Graduate School by Margaret Odell Graduate school applications in any field of study are complicated and time consuming, and the selection process is highly competitive. Do not waste your efforts until you are positive that you need an advanced degree and you are clear about what you want to study. Graduate school should not be considered as the next logical step after St. John‘s simply because you do not know what else to try. But how do you develop that clarity regarding graduate school and a course of study? To find out more about particular careers and the occupations within those careers and, by extension, the necessary educational or experiential preparation, start by talking to your tutors, your family and their connections, and SJC alumni (search for alumni mentors in Agora who have attended particular schools or are engaged in specific careers.) Almost all of your tutors have personal experience with the graduate school process and, even if they didn’t study exactly what you are considering, they may have colleagues who did. You can find out what your tutors studied and where, by checking the college’s website. Also use tools such as the Occupational Outlook Handbook, available on line at http://www.bls.gov/oco. This resource profiles hundreds of occupations, providing details about day-to-day job activities, work environments, professional preparation (graduate school, apprenticeships, certificate programs, etc.), typical salaries, and much more. You may think you want to study economics, but how would that translate into a career and a job? Does a master’s or PhD in economics prepare you to be an economist, a budget analyst, an appraiser, a CFO, a professor, an entrepreneur, or a personal financial adviser? By doing your research and talking to people in your network, you can clarify a vague idea and develop much more certainty about whether you should consider getting practical experience before going to graduate school or whether your ideal job even requires an advanced degree. If you do find that your career goal will require graduate education, then you need to focus on specific degrees and schools that offer those degrees. As you are making plans for graduate school, be realistic about whether you should be applying to master’s or PhD programs. Your profession may not require a PhD, and, in fact, the terminal degree in your field may be a master’s, e.g., an MFA (Master of Fine Arts) or MSW (Master of Social Work.) If, however, your ultimate goal is to be a Continued on page 2
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