Just in time for Parents’ Weekend, the Office of Career Services released preliminary data from its Career Plans survey of the Class of 2011.
The annual survey tracks the employment status of the most recent class of graduates. Among the categories the survey used to sort students were “full-time employed,” “seeking employment” and “full-time graduate study.”
Though the results for the class of 2011 have not been finalized, Career Services Director Patricia Rose was able to cite an encouraging trend for the percentage of students seeking employment.
“The good news is that the ‘seeking employment’ number is the lowest it has been in three years, and this is not even the final report,” Rose explained in an email, pointing at an 8-percent figure for graduates still seeking employment. “On this date last year, 10 percent of the class was still seeking, although it dropped to 9 percent when we closed the survey later in the fall.”
Other visible trends include a slight decrease in the percentage of students pursuing graduate study — 19 for the class of 2011 compared to 20 for the class of 2010 and 21 for the class of 2009 — and a slight rise in full-time employment, with 62 percent for the most recent graduates compared to 60 percent for the previous two years.
Hayley Brooks contributed reporting to this article.
The Daily Pennsylvanian is an independent, student-run newspaper. Please consider making a donation to support the coverage that shapes the University. Your generosity ensures a future of strong journalism at Penn.
DonatePlease note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.