COLUMN: Sound of a senior screaming

From Jamil Smith's "Invisible Man," Fall '96 From Jamil Smith's "Invisible Man," Fall '96 Despite what our experiences or common sense may dictate, Penn students are reputed to be utterly "pre-professional." In high school, the several reports and surveys I read stated that the University attracted and nurtured undergraduates with a defined lifetime direction. If they had, the pollsters would have found many undergraduates worried about the inevitable day when the University will wave good-bye (or kick us out on the curb). A diploma will be all that remains of the safety blanket the University provides us, blotting out pestering concerns of whether we are running toward a career goal or trying to avoid it. I don't believe the "real world" lies waiting to devour us the moment we step off the Commencement stage. In fact, the University is a microcosm of the world I and other members of the Class of 1997 will enter in May. Nevertheless, it wouldn't be irrational to assume many of us would feel lucky to be able to spell "direction" -- especially after a few Senior Screamers -- let alone have some in our senior year. Certainly, there are plenty of Penn undergraduates who know where they would like to be next year. I count myself among them. Some in Wharton or Engineering already have job offers. However, when senior year rolls around and "goal" suddenly means "job" for many graduates-to-be, the stress and frustration can be too much. I hear many a despairing student in the early stages of the job search discussing the address of the box they'll be living in next year. And many seniors are simply drinking their last year away in an attempt to escape -- or postpone their entrance into -- the "real world." I'm sure certain seniors haven't a clue what they want to be doing; these are the ones trying desperately to learn what "consulting" is. Who is to blame for this indecision, students or the institution? While the aims of the contemporary undergraduate population may not be in sync with the demands of the job market, the University's support structures have not adapted properly to this changing environment. Today's college student does not go off to school with the same intentions as students of a generation ago. Rather than going to college to study a specific trade, students of the '90s pursue higher learning to "discover themselves." Students who pursue individualized majors or out-of-major coursework are what contemporary collegiate learning is all about. Appreciating the pursuit of knowledge for what it is is not wrong or even idealistic. However, pity these intellectually adventurous folks when it comes to putting that knowledge to use. On-Campus Recruiting Services made it seem like equal help is available for everyone. Nevertheless, a student -- like me -- who wants to get into a field -- like entertainment -- can easily be discouraged when he looks at the list of companies visiting campus and sees one music production company, where he probably would be working in sales. While approximately 538,000 investment banks and corporations visit campus every week, everyone is left to his own resources and contacts. Even the College resume book excludes resumes that do not fit into its pre-fabricated categories, curiously slanted toward economic or business careers. No book exists for students that are looking for jobs popular among humanities majors. Many might assert that learning on one's own is precisely the point of the collegiate experience. I would concur with this, but looking at the job search as something to be handled independently views the situation narrowly. The job search should not be an independent study or elective. Right now, the future hangs in the balance right for the Class of 1997 -- and not all of us are receiving sufficient support from the University. My complaints are not as much a berating of Career Planning and Placement Service as a series of suggestions. The University's support mechanisms for graduating seniors should be better coordinated, because while some seniors benefit from existing services, others need more assistance. Recruiting invitations to publishing, journalism and entertainment companies would be a good start. Helping these companies understand that Penn is as fertile a ground for writers, assistants and apprentices as it is for economists, consultants and bankers is vital. Perhaps then some seniors might be encouraged to see their last year here not as the year when they put themselves on the auction block, but as a time to began fulfilling their dreams.