For Penn's graduating seniors, stepping out into the real world may be tougher than expected.
According to a survey conducted by Vault.com - a leading media company that focuses on inside career information - only 50 percent of graduating seniors have received job offers this year.
The survey was conducted from May 2 to May 8 of this year and consisted of responses from 298 undergraduate and graduate students across the United States.
According to Vault.com, these statistics are due to an increasingly weak economy and a tough job market.
"It's not that they don't want to [hire recent graduates], it's that a lot of places can't right now," said recent College graduate Kara Daddario.
Daddario added that she knows graduates from previous years who had a much easier time acquiring jobs. "There was just a really high demand and need," she said. "This year that was not the case at all."
However, many officials have a different opinion on the matter.
"I don't think that at this stage Penn students are being affected," said College of Arts and Sciences Senior Associate Director Kelly Cleary. "Everyone reads the paper and talks about a little dip in the economy . but I think Penn students are competitive enough that they are still landing offers."
Even so, many recent graduates are increasingly concerned about finding work in the current economic environment.
"I'm certainly worried," said recent College graduate Carrie Alexander, who hopes to go into the entertainment industry. "For those of us who are doing different things it's harder because you kind of have to make your own way."
According to the survey, many new graduates are being forced to make concessions in the face of this increasingly competitive job market.
Vault.com said that 56 percent of students are looking into businesses that they had not originally considered, and 48 percent are exploring job opportunities in a wider range of locations.
As for those lucky students who do have jobs lined up, the fight is still not over. According to Vault.com, 19 percent say that they accepted their first job offer for fear of not getting another one, while 22 percent have compromised on issues like salary or benefits.
However, many students have an optimistic outlook on these new challenges.
"I think for the most part I had a good sense of what I wanted to do," said Daddario. "I knew something would come along, it was just a matter of when."
Alexander agreed, saying that just because she doesn't have her dream job now, there are other things she can do in the meantime.
"You have to take a risk, you have to be persistent and creative. You have to try a lot of things to break through the barrier," she said.
