THE DAILY COLLEGIAN
Fair boosts seniors' morale
By Brendan McNally
COLLEGIAN STAFF WRITER
If seniors could use one word
to describe their mood going into
the job-hunting season, it'd be
"worried."
`All seniors are in this position
having to find a job, - Rob
Eckerle said at the Penn State
Career Services' Career Kickoff
fair Tuesday at the Bank of
America Career Services Center.
"I'm in the same boat as every
one else."
But that's why Ecklere (senior
recreation, park, and tourism
management) said he went to the
Senior Big Ten Career Kickoff, an
event meant to teach students
the shills they need to land a job.
Ecklere said the event gave
him a better idea of how to go
about job searching. which he
said has become one of his top
priorities.
Holly Temple, interim associ
ate director of Career Services,
said the event was an opportuni
ty for students to gain new skills
in job searching, resume writing
and interviewing while learning
about all the career resources
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"You're worried you won't get into grad
school and worried about getting stuck in a
job you don't want for a year. Overall, it's just
a really stressful time."
the university has to of
Eleven booths wi -- .
around the perimew;
room.
At each station a P(11
career counselor gave
tips and advice on one
finding a job or grachia,
after college.
Temple said it's a good is
students to start finding
early the sooner the better: si
said because the average job
search can last anywhere from
six to nine months.
But even in the second week of
the first semester, some students
didn't think they were starting
soon enough.
Joanna Malfitano (senior
biobehavioral healthy said that
even though it's only the fall. she
could have started earlier
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0 ( A
Joanna Malfitano
senior - biobehavioral health
.1 feel like I've had a late start,"
rvlalfitano said.
She said she wants to go to
graduate school, but that the
deadline for new applications has
already passed for some of the
schools she'd like to apply to.
"You're worried you won't get
into grad school and worried
getting stuck in a job you
ihri:t want for a year," Malfitano
•ici. - Overall, it's just a really
stressful time."
But Temple said Penn State
offers services like career fairs,
one-on-one career counseling
and on-campus interviews to
help students land jobs. She said
the most important message she
wants to convey to seniors was
simple: "Let us help you."
To e-mail reporter: bwms47@psu.edu
Scholarship funds
reach record levels
By Sarah Peters
COLLEGIAN STAFF WRITER
Students grappling with the
effects of the recession may be
pleasantly surprised when they
visit the Office of Student Aid.
Office of Student Aid officials
have a record amount of scholar
ship funds to award this year, said
Melissa Kunes, senior director of
student aid.
"I'd say mostly because of the
Campaign for the Miture fundrais
ing efforts, we have more scholar
ship funds to award than we've
ever had before," she said.
The Campaign for the Fliture is
Penn State's capital campaign, an
initiative targeted at raising schol
arship funds.
But some Penn State students
said they haven't seen relief.
Ryan Glynn (junior-security and
risk analysis) said he originally
thought he would graduate with
very little to no debt at all.
But all that changed with tuition
hikes.
The increases were especially
hard on Glynn, an out-of-state stu
dent. Now Glynn, who hasn't
received any financial aid, esti
mates he'll find himself in five dig
its of debt, likely $20,000 or
more.
Glynn said he understands
Penn State's financial aid office is
doing the best it can, given the
recession.
"If this was the current policy,
and there wasn't a recession,
I'd say it'd be a bit stringent," he
said.
But Kunes said last year the
Office of Student Aid processed $1
billion worth of aid in the 2009-2010
year, an increase from the $450
million awarded a decade ago, in
the 2000-2001 academic year. In
the 2009-2010 academic year, the
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office saw 71,000 students receiv
ing aid, an increase of about 3,000
from the year before.
Ten years ago, 56,000 students
received aid.
Glynn said other than his loans,
he hasn't been greatly affected by
the recession but he has friends
who've had to transfer or drop out
completely because of it.
Kunes said students don't have
to show need to tap into low-inter
est loans. Families may want to
take out low-interest loans
because their cash flow has dried
up in the recession, or because
low-interest rate loans appear to
better than tapping into other
sources of investment, Kunes
said.
Jacqueline Nelson (sophomore
human health and development),
said she gets a fair amount of
financial aid.
"For the most part, I feel like I
get a good amount of financial aid
for my family's socioeconomic sta
tus," Nelson said. "Personally, I
haven't had to sacrifice a lot. My
family hasn't had to either."
Nelson said she also has friends
who aren't as fortunate one
may have to sell her horse to
finance her Penn State education.
Kyra Swick (sophomore-
Chinese) said her parents were
handling her college finances, but
are now struggling to keep up with
the expenses. Swick, also an out
of-state student, said she was in
the financial aid office to find dif
ferent ways to help her parents
and plan out the next two years.
"I'm trying to be more proactive
about my finances and in control
of what's going on," Swick said.
"The recession is difficult, so I'm
trying to take a proactive role in
managing my college expenses."
To e-mail reporter: svpso7l@psu.edu