Seniors weigh jobs, graduate school

While some seniors approached their post-graduation futures with rigid planning, Fairy Pardiwalla and Craig McFarland have found that flexibility is the key to preparing for the world after Princeton.

A few months ago, Pardiwalla had her heart set on entering a Ph.D. program in English. Nervous about gaining admission, she applied to 25 graduate schools across the United States.

As her plans stand now, though, she won't be attending any of them next fall.

As the acceptance letters rolled in, Pardiwalla, a native of Mumbai, began to think more about the U.S. government's Optional Practical Training program. It is a 12-month period of post-graduation work time allotted to international students who have completed four years of undergraduate study.

Attending a graduate program immediately after graduation would make her ineligible for the OPT program. "And I do kind of want to explore in the real world," Pardiwalla said.

As a result, she decided to forego graduate school for a year to try her luck in the workplace. After that, she plans to return to academia for the Ph.D.

Some of the schools to which she was accepted will allow Pardiwalla to defer for a year, while others will require her to apply again.

Pardiwalla doesn't seem anxious about another round of applications, though.

"Most schools have said, 'If you can get in once, you should be able to get in again,' " she said.

Northwestern is currently Pardiwalla's best option for graduate school, although she won't rule out applying to other schools when the time comes.

Columbia, where she is waitlisted, was Pardiwalla's first choice because it combines a well-respected academic program with a location in her beloved New York City.

Though she won't be attending Columbia in the fall, Pardiwalla does plan to move to New York to write professionally and explore her interest in language.

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Her experience working in India's advertising industry and her passion for English have helped her obtain a number of job offers in publishing.

She has also considered accepting an offer from an art gallery. "It's modern art, which I love," Pardiwalla said.

Her mother, who was supportive if somewhat reserved about Pardiwalla's plan to attend graduate school immediately after graduation, is thrilled with her decision to work in New York.

"She would really like me to work ... because it's the environment she is most comfortable with," Pardiwalla said.

Though Pardiwalla's immediate post-graduation plans have evolved over the last few months, her longterm goals have remained consistent.

"After grad school is just so far away ... Ideally I would like to be a professor though," she said.

Pardiwalla also ranks an independent writing career as a high priority for the future. "[Writing] is something I never want to lose ... I never want to stop writing!"

For now, Pardiwalla plans to take a much-needed vacation during the month-long period between when her visa expires and her OPT period begins.

She plans to spend time in the Canadian Rockies and India before returning to New York.

"It's been a while since I have had a vacation when I am not working," she said.

Fellow senior Craig McFarland has also decided to put off graduate school to work professionally for a year or more.

His post-graduation plans have evolved in response to some disappointing news about job and internship applications.

Several months ago, McFarland applied for a yearlong internship through Princeton's Project 55. Though he received an offer from a nonprofit in Chicago, McFarland turned it down, hoping to find something elsewhere.

But McFarland's application to the U.S. Botanical Gardens in Colorado was rejected. Consequently, the molecular biology major has decided to keep his future plans flexible.

"I'm just applying for jobs," he said. "I've decided that I'm probably going to be moving to Denver, and there are a number of jobs that I am applying to there."

McFarland wants to move to Denver because a number of close friends live in the area. They have aided his job search by asking business colleagues about openings and passing tips on to him.

McFarland is looking for jobs and internships in a number of fields, including biotechnology research and the Forest Service.

"I could see myself working for a company or a government agency," he said.

In spite of the uncertainty surrounding his professional plans next year, McFarland has remained constant in his goal to eventually attend either medical school or graduate school in biology.

"I don't mind school so much," he said, "and I definitely plan on [attending a graduate program] in a year, maybe two."

The graduate school fallback has cushioned the disappointments he has encountered in his job search so far. "I'm not too worried ... It would be cool to have some awesome job, but it's only for a year and then I'm moving on," he said.