The Class, Leaving

The Class of 1975 is a little uncertain about its future. Because of the tightening job market, many students who would have started in on a job right after graduation have instead gone on to continue their studies at graduate schools. More students than in past years went to the Office of Career Services and Off-Campus Learning for interviews with corporation recruiters. More students took leaves of absence.

Robert J. Ginn, associate director of OGCP, notes that 1975 has been "the toughest year to find work for students with geographical limitations." He says men have been coming to him trying to find jobs near to where their girlfriends are going to be working or studying, while in previous years the roles had been reversed. Ginn also says there is a substantial upsurge of interest among women in going to Business School.

The usual number of students will go to professional schools, though more are hoping to take leaves between graduation and law, medical or education schools. Very few students intend to go into volunteer work although the Peace Corps recruiter managed to attract about 150 interested students. Only ten showed up to listen to the Marine recruiters.

Richard Nixon, and the atmosphere of his presidency, Ginn says, "nailed mental health" for the classes of the mid-seventies. The attitude of "middle-America" toward mental health, he says, has unfortunately reduced not only the number of mental health jobs available, but also the number of students interested in psychology.

The arts, Ginn says, are also not "as happy an area as they used to be." Art philanthropists can't afford to be as philanthropic as they once were.

Ginn sees management training as the biggest employer of Harvard graduates this year. Management training trains and pays those interested in banking, accounting, and related fields. There are also a sizable number of Harvard graduates whose job futures are so well-established that they never have to go seek counseling--students who are already secure in the arts or theater, or those who are independently wealthy or have family connections.

The number of students receiving fellowships was slightly lower this year than last. In 1974, seven students received Rhodes Scholarships; this year, only five. This year, however, five women received the American Isobel L. Briggs Fellowship, while in 1974 only four did. In sex-limited fellowships, the women generally did better than in 1974, and the men worse. This flux, however, represents no definite trend, and the number of fellowships given out tends to waver somewhat from year to year.

Students this year have come to the OGCP mostly for counseling for law, business and medical careers, and for miscellaneous jobs and leaves of absence. Many students, more than usual are looking for and finding jobs with the government. Ginn says that most students this year have been undecided among three or four career options, while in the late 60s graduating classes were totally undecided.

In general, there are more students this year who feel that they are leaving Harvard with no skill specialized enough to land them a desirable job. By taking leaves of absence before graduation or before graduate school, these students are recognizing that the United States is what Ginn calls "a credential-oriented society." Students who take short-term jobs in a field related to the one that interests them have a better chance of eventually finding a full-time long-term job.

Betty Forsythe, a counselor at the OGCP, maintains that "those who want jobs will land jobs." It may take longer than it has before, but Harvard students will doubtless pull through.