Winning Prizes and Entering the Real World

For 25 years an increasing number of Harvard seniors have sought careers in finance and law, jumping out of the Ivory Tower and landing squarely in the yuppified world of corporate capitalism.

But statistics compiled this spring by the Office of Career Services (OCS) show that fewer members of the Class of 1986 than previous graduates have an interest in taking jobs with prestigious investment banks and management consulting firms.

Harvard aids those interested in corporate jobs through the OCS recruiting program, which puts seniors in touch with everything from investment banks to high-tech firms to advertising agencies. But almost 20 percent fewer seniors this year jumped at the chance to be interviewed by these businesses.

Whereas last year 686 seniors, or 40 percent of the Class of '85, tried to nab jobs through the program, this year 566 seniors, 33 percent of the class, participated, according to statistics prepared by OCS.

The figures are preliminary and perhaps somewhat misleading because a greater number of students this year were conducting job searches independent of the OCS, counselors say.

But counselors say that members of this year's class have displayed an optimism about career opportunities which sets them apart from other recent Harvard graduates--an optimism that has allowed seniors to bide their time before jumping headlong into traditional career paths.

"I think from my own conversations with students that they're a bit more freewheeling about making their plans," said OCS Counselor Linda Z. Chernick.

"They want to think about things a little before beginning a job search. Students feel a little more confident with the better economy," Chernick said.

Unlike graduates of the economically uncertain early 1980s, students this year "communicated a greater sense of confidence that there is a job out there for them," said OCS Director Martha P. Leape.

"I'm not really worried about finances for the present," said Aida Sanchez '86, who will spend next year working for the Peace Corps in Cameroon. "When I get out of the Peace Corps I'll deal with that," she said.

Instead of hopping onto the corporate ladder, this year an increased number of graduating seniors are interested in working in public service, nonprofit organizations and governmental jobs, Leape said.

"I'd like to go into some area of public service work, but I'm not sure exactly what," said Andrea Fastenberg '86, who will spend next year working with street children in the Dominican Republicon a Rockefeller Fellowship.

"It seems to me that you can make a living,enjoy what you do, and not even know what MerrillLynch does," Fastenberg said.

In line the freewheeling mentality, the numberof medical school applications from Harvardstudents has fallen. Surpassing the national 10percent decline in medical school applications,the number of applications from Harvard studentsfell from 185 two years ago to 158 last year.

"I'll be interested to see what the figures for[medical school] applications are this year," saidOCS Counselor Hope W. Wigglesworth '48, whoadvises seniors on medical school.

In addition, "there's been some falling andsome leveling" in law school applications fromHarvard seniors, said OCS Counselor Dena O.Rakoff, who helps students with the law schoolapplication process.

Also indicative of the move away from bigbusiness was the strong interest in theUndergraduate Teacher Education Programestablished last fall, Leape said.

Although the program--requiring threehalf-courses and 300 hours of student teaching--ismeant to be completed in two years, five studentshave completed it in this year alone, said Leape,adding that within two years 30 more will havereceived teaching certification for publicschools.

Last year 58.6 percent of all graduatingseniors planned to enter full employmentimmediately, while 29.1 percent planned to begingraduate study within a year after theirgraduation. Nearly 93 percent of the Class of '85planned to pursue some type of graduate study