In a survey conducted by The Dartmouth of 176 seniors, 88 percent of respondents said they have definite plans for next year.
Career Services director Monica Wilson declined to release the results of this year's post-graduation plan survey because the small number of responses did not accurately represent the class, she said in an email.
Of those who responded to The Dartmouth's survey, 87 percent said they were very satisfied or satisfied with their post-graduation plans.
Satisfied or otherwise, 71 percent of seniors said they saw their post-graduate plans as a starting point for their careers. One-fifth plan to attend graduate or professional school next year, while 8 percent will attend either medical school, law school or business school next year.
Joseph Tanenbaum '13 will work toward an M.D./PhD in epidemiology at Case Western Reserve University. He said he chose to continue his education partly because medical school will be a more familiar environment than entering the workforce.
Just over three-quarters of student respondents said they will have a job next year.
For those who choose not to pursue a job right away, the years after graduation require less planning, Tanenbaum said.
"It's a relatively clear path once you start a program to get to the end of that program, but being in the real world and having a job, that's complicated," he said.
In contrast, Talene Monahon '13 will pursue auditions and callbacks for different theatrical productions beginning in September.
"I have a job acting at a theater through the beginning of September, and after that I'm in callbacks for various plays throughout the year," she said. "If nothing comes through, I'm going to move to New York, work as a tutor and a waitress and see what happens there. I'm looking to follow the work."
Being an actor will require some sacrifice and is a departure from the Dartmouth norm, she said.
"I'll have to be doing other things, dealing with unemployment and deciding what my priorities are," Monahon said. "I realize that it's sort of an alternative career choice for Dartmouth, and I'll be making less money than most of my peers, but I'm excited to see where people end up."
Almost 60 percent of students will stay in the Northeast after they graduate, and about 9 percent will leave the United States.
Trevor Nibbi '13 will travel to Tajikistan in central Asia for a six-month position with Mercy Corps, a partner of the United States Agency for International Development. He will make maps to track how local people use land to alleviate conflict between nomadic peoples and sedentary farmers.
"I definitely knew I wanted something different in terms of an opportunity that would let me use my language skills, and I was really curious about the opportunity to live in an all-Muslim community," he said. "I think now, immediately after graduation, is the best time to do something that's out of your comfort zone or do something that involves more risk."
Craig Smyser '13 will head to Turkey on the Fulbright Teacher Exchange Program, and then to New York to work at L.E.K. Consulting for two years. The firm allowed Smyser to defer his employment after he received the Fulbright.
"I didn't get the chance to go abroad while I was here, which was pretty disappointing for me, so it was very important to try to go abroad for a little bit," he said. "But it was also very important before grad school to work a job."
Smyser stands at the intersection of two trends within graduates' future plans, as about 11 percent of student respondents to The Dartmouth's survey said they will work in fellowships or conduct research, while 43 percent will work in accounting, finance or business jobs such as consulting.
About 38 percent of respondents found jobs through corporate recruiting.
Employed or not, the job market's dwindling prospects can inspire severe anxiety.
"It's just really hard for anyone to get a job right now, a job where you like what you do and you get up in the morning and you're excited to go to work," Monahon said.
The fall corporate recruiting process can exacerbate the pressure to find employment, Nibbi said. Though 32 percent of respondents said they finalized plans during senior fall, almost twice as many decided during senior winter or spring.
"I think a lot of people would also tell you that it's a bit nerve-racking in the fall everyone is finding out about finance and consulting," he said. "Everyone seemingly has everything all figured out, but I generally don't think that's the case."
