Four years of work and play are over. Grab a cap and gown, and get ready to face the real world. After graduating, it may be time to enter the job market.
But for many who aspire past a bachelor's degree and see themselves as a doctor, lawyer or business executive, professional school is the next step.
This path is competitive, very costly, and full of hard work - but skills learned may bring a more secure future.
Each year, thousands of college graduates apply for entrance into the country's best medical, business and law schools. They face stiff competition as they struggle to gain a spot at a top university, and when the responses arrive in the mail they witness the results of four years in college.
"There are basically three applications for each position in medical school. All U.S. med schools are highly competitive at this period in time," Trabilsy said. "We are looking for students that have not only done well academically, but that have experience in a number of areas, that did more than just being good students.
A medical degree, which usually takes four years to earn, provides many opportunities during a time when the medical profession is being redefined.
"There are lots of changes in medicine right now. But the changes will result in opportunity," Trabilsy said.
Trabilsy spoke of the short-term sacrifices and the long-term rewards that medicine has to offer.
"Post-graduate education is a long period of time. One does have to make sacrifices in relation to time and money. There is a delayed gratification; medical school does take longer than business school or law school," Trabilsy said.
"Most medical schools have very good financial aid programs, and the long-term income of a physician, even though it has not been going up as it did before, should enable most to comfortably pay off their loans," Trabilsy said.
"Since I don't have a business background, an MBA provides me with the skills that I will need," said Martha Masterman, a Business graduate student. "If you have a BBA (bachelor's in business administration), you probably could excel just as well as you can with an MBA."
The University's graduate business school was ranked second in the nation in this month's BusinessWeek rankings.
"Many companies want employees with a BBA because they are cheaper. Many MBAs come at a much higher cost," Masterman said. "But when companies hire MBAs they are hiring someone who is more mature. An MBA builds on the skills already gained in the workplace."
Students at MBA programs are heavily recruited by corporations across the country.
"Getting a job is part of the program from day one. You have to consider it almost as another class. Opportunities for employment are really good. Just look at the number of recruiters who are already here," Masterman said.
Many companies offer programs that allow their employees to get an MBA degree after working for a few years.
"Microsoft looks for and recruits employees with a variety of backgrounds, including candidates who have completed an MBA degree or are currently working towards an MBA degree," said Microsoft recruiter Pamela Sprague.
"Employees are encouraged to seek out opportunities which will help them grow professionally. For those who want to pursue an MBA degree, Microsoft offers a tuition reimbursement program," Sprague said.
"I am mostly interested in politics, but (the law degree) gives me a career to fall back on," said Harvard first-year Law student Joe Patt.
Harvard University Law School was ranked second in last year's U.S. News law school rankings. "A lot of people in politics have law degrees. That is what people in politics do, they make the laws.
"I think a lot of people came here thinking 'I want to be a lawyer,' but the others came here thinking 'This is what I do to get a successful job,'" Patt said.
Students at top law schools are also highly recruited by law firms and corporations.
After graduating from Harvard Law School, getting a job "is absolutely guaranteed," Patt said. "I think there are about 800 different companies here to recruit 550 graduating students."
- All statistics in graphics are from U.S. News and World Report's 1996 annual graduate school rankings.