The clock is ticking.
As graduation approaches, many University seniors await word that they have been accepted to graduate and professional school programs. As time is running out to solidify plans, students are coping with many anxieties about the future.
Director of LSA Academic Advising Louis Rice said he has dealt with these concerns before.
"One of the things you can do for students is advise them to make inquiries, just to see where they are in the process," he said. "It's helpful to know where you stand."
After all of the tests, applications and interviews, many students find they waited in vain and have to rethink their post-college plans.
"You have to discuss the process of reapplication with students who don't get accepted but are very serious about their particular field," Rice said.
LSA senior Mark Pohlman is still in limbo after applying to several medical schools.
"I've been accepted to one, but there's still pressure because the one I've been accepted to isn't my top choice," Pohlman said. "I'm excited to find out about the others, but I'm sick of waiting."
According to a graduate school guide produced by Kaplan and Newsweek, medical school applications have been on the rise since 1980, while law school applications have declined since 1991. The guide reports that the overall scene is still "very crowded," with graduate student enrollment at 1.2 million in 1994.
"I think there's tremendous competition for medical school," Pohlman said. "I know people who've been rejected with 3.8 grade point averages."
Norm Miller, director of Excel Test Preparation on South University Avenue, agreed. "The medical schools may be some of the most nail-biting," he said.
Miller said the best thing for students to do is take an active role in coming up with good alternatives.
"The big concern with most people is how to efficiently come up with a plan B for the following year ... just in case you never hear the right message," Miller said.
LSA senior Sarah Fisher said she wasn't sure what she would have done if she hadn't been accepted to law school. "I guess I would've looked for a job and re-applied next year," she said.
LSA peer advisor and senior Maitreya Coffey's wait is also over.
"I'm one of the lucky and relieved few who knows where I'm going next year," Coffey said.
"Students come into our office and say, 'Tell me how to do it,'" she said. "They want advice from people with first-hand experience."
Miller said that while it is like "waiting for the jury to decide," the important thing is to keep everything in perspective.
"At the age everybody is when they're doing this, a year seems like one-tenth of your life," he said. "Ten years down the line, it's insignificant, so don't panic."