Managing debt is developed by using the resources available to you

Nate Stilgoe is working at a blood lab processing samples for researchers to buy. Stilgoe graduated from Bridgewater State College in December 2007 with a BA in English. "Working in a blood lab is not exactly what I expected to be doing by any stretch of the imagination," Stilgoe said. "It's not about what you'd like to do, it's what you have to do." According to a 2007 College Board Report a student attending a public four-year college in New England will pay $8,116 in tuition and fees a year. The estimated cost of textbooks and supplies range from $809 to $1,229 a year.

The growing expenses of college have put an increased focus on student's personal financial responsibility. While most students expect to get into a career of their choice, some are forced to shoulder the burden of the debt of education.

Debt is very important part of the college experience since many students would not be able to attend school unless they got some form of financial aid.

The College Board Report stated that even eight years ago, about 47 percent of financial aid was coming from grants, but that number is up to 53 percent.

Also 40 percent of this aid is coming in the form of federal loans. That number is up six percent from eight years ago. The average amount borrowed by an undergraduate from any Stafford loan is $4,922.

So if students are incurring more and more financial debt is the college doing anything to help prepare them?

Well for those who did not know Bridgewater State College has a Career Services office, meant to help students prepare for the next step. They offer a wide variety of services: résumé critiques, mock interviews, BSC Career Link, and the Senior Year Experience to name just a few.

Top among these programs is the Senior Year Experience which offers different workshops just for graduating seniors to attend. They range from evaluating a job offer, and how to work a job fair, to interviewing workshops, and to top it off how to manage your finances. It would seem the SYE service encompasses all the skills needed for graduating seniors.

Michelle Maher, a BSC graduate in Communications is uncertain of the services offered by Career Services, "I am not really sure if I think Career Services provides enough services for seniors."

While Maher admits that she only sought them out for a question about cover letters, she was unimpressed with the visit. "The girl, whoever she was, that answered my questions did not seem to know what she was talking about, and had to keep checking a book."

After talking with Associate Director John J. Paganelli Jr. and Assistant Director Carol Crosby of the Career Services office these programs seem to be a big success. With 1,600 individual students using their services every year. This year record numbers came to both the Senior Year Expo and Job Fair.

"Students gain skills from people actually in the field," said Crosby. "This information is up to date because the speakers are coming right out of the field, so the students get to now what is happening now."

After the workshop students fill out an evaluation so the office can look them over for an annual report. The object is to get more students involved so the transfer from student to professional is less challenging.

Crosby said that while the Senior Year Experience has been very good some seniors felt the information they heard should have been heard earlier in their college career. That is why Career Services is starting a new program for first year students called Career Start.

Crosby said "We want to introduce first year students to our services and start linking them up with information for upcoming programs. We want them to take advantage of the opportunities on and off campus."

Steven M. Miller, Jr., a BSC graduate in political science, said he got a lot of his knowledge from home. "Most of the lessons I learned regarding managing my money I figured out through the advice of my parents or figuring it out on my own."

Miller felt that Career Services does a poor job publicizing the money management aspects of what that they offer, and therefore students who are ill equipped for the financial world fall through the cracks.

"If anything I think we over market," Crosby said. "We market by targeting people that should attend these workshops." Crosby said that less focus has been placed on flyers around campus because students wanted to be contacted by email, class visits, or the BSC website. The way to target students is also taken from the evaluations students fill out after a workshop.

Then what of Stilgoe's situation? He felt that the school should do something more to help students. "I followed all the steps of the BSC Career Link website but every job that was available was for more experience than I had," he said. "Either that or the job was out of state or north of Boston, out of my range."

One of Stilgoe's problems could have been that he never went down to the Career Services office.

"When it comes to you, individual attention can only take place here," Crosby said. "I enjoy having a student come in and say "I don't know what I'm doing." Students think they need to be prepared. Just stepping in and meeting with us is important."

Another problem is that with more and more people hunting for jobs you need to find something that puts you above the rest.

"What students have to do is have an internship. Theoretically an internship can replace experience," Paganelli said. "That's why it is important to do one or two. You will have calls for jobs. If you just have a diploma who is calling you is very slim. Too many people override you."