Recent college graduates are choosing graduate school over full-time jobs, as the failing economy makes it more difficult to find and keep work.
This is not uncommon, UF spokesman Steve Orlando said.
"You see this when the economy downturns and people can't get jobs," he said.
UF is still collecting updated graduate school application data, but Orlando said UF graduate school applications have recently surged. Although budget cuts forced UF to reduce undergraduate enrollment, graduate schools are not affected, he said.
Unlike undergraduate programs, UF's graduate school is not supported by grants or research funding, two areas that face cuts.
Students may choose to further their education instead of facing a job-hunt in the struggling economy, but they shouldn't wait until the last minute to make that choice, said Wayne Wallace, the director of UF's Career Resource Center.
Getting into graduate school is just as competitive as finding a job. Particularly, as the number of people competing for admittance rises.
"Everybody can't go to grad school if they don't like the job market," he said.
Planning for graduate school starts before senior year, and students should fill out graduate school and job applications.
By spring break, most students should know what they're doing after graduation.
"If you don't get accepted and you don't get a job, then after you graduate you're home with mom," Wallace said.
Stephanie DeLisser, a first-year UF graduate student, said the slumping job market played a role in her decision to apply to graduate school.
Delisser, 22, had trouble finding jobs with entry-level positions in her field of drug rehabilitation counseling.
"It was frustrating," she said.
She enrolled in graduate school to get more experience and become more competitive.
But she said students who don't choose to continue their education have other options.
They could consider internships, work outside their preferred field, or even commute for work, DeLisser said.
"Just keep trying," she said.
