Gene Said:

What is the worst advice you got from your University's Career Services Department?

We Answered:

Take several courses that have nothing to do with your major or each other to find out if you are better off in another field. What a waste that year was. I had all those credits for several different majors. I was still considered a freshman. I had so many courses, I couldnt choose one because I never had time to focus on one in particular. What a waste of $18, 000 that year. All the classes have nothing to do with Physical Education. At least in in shape. LOL.

Pearl Said:

Do university career services actually help you get a job?

We Answered:

I went to a TOP, world renowned university for my undergrad. During my time there I never found the people/services helpful. Now that I've graduated they want a hefty fee ($400) before I can even begin to use the Career Center.

I'm currently enrolled in a masters and teaching credential program at another TOP (and EXPENSIVE!!) university. Due to the California budget issues and cuts to education, teaching jobs are extremely hard to come by. I have been trying for six months to get a teaching job, but I simply cannot. Sooo many teachers are pink-slipped that any openings go only to those teachers (by law), and school districts have their pick of highly experienced teachers. My school (actually the program) has been completely useless. They talked a lot about how they had connections and even went so far as to guarantee jobs for EVERY special education student ... but still NOTHING. More than 60% of us still have no job. (The students who do have jobs are those who had their credentials in another subject, so they are *experienced*.)

I hate to be cynical, but here's the bottom line: you can try, and I wish you the best of luck. Don't be surprised if they want money and still don't deliver.

Ted Said:

How to make the best use of a Harvard Education?

We Answered:

Harvard (and other Ivy) grads are overrepresented in powerful and well-paying jobs, so it's likely that a Harvard degree *does* help you.

In fact, I've talked to med school admissions people who say that they will often adjust your undergrad GPA up as much as half a point to account for coming from a prestigious undergrad school.



Your questions really depend on your major, but no matter what you study, you should get to know the faculty. The biggest advantage to attending a top undergrad school is that you get to be in an environment where everyone wants to work hard (compare and contrast with state universities, where have the students are just there for the beer), as well as that you get to be around world class faculty. Find someone well-known in your major and develop a good working relationship. Beg and beg until someone lets you help with a research project. This will likely get your name on an academic paper next to a famous name, and it's impossible to overstate how much that will help when you apply for grad school.

I don't know the Boston area that well, so I can't help there.


I went to a top tier science/engineering school (between 10 and 19 every year in the U.S. News rankings), and I was surprised at how *unhelpful* the career services office was. I found work after graduation (and before grad school) by networking with the biology professors. One of the guys I did research with found me a research job at a top ten medical school. (I also got an offer in a physics department just from sending my CV around to every professor I could find, but I turned it down to focus on the other job.)

The lesson I learned is that schmoozing with your professors is more important than dealing with the career services people, even at a top school. Actually, that might be especially true at a top school, since the professors are going to be better and the career services people will still likely be average.

Linda Said:

Do you need a University Degree to become a Financial Advisor?

We Answered:

Possibly not, but it wouldn't hurt! :)

Arthur Said:

I want to be a librarian but cannot find out which university's offer MA library studies/ librarianships?

We Answered:

To see the top schools for an MLS degree (Masters in Library Science) view this link:

http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandre…

For a complete list of accredited MLS programs, look at the ALA's official accreditation list. ALA accredits 62 programs at 57 institutions in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico:

http://www.ala.org/Template.cfm?Section=…

It depends on what you want to do with your MLS degree when choosing a program. It's a very versatile degree, allowing you to work in libraries, archives, or even corporations as a records manager.