After Commencement, seniors plan to work, to travel and, yes, some of them are looking forward to even more studying.
Several Dartmouth students have received Fulbright grants and other awards, scholarships or financial assistance which will finance their graduate studies.
Other students plan to work for a few years, both to pay-off student loans and for self-discovery, before returning to school. Some seniors will be spending a few more terms at Dartmouth before graduating.
Just as the composition of the Class of 1998 is diverse, planned occupations are equally varied.
Mark Devlin '98 said he will be running a nightclub in East Hampton, N.Y., this summer with his current roommate, who is also a graduating senior.
After labor day, Devlin, a government major, will begin work at a consulting firm in Boston.
Lily Belfi '98, a classical studies major from New York City, is unsure of next year's plans. She said she originally planned to attend medical school next year.
"Many people are in my boat," she said. "They are not sure what is happening next and are applying to lots of jobs in lots of cities."
Many other seniors said they are looking forward to some downtime and plan to spend the next few months re-assessing themselves and their future plans. Their time at Dartmouth has flown by so fast, they said, that it has been hard to evaluate changes in personality and interests.
Several international students interviewed planned to spend more time in the United States, either working or attending graduate school.
In contrast, many American seniors have made plans to travel abroad -- or at least across the continent..
Andy Smith '98, a history major and a pre-medical student, will leave for Alaska two days after he graduates.
He said he plans to spend some time hiking there before driving a dump truck for a low-income housing development in Bedford, Mass. Smith said he hopes to earn enough money to finance the remainder of his year, which will be spent in South America, hiking and volunteering.
Malia Bodhaine '98, a Spanish major from Colorado, said she will be working as a high school Spanish teacher at a private school in Savanna, Georgia.
"I didn't have too look too hard for that job," she said. "Career Services was good to me."
But other students said Career Services was not very useful because they were interested in nontraditional careers and needed resources other than corporate recruiting.
Seniors said past internships and contacts were helpful in searching for a first permanent job.
