Gannon University students discovered post-graduate opportunities from across the country on Tuesday at the annual Graduate School Fair in the Waldron Campus Center.
Gannon lured hundreds of juniors and seniors from colleges around Erie in hopes of connecting with college representatives from across the states.
More than 50 colleges attended the fair, all offering free goodies, exclusive program information and the opportunity to meet with an admissions representative from each school.
Vocational schools, specialized Gannon master’s programs and a plethora of colleges were in attendance, with bubbly representatives ready to talk to any wide-eyed undergrad passing through.
John White, Gannon’s assistant director of Career Development and Employment Services said that 44 percent of Gannon graduates attend grad school and the fair plays a significant part in getting students to apply.
The fair even benefits Gannon in retrospect, with one University of Buffalo representative particularly enthusiastic because her daughter will be attending Gannon in the fall, White said.
“The benefits are two-fold,” White said. “With Gannon students able to review dozens of options right on campus and with students from other local colleges able to view Gannon’s own post-graduate programs, Gannon definitely benefits from this fair.”
D’Youville College in Buffalo, N.Y., distributed packets full of information on a handful of its master’s programs.
Master’s programs in occupational therapy, chiropractics and health administration and education, were among the many on display for prospective students.
Terry Herring, assistant director of graduate admissions at D’Youville College, is currently seeking a master’s in counseling and understands the importance of student exposure to post-grad opportunities.
“A lot of people don’t know about us because we are small, and the fair gets our name out there so students can learn about what we have to offer,” Herring said.
Herring has attended the fair as a D’Youville rep for 10 years and said the fair pulls a lot of Gannon students to the New York school – mostly for a master’s in teaching and physical therapy.
Some students attended for class credit; others came to seek enlightenment.
Erica Dougherty, a senior chemistry major in the pre-med program, was looking to satisfy both her professor and her back-up plan. While Dougherty attended the fair for a class credit, she found it beneficial.
She was looking for schools that could potentially give her a “Plan B” if her current medical school plans were to fall through.
“This is a good thing for Gannon to host, especially for chemistry majors, because chemistry majors have so many options in front of them so they are easily overwhelmed,” Dougherty said.
ERIKA KRENN
