The Project on Student Debt recently published its figures for the Class of 2009—and it ain’t pretty.
American student debt is frighteningly high; according to the study, which was published by the Institute for College Access and Success, the national average debt for a graduating senior in 2009 was $24,000. Among all states, D.C. claims the highest debt rate per student ($30,033), although New Hampshire ($29,443), Maine ($29,143), Iowa ($28,883), and Vermont ($27,786) followed close behind.
Surprisingly enough, however, Georgetown doesn’t have the highest student debt among all schools in the nation’s capital. Corcoran College of Art and Design ($42,355) leads the pack, followed by American University ($40,966) and George Washington University ($31,299). The figures make Georgetown’s $25,085 average debt look paltry by comparison.
Trying to get college seniors to give to their soon-to-be alma mater during one of the worst recessions in recent history is no small task. So how did Georgetown’s Class of 2009 senior class fundraising committee do?
Well, when we checked in with them in April, they had about $13,000 in the coffers and 32% of the class had donated. The giving period ended on June 30th, and the final total for the Class of 2009 is $22,360.52, with 55% of the class participating, according to Class of 2009 Fund co-Chair Chloe Waddington (SFS ’09).
The class of 2009 raised about $12,000 less than the class of 2008 donated (their total was $34,273), but had the exact same participation rate.
This year, seniors were able to individually chose a department or fund they wanted to put their donation towards. According to Waddington, the top three choices were the Georgetown Fund, a general fund for scholarships, faculty retention and student life, Athletic and the Center for Social Justice (68% of seniors who donated gave to the Georgetown Fund, 8% picked Athletics and 3% picked CSJ).
How does the class of 2009 stack up against past senior classes? We’ve got the full stats for the past 15 years and more info about how this year’s fundraising campaign went after the jump!
Want a shot at your own 15 seconds of internet micro-micro-fame? Start following us on Twitter (GtownVoxPop) and, if you’re connected to Georgetown, we’ll return the favor and you’ll automatically be in the running!
Leslie Gordon found that the prep follows you wherever you go.
This year’s Teach for America statistics are in and Georgetown has a predictably strong showing. In addition to making the list of 15 schools where TFA is the number one employer of graduating seniors, we also made the list of 20 schools where more than five percent of the senior class applies for TFA.
According to Thomas Clark, TFA’s Recruitment Director for the D.C. Metro Area, 202 members of the Class of 2009 applied and 47 are joining TFA. That’s a 20 percent increase in applicants over last year, when 169 seniors applied.
This year saw an 11.6 percent decrease in Georgetown students’ acceptance rate to the program (of the 169 who applied last year, 59 were accepted). The decrease is probably due to the huge surge of applicants to TFA—the program saw a 43 percent increase in the number of applicants this year.
With an acceptance rate of 23.3 percent, Georgetown’s still doing significantly better than this year’s national average of 11.7 percent. As of this year, more than 270 Georgetown alumni are currently in or have completed their stint with TFA.
Want a shot at your own 15 seconds of internet micro-micro-fame? Start following us on Twitter (GtownVoxPop) and, if you’re connected to Georgetown, we’ll return the favor and you’ll automatically be in the running!
Jess Gitner found herself sliding into the clingy alum role pretty quickly.
Beth Mueller discovered the quickest way to wreck a weekend.
Haven’t quite got your fill of all things commencement-related? Here’s what Vox recommends:
If you’re looking for complete coverage of Georgetown’s commencement weekend, check out the blog the University set up, which features write-ups of every ceremony. (Somewhat dry, PR-y write-ups, but still, pretty nice).
You can also check out the webcasts of the MSB, SFS and College ceremonies.
Curious about other commencement speeches? The Post has some interesting excerpts from a few local addresses (including Chuck Hagel’s). This year’s major theme? Yes, the economy’s all screwed up, but just think of that as a blessing in disguise! Here are some of the highlights:
New York City Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly speaking at Catholic University: “I have never made a career decision based on money, and I have never regretted it. Simply put, money is overrated.”
AOL co-founder Steve Case speaking at George Mason: “So while I recognize some of you may have anxiety about your futures, I am reasonably confident that this period could turn out to be the best thing that ever happened to you, as it may very well force you out of your comfort zone and lead you to consider challenges and opportunities in other fields, and perhaps in other countries. . . .”
Maryland State Senator C. Anthony Muse (D—Prince George’s County) speaking at Bowie State University: “Listen: No matter how tough your challenges may be in life, keep coming back. . . . You can make it.”
Graduates may not be on board with the whole “silver lining” approach to the sucky economy, though. Also in today’s Post: “Diploma in Hand, Job Out of Reach: Rough Economy Fills Many in the Class of ’09 With Anxiety, Not Excitement”
Finally, and most importantly, a big congratulations to the Class of 2009!
We’ll weather the weather, whatever the weather, whether we like it or not!
With Washington’s weather being rather schizophrenic as of late, we’re starting to worry if all the grand commencement ceremonies are going to be shipped indoors.
What’s the forecast looking like? Well, not so hot.
Almost all the events on Thursday and Friday are indoors, so dire forecasts won’t have too much of an effect on them. But Saturday’s the big outdoorsy day, with eight events scheduled outside from 9 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Saturday…Showers and thunderstorms likely. Highs in the lower 80s. Southwest winds 5 to 10 mph with gusts up to 20 mph. Chance of rain 60 percent.
Saturday Night…Showers and thunderstorms likely. Lows in the lower 60s. West winds 5 to 10 mph with gusts up to 30 mph. Chance of rain 60 percent.
Yikes! Looks like the SFS, MSB and College Commencement ceremonies are going to be in reverb-tastic McDonough after all. NHS kids luck out, though, with Gaston Hall as their rain site. The biggest downgrade? That would have to be the MSB Dean’s Reception, which is scheduled for the picturesque Dahlgren Quad but, if it rains, will be moved to Leo’s Lower Level.
Granted, you’ve probably been asked this a thousand times over the past week, but Vox wants to know: what are your summer plans? We’ll tell you what our answer is: blogging!
Now, we all know that the economy is awful, but did you know that it’s especially awful for this year’s graduating seniors? A couple recent stories from the Wall Street Journal and the Washington Business Journal paint a pretty vividly depressing picture why.
Even those who land jobs will likely suffer lower wages for a decade or more compared to those lucky enough to graduate in better times, studies show … Economic research shows that the consequences of graduating in a downturn are long-lasting. They include lower earnings, a slower climb up the occupational ladder and a widening gap between the least- and most-successful grads.
According to the WSJ, if you can find work in your desired career field, you’ll be better off in the long-run since you’ll learn the relevant skills and be more in demand once the economy recovers.
However, with employers saying they’ll hire 22% fewer college graduates than last year, the best bet may be to opt out of the job market all together. And you’re not alone in choosing that path—applications to AmeriCorps tripled, Teach for America saw a 42% increase in applications and graduate school are reporting an 8% increase in applications.
Um, happy graduation Class of 2009?
Photo from Flickr user adobemac, used under a Creative Commons license.
Vox Populi is the staff blog of the Georgetown Voice, Georgetown University's weekly newsmagazine. Opinions expressed in posts are those of their author alone unless otherwise stated.
The Project on Student Debt recently published its figures for the Class of 2009—and it ain’t pretty.
We’ll weather the weather, whatever the weather, whether we like it or not!
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