The majority of AU graduates have not ended up moving back into their parents' homes following graduation, which contrasts with recent national statistics.
A recent study from CollegeGrad.com, a job search Web site, found that 77 percent of college students moved back into their parents' homes after graduation in 2008.
The main reason behind this trend is the economic downturn, which has led to a higher cost of living, according to the CollegeGrad.com Web site. However, the study also cites other factors for the trend, which include unrealistic job expectations, students' comfort with living at home and the benefits of free rent.
Most AU students want to get out on their own and successfully do so, according to Bridget O'Connell, the director of employer outreach at the university's Career Center.
The Career Center publishes information regarding employment and the annual income of AU students every year on the center's Web site. For example, 49 percent of 2007's School of Public Affairs graduates earn between $30,000 and $39,999 dollars annually. The site does not yet include statistics about AU's 2008 graduates.
Michael Hantgan, a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences, said he plans on finding a job in the computer industry in the D.C. area after he graduates.
Marissa Pisarick, a junior in the School of Public Affairs, said she has decided to graduate this summer and plans to work for a year before she goes to law school.
"I'm planning on working as either a paralegal or in a law firm in D.C.," she said.
Pisarick said she would not live with her parents after she graduates.
Susan Gordon, a career adviser for the College of Arts and Sciences, said if any AU students move back home, it is rarely because of a lack of direction.
"If someone really doesn't want to go home, they tend to find a way to support themselves," Gordon said. However, she said she would not be surprised if the current economic crisis causes an increase in the number of graduates who move home.
Gordon said AU students who returned home in the past have done so to save money for graduate school, to pay off loans or to make a deposit on an apartment or condominium. No students have specified the economy as a large consideration in their decision.
AU students can take certain steps to avoid returning home and ensure their employment during these difficult economic times, according to Camille Franklin, the center's director of career development.
The rules of a good job search don't change because of the market, she said. Students must be more diligent in pursuing the tactics that find students solid careers, she said.
It is important for students to network since most students at the university get jobs and internships that way, Franklin said. Students can network through career fairs, panels and alumni events.
A student should begin looking for jobs early since too many students do not begin a thorough job search until their graduation date is near. Students should start to narrow down jobs and have their resumes ready between six and nine months before graduation, Franklin said.
"Don't be shocked into immobility," she said.
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