The mortarboard has been tossed, the champagne popped, and your college kid is now officially done with school - and you, with tuition. So what now? Here's a quick rundown on college graduate possibilities, including the AmeriCorps, grad school and more.
1. Teach for America
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This federally funded, U.S. program, which began in 1990, is like a Peace Corps for American schools. Some 7,800 college graduates are chosen each year to join the Teach for America Corps, a two-year commitment. They're trained and sent into elementary, middle and high school classrooms in 35 poverty-stricken inner city and rural areas across the U.S., from Hawaii to Massachusetts. And with the economy in its current state, competition for these posts is ratcheting ever higher. Some 35,000 recent college grads applied in 2009, so it's important to gather information on the program and its application process early.
2. AmeriCorps
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This domestic Peace Corps-type program provides volunteers to communities in every state, via an AmeriCorps state and national wing, VISTA, and a National Civilian Community Corps or NCCC. Their projects range from building houses in poverty-stricken areas, to teaching in schools and working with community groups. The 10-12 month volunteer commitment not only offers room and board, but it can also help pay off student loans. Up till now, the problem has been snagging one of those coveted 75,000 positions, but under the terms of the 2009 federal GIVE act, the number of AmeriCorps volunteer posts is expected to swell to 250,000.
3. Fulbright Fellowships
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From the filmmaker studying Maori culture in New Zealand to the Russian graduate student teaching his language in Michigan, some 7,500 Fulbright scholars - recent college grads, artists and professors - circle the globe each year, doing research and studying in more than 155 countries, thanks to Fulbright Fellowships administered by the U.S. State Department. The application cycle runs from May to October, but advance planning is critical.
4. The Peace Corps
The nearly 50-year-old Peace Corps sends volunteers to nearly 140 countries around the world to work on everything from AIDS education to education, environmental and technological issues. The average Peace Corps volunteer is 27 years old, and 94% of the Corps' 7,800 volunteers have college degrees. Read more about it in "Peace Corps 101: A Parent Guide."
5. Grad School: MCAT, GRE & More
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Grad school applications are on the upswing and it's little wonder. When the job market gets tight, new college alums start looking to further their educations. Among the possibilities, masters and Ph.D programs in nearly every field, as well as business school, law school and medical school. Nearly every graduate school program requires an admission exam, usually the GRE or Graduate Record Examination, an SAT-like test that includes verbal and writing portions, as well as subject area expertise exams. But there are specialized exams specific to business school (the GMAT), law school (the LSAT), and medical school, which requires the MCAT.
