On Tuesday, September 30th, the office of Career and Professional Development (CPD) held their Fall Student and Employer Networking Event to give students the chance to meet with over fifteen employers to learn about their “organization, industry, career pathways, and specific job responsibilities.” Now, the CPD team is looking forward to their next big event, the Fall 2025 Graduate School Fair, one of the largest graduate school fairs in the region!
What and when is it?
The Graduate Fair is a chance to “meet admissions reps from 50 programs in law, health sciences, business, education, and more–all ready to chat about what’s next after Ursinus,” as detailed in a recent email from the CPD office. Whether you are still deciding the path to take, or certain of the direction you want to head in post-grad, this event is a chance to ask questions, learn about programs, and get experience talking with a handful of graduate representatives. Information on application processes, course requirements, and more will be accessible to students through walking around the fair and meeting with these representatives. Students can register in advance or stop by the Floy Lewis Bakes Center on Wednesday, October 29th between 1-2:30pm to participate in the event.
Why should I attend?
Many students, from freshmen to seniors alike, may find thoughts of the future after college daunting. These events aren’t meant to scare students, in fact, they are meant to encourage them! The CPD office’s mission statement, as found on their website, shares that the CPD team “seeks to ensure that Ursinus graduates are strongly positioned to succeed.” With the recent Fall Student and Employer Networking Event, many students were able to utilize the resources provided to them from the event. “I really liked the diverse array of people and employers, even though there was a limited amount. I also liked the example questions that the pre-meeting workshop gave us,” commented Ben Couture ’27 on his experience at the networking event. One benefit to the upcoming graduate fair is the increase in number of programs present, with over twice the amount expected as the networking event.
Another attendee of the networking event, Wesley George ’27 mentioned, “I liked how before we spoke to the employers Ursinus provided a workshop to prepare us for these conversations that we will have in the future and going forward. The refreshments were also nice.” Fear not, refreshments will also be provided at this event as well! Alex Doroshow ’27 shared his experience as well, stating, “I like that I had the opportunity to network with other people. I was able to connect with employers in my field that had a lot of information about the topic I was willing to study. It was a place to learn, especially.” With such positive feedback on a smaller scale event, students can feel hopeful about how a broader graduate fair will allow them to network, ask questions, and benefit in succeeding in the future.
How do I prepare?
Registration for the fair can be found on Handshake under the Events tab<<Career fairs at your school<<Ursinus College 2025 Graduate School Fair. It is not required to attend, however, registering will enable email reminders and event information to be sent out as the date gets closer. Handshake also provides the list of attending programs, with most including a brief description of their program and website link. If you are particularly interested in certain programs, you can research more about them beforehand this way, to feel more confident on the day of the fair, and to have a general idea of what to expect.
Seeing the attendees beforehand is essential in forming a plan for how to approach the fair. Students are encouraged to practice their personal introductions and how they want to present themselves to potential prospects. The CPD office provides walk-in appointments for help with resumes, introductions, or any quick questions you might have. These occur Wednesday between 1-2pm, and for a more in-depth talk, appointments can be scheduled on the CPD Ursinus website or using Handshake. Making sure to dress the part is crucial as well. For those planning on having serious conversations with representatives on what acceptance into their program might look like, professional attire is encouraged. Business causal is a solid choice for those more on the observational side, planning to have a few conversations and overall look around. Still unsure? That’s okay! The CPD team is happy to assist with any questions you might have leading up to October 29th. Taking advantage of this great resource to connect and build your network is one way to help ease some fears about the future, have your questions answered, and overall get more experience for what life looks like after college. Make sure to mark your calendars and register for this event if interested and email any concerns to career@ursinus.edu!