The University of San Francisco’s graduating class of 2025 is the first class to experience a full four years on the Hilltop since the COVID-19 shut down in 2020. When I graduated high school in 2021, the COVID pandemic stripped away my senior year experience by making all my classes virtual, and canceling senior events like prom. Though I had virtual and hybrid classes my first year at USF, I still got to live in the dorms, join clubs and make friends in person. Four years later, I’m graduating college and the current state of society is worrisome. New college graduates are worried about housing, the job market and the economy approaching a recession which sparks anxieties and fears about post-graduate life.
For college seniors, one of the first things on our minds about post graduation is employment. In a report from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, the unemployment rate for recent college graduates is 5.8% and the underemployment rate is at 41.2%. These readings have increased since 2021.
David Deming, professor of public policy at the Harvard Kennedy School, told CNN that an increase in competition and changing employer expectations, like higher skill requirements for entry level positions, are causing a rise in the unemployment gap. The fear of unemployment is very real, no matter how many jobs seniors apply for.
“During the semester, I tried applying to five jobs a day,” said senior advertising major David Olubiyi, “People aren’t leaving or getting promoted from their jobs. So because of that, there’s a lack of space for people looking for entry positions, making it harder to get a job and forcing people to lowkey go down the freelance or non profit path.”
President Donald Trump’s tariffs have increased predictions of a recession in the U.S. economy. In April, Goldman Research Sachs reported that there is a 45% probability of a U.S. recession in the next twelve months. A decline in economic activity could cause a ripple of effects including lower employment and higher borrowing costs for consumers and companies.
Additionally, most college graduates are not ready to be home owners immediately, thus they turn to the rental market for housing. According to real estate company Zillow, the average median rent in California is $2,395 a month, which is higher than the U.S. average of $1,843 a month. It’s no secret that California is one of the most expensive states to live in. Trying to find an entry level job is competitive enough, but trying to find one that will pay for rent adds to the stress of transitioning into adulthood beyond school.
For this reason, I’m choosing to live at home in San Diego once I graduate in order to save money to eventually move out. A Harris Poll survey from 2023 found that about 45% of people ages 18 to 29 lived at home with their families. High rent, rising inflation, and debt from student loans are all reasons this age group decides to move back home.
Some graduates just want to rest.
Jonryan Natividad, a senior Psychology major, plans to take a year off post grad before going to graduate school. “I deserve a break,” Natividad said, “After doing fourteen plus years of school I need a break.”
Some people say that universities should do a better job preparing students for post grad. A 2023 survey from the Mary Christie Institute revealed that 39% of recent graduates believe their college or university didn’t prepare them for “the emotional or behavioral impact of the transition to the workplace.”
College is supposed to prepare us for the workforce, but the lack of preparedness we feel from the institutes that are supposed to guide us don’t make us feel confident entering adulthood. As a graduating senior, I am only hoping for joy and whimsy at this point. I need to feel happy, but also have a job.
Editor-in-Chief: Jordan Premmer, Chief Copy Editor: Sophia McCrackin, Managing Editor: Jordan DelFiugo, Opinion Editor: Dakota Duran, Scene Editor: Elina Graham
