After years of slaving over endless homework, cramming for countless tests and battling it out for a parking spot each day, it̢۪s finally here Рsenior year.

It may seem like the home stretch, but for many seniors the next two semesters are full of deadlines, grad school applications, career choices and a good measure of anxiety.

To ease stress, career services offers help to seniors planning their last year as an undergraduate and preparing for life after college.

Career services, now located in Thomas Administration, has two career counselors, an employer relations recruitment coordinator and two graduate students who function as career coaches.

Director Rita Bocchinfuso-Cohen said that with a downturn in the economy and a weak job market, more seniors are seeking assistance earlier on in their final year.

Services such as practice interviews give seniors a chance to hone their interview skills and tailor those skills towards a specific field.

“It’s for us to help them pinpoint what they’re doing well, to reinforce that and then to highlight areas that they might need to practice a little more,â€Â Bocchinfuso-Cohen said. “I’ve seen individuals be able to do a tremendous turn around.â€Â

The most popular service is the resume critique and cover letter assistance, Bocchinfuso-Cohen said. Web-based job listing, Bulldog Link, allows students to upload resumes, search for jobs and sign up for on-campus recruiting and interviews.

Bocchinfuso-Cohen encourages seniors to take advantage of networking events like the upcoming job fairs. “It’s a competitive market out there, so take the time now,â€Â Cohen said. “Try to get it scheduled into your calendar early or plan time to really get your materials in tip-top shape. Make sure you have your resume critiqued and looked at. Make sure you are seeking assistance with your cover letter and that the letter is marketing you well for the types of positions in which you’re interested. Same thing with interviewing; take advantage of the practice interviews.â€Â

Not all seniors venture into the “real worldâ€Â after graduation. Those interested in continuing their education in graduate studies can benefit from the graduate school preparation workshops offered this semester.

Bocchinfuso-Cohen said career services hopes to have current graduate students there to share their experiences and give advice. The deadline to apply for Fall 2010 graduate studies is April 1, 2010, but Cohen said the earlier the better.

Senior Experience, a listserv managed by the senior experience committee, is geared toward creating awareness of the resources, information, and events that are particularly relevant to seniors. The senior experience committee is a group of staff members from across campus. Due to budget cuts this year, funding has changed for senior experience and the service is now run through career services, Bocchinfuso-Cohen said.

Senior experience offers a “Life After Collegeâ€Â workshop series.

Not only does senior experience improve awareness of campus resources and provide opportunities to enhance knowledge, it also focuses on celebrating the senior status attained by students with 90 or more units. As events and deadlines approach, seniors receive reminder e-mails from senior experience.

It is crucial for seniors to identify and meet with their advisers, Bocchinfuso-Cohen said. “Even if you’re just hitting senior status it doesn’t hurt to go in and have an audit conducted.â€Â

The deadline to apply for graduation in the spring is in the first two weeks of the semester. For those wishing to graduate at the end of the fall semester, the deadline was Sept. 8. If the deadline was missed, Cohen said seniors can still contact Admission, Records and Evaluations but must do so as soon as possible.

Juggling a heavy class schedule, work and social life can be stressful enough. Top that with the pressures of meeting graduation requirements and entering the career world and it̢۪s easy to see how seniors can become overwhelmed during the last year. Utilizing campus resources like Career Services and Senior Experience can help reduce anxiety and may even provide an edge for landing that dream job.