Last Thursday, The Daily reported that more NU class of 2010 graduates went to work for Teach for America than for any other single employer – and even more members of the class applied. There is an indisputably huge interest in TFA on this campus, but it’s hard to tell what this says about Northwestern as a university – are we inadequately prepared to enter the corporate work force so we want to postpone reality in TFA for a few years, or do we truly have a passion for service? Either way, we believe that the popularity of TFA at NU reflects students’ preoccupation with prestigious labels. And while obsession with a service-oriented (and extremely selective) label is certainly not a bad thing, students truly interested in making a difference for a few years after they graduate should cast a wider net.
There is no shortage of organizations that follow a similar model to Teach for America’s in that they aim to recruit the best of the best recent college graduates to spend a few years changing the world. From the plethora of fellowships (many of which are service-oriented) publicized through the Office of Fellowships to the Peace Corps to other teaching programs and countless non-profits looking for bright minds to stimulate their causes, there are plenty of choices for students who don’t want to jump right into graduate school or a corporate job.
Granted, prestigious labels have their advantages. How many of us would be at NU, shelling out $50,000 dollars a year for our education when we probably would have received full scholarships elsewhere, if we didn’t think a prestigious name was worth something. And in the present economic climate, stacking your resume with the names of as many prestigious organizations as possible before diving head-first into the job market can seem like a good idea. But students should do themselves – and the organizations they apply to – a favor and think about what is truly the best fit. If 13 percent of NU students are truly passionate about teaching children and teenagers, closing the achievement gap and find the logistics of TFA’s program to perfectly fit their lifestyle, then they should continue to apply. But some would probably rather work overseas than in the U.S. for two years or would rather build houses than teach children. Teach for America is a fine organization, but it is not the be-all and end-all of post-graduate service oriented career options. And ultimately, the experience that will serve a student best in the future has less to do with the brand name and more to do with the match between the organization and the individual.
