You just spent four years of your life as an undergraduate, but why not delay the job search for another two years at your alma mater?The graduate program at TCU has been ranked among "The Best 361 Colleges" by students signed up on the Princeton Review Web site.

According to the TCU Fact Book, there were 1,478 graduate students in fall 2004.

While admission requirements may differ, basic guidelines include a bachelor's degree, appropriate test scores, certified transcripts and recommendation letters.

Once SATs, ACTs and college applications are in the past, undergraduate days of hungover 8 a.m. classes and Fridays off feel like they will last forever.Unfortunately, reality catches up with the easygoing collegiate life, and the option of attending graduate school needs to be addressed.

When should students begin investigating graduate schools?

Now.

"You need to know what's out there. and what you don't know can hurt you," said Dan McGrew of Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions.

The personal crusade of anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan that has drawn thousands to the small town of Crawford has also galvanized TCU students.Sheehan, whose son, Casey, was killed in Iraq in April 2004, has camped outside President George W. Bush's ranch in Crawford since Aug. 6. She asked to meet with him for one hour during his five-week vacation, which ended Tuesday.

The protest has drawn continued national attention, and Bush's approval ratings have dropped to an all-time low.

When the mayor of a city surveys the damage and sees the death toll following a powerful hurricane, it is completely understandable when he says, "This is our tsunami." We can completely understand a reporter putting this quote into a story. Hearing at least 55 people are dead is going to warrant a strong emotional reaction, and the reporter has a right - if not an obligation - to show the reaction of an elected official in the face of tragedy.

However, the media have crossed the line by using the victims' emotional reactions to sell papers.

Former TCU baseball player Shelby Ford said his sole reason for leaving TCU after his freshman season was the switch to a new conference, plain and simple."I just didn't want to play in the Mountain West," Ford said. "It's never been known as a baseball conference."

Ford said the Big 12 Conference and Oklahoma State, his new school, suit him much better.

"I've always followed the Big 12," Ford said. "I used to play in showcases at Oklahoma State when I was 16 years old."

One TCU faculty member is setting the bar on how faculty can use career development in the classroom by incorporating the devices offered by University Career Services.Sociology instructor Keith Whitworth features Career Services in his classroom settings and encourages students to take advantage of all Career Services has to offer.

Career Services assists students in developing their careers, and Whitworth takes the initiative to introduce younger students to the program.