The Binghamton University Career Development Center has invited more than 130 graduate programs from colleges around the country to attend the Graduate Fair next Tuesday.

The fair will take place from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Sept. 20 in the Old Union Hall and the Mandela Room.

The programs that will send representatives to the fair include a wide variety of academic fields. A full list of those scheduled to attend may be found on the CDC’s website.

The Career Development Center would not comment on the Grad Fair on Monday.

Several students said they believed the Grad Fair is a great resource for them to facilitate their graduate school search and begin application processes.

Ryan Naru, a senior majoring in economics, said he recently made the decision to graduate college early and that he hopes the Grad Fair will further his goal of earning an MBA or Master’s in Public Administration.

“Getting a graduate degree seems like something worth while in the current job market,” Naru said. “It will make myself more competitive in an extremely competitive market.”

Naru said he hopes he will learn more about the options available to him at the Grad Fair.

“This is my first tangible experience with graduate school, it’s a sort of introduction,” Naru said. “It’s similar to a college fair from high school. The [grad programs] are the sellers and I’m the buyer, and I’m there to learn about the product.”

Alison Fanizzi, a junior majoring in anthropology, also said she thinks she has much to gain from attending the Graduate Fair.

“Some schools are more focused on biological anthropology. I’m more interested in cultural biology so I’m looking for schools that have a wide range of cultural programs,” Fanizzi said. “I have a better chance to find some one whose interests are closer to mine, which will help me when I need someone to help me write my master’s thesis.”

Fanizzi, however, said he did not think that the CDC has not done enough to publicize its services to Binghamton students.

“The CDC has to get way more exposure,” Fanizzi said. “There has to be more than B-Line, because students don’t know about the resources available to them. There’s a lot involved in applying for graduate school. You need to know what tests to take, what to have on your résumé. The CDC needs to be geared toward making this general information more available and pressing to students, like high school did when preparing us for college applications.”

Naru concurred.

“I didn’t make the decision to go to grad school until this semester, and I already feel like I’m behind,” Naru said.