“So what are you going to do next year?”

For many soon-to-be graduates, it’s a chilling question. “Taking a year off,” “applying for internships” or “working,” can be quick responses for students who aren’t quite sure where their lives will go next.

Yet for a driven: and relatively small: group within the class of 2010, the choice to attend graduate school soon after finishing at Whitman has eased the stress of the familiar “what next” question. Although the decision, application and acceptance process varies by major and by individual, all graduate school-bound students share one thing: They are lucky enough to have found something they want to spend a large part of their lives pursuing.

Just defining this passion can be a major hurdle. According to senior chemistry major Kristine Smith, who will begin research at the University of Wisconsin: Madison in July, knowing exactly what sub-field of chemistry you want to study is vital to the decision and application process. This can be daunting.

“You have to write a personal statement about what you want to do and your goals for the rest of your life: it’s pretty frightening,” she said.

For Amy Doerner, another senior in the chemistry department, undergraduate research at Whitman and frequent conversations with her advisor were essential to the decision process.

“I was lucky enough to know exactly what I wanted to do at the end of last summer,” she said. Doerner will study biophysical chemistry at Yale University in the fall.

The decision to attend graduate school came even earlier for senior English major Liz Matresse, who had her mind set on a program abroad before arriving at Whitman.

“I’m kind of an obsessive compulsive planner, so I knew that I wanted to do English when I got here and I knew I wanted to go to grad school for it. I also knew that I wanted to go abroad for at least a year,” she said. Matresse will attend the University of St. Andrews in Scotland in September.

Although Matresse knew that she wanted to attend grad school early on, as with Smith and Doerner, the focus of her post-grad studies: Arthurian literature: was illuminated during coursework and research while at Whitman.

Such long-term planning isn’t always necessary, however. Senior Hilary White, a music major, didn’t know that her graduate program existed before last December, when she read about music therapy in a book.

“I hadn’t planned at all, and it just happened . . . it was pretty lucky,” she said.

Although she had only a month before applications were due, White was excited about the opportunity. She had been considering medical school after Whitman, so she had already fulfilled most of the necessary requirements.

“I never thought that I could combine my music and helping others in a way that is scientifically proven, more than just playing in a coffee shop or something like that,” she said.

White plans to graduate from Loyola University in New Orleans with a Master’s degree in music therapy. From there, she will be certified to practice music therapy in hospitals, hospices, nursing homes, and other care centers.

Once students make the tough decision to apply to graduate schools, however, the process itself can be just as challenging.

Senior psychology major Laura Niman planned to go to veterinary school after graduating from Whitman, and had to start her applications last summer to meet October deadlines. Each application required meticulous work, as veterinary school is one of the most competitive graduate options. As a psychology major from a liberal arts school, Niman believes that while her background was not the deciding factor in her early acceptance to Oregon State’s veterinary program, it may have helped her become more visible.

“A lot of people will go to Washington State for undergrad, then go to vet school at Washington State, and going to a liberal arts school and not majoring in animal science makes you stand out a little bit,” she said.

For graduate programs in chemistry, the application includes not only personal statements, letters of recommendation and transcripts, but also visits to each university. While these can be exciting, Doerner and Smith found the process exhausting on top of senior exams, theses and regular homework.

“I don’t think most people realize how much time the visits actually take: because I didn’t,” said Smith. “They give your free food, take you out. . . It would have been more fun without worrying about classes or tests at the same time.”

This process could lead to rivalries within a group of people as close-knit as Whitman’s chemistry department, yet according to Doerner, this is not the case.

“It’s not competitive because we all have different interests. With grad school applications, it’s not personal if you don’t get in; it’s more about your interests and whether they have space in the lab group that you want,” she said.

For Smith, the support of professors and older students made the process more accessible.

“We have so much advice from the upperclassmen;  that’s the great thing about being at Whitman and being specifically in the chemistry department at Whitman, is that there’s such a community. Everybody shares their knowledge,” she said.

For some students, however, this intense application process is a big part of the decision to take a year off and apply after finishing undergraduate work. So why did these students choose to head straight to graduate school without a break?

Although the unstable economy was a factor for some, each student agreed that once they knew exactly what they wanted to pursue waiting was unnecessary.

“I know this is what I want to do, so I might as well just do it,” said Niman. “It’s really nice to know what I’m doing for the next four years.”

Matresse initially had reservations about her decision to jump in to graduate school, but has also decided that it’s the right choice.

“I thought about it taking time off more after I got in to grad school just because I didn’t want to burn out,” she said, “but I also think that I’m one of those people who wouldn’t go back if I took a long time off.”

As seniors’ time at Whitman comes to a close, emotions are just as mixed among students bound for graduate school as for those departing without a set plan. For Smith, who is confident in her choice to study physical chemistry, the move is still intimidating.

“I’m excited, but I’ve recently started being totally freaked out,” she said.

White’s decision to pursue music therapy may have been relatively last-minute, but she is also excited by the opportunity to try something completely new, away from Whitman’s familiar reach. She admits that the move to New Orleans might be a gamble.

“But it’s going to be a good gamble,” she said. “I’ve spent my time in this little bubble here: I’m going to get out there.”