Our civic leaders are quite concerned about the city’s brain drain and have launched a slew of efforts—from luring “The Real World” here to promoting the city’s nightlife—aimed at encouraging students to come here and, more importantly, stay after they graduate. Judging from the responses we got to the question “Do you plan to stay in Philadelphia after you graduate?” the solution is simple: Hire them, and they’ll stay.

Kevin Chan-A-Shing WG’04
“Well, I am off to Chicago to work for the Barton Consulting Group. I am sad to leave Philadelphia, but excited about starting my career anew. If there had been a suitable job here, would you have taken it? Sure. Who wants to move? By the way, I have a great desk for $10.”

Brian Nichols WG’04
“No. I’m not a big fan of Philadelphia. I don’t like the social activities available around here.”

Jonathan D. Wright
Ph.D. student, Linguistics
“Yes. I like Philly and I have roots here, all things being equal job wise.”

Spencer Allen
Ph.D. student, Near Eastern Languages and Cultures
“I don’t intend to stay, in part because I don’t expect there to be a job market for me. But I don’t know where I’ll go.”

Karen Sonik
Ph.D. student, Art and Archaeology of the Mediterranean World
“No. I’ll go where the job market takes me. I’m Canadian as well.”

Angelina Stelmach
Ph.D. student, Romance Languages
“I’m a Ph.D. student, so where I go after graduation is really not up to me. My field is very competitive, so it’s hard to find a job.”

Fernando Moreira
Ph.D. student, Architecture
“I’m not, because I came with a specific scholarship and I have to go back to my country.” [He is Brazilian.]

Sarah Wahlberg
Ph.D. student, Classical Studies
“It entirely depends on where I get a job. I’d like to stay in Philly because I’ve been here a while, made friends here and like the city, but when you’re looking for an academic job, where you end up is not completely under your control.”

Caroline Rothstein C’06
“No. I think Philadelphia is not as dynamic as I would like a city to be. I would also like to go into the arts and I don’t think Philadelphia is a good place to start out.”

Jeremy Saul C’05
“No—just because of the climate. It’s winter in early April. Are you from someplace warmer? No, I’m from the Philadelphia area.”

Greg Berger C’06
“I don’t know yet. I would be happy to stay in Philadelphia after I graduate if I find a job here. I like the city.”

— Jamal Shareef and Sandy Smith