More than 60 colleges from all across the country came to the Student Union Memorial Center’s Grand Ballroom yesterday to present information to potential students about their graduate and doctoral programs.

The second annual UA Graduate School Day was a means for undergraduates and anyone considering going to graduate school to mingle with representatives and get information.

“”Last year we had 59 tables and this year we (had) 80, including UC Berkeley, the top-ranked graduate school in the U.S.,”” said Susan Miller, Career Services’ marketing and special events coordinator.

Graduate representatives from the different colleges were distributing pamphlets and free pens to encourage students to sign up for their listservs. The UA had 13 of its graduate programs on hand to present.

Some of the colleges that attended the fair included the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in Los Angeles; AustraLearn, an Australia, New Zealand and South Pacific program; and the USC School of Social Work.

Graduate school is becoming more common today because of the increased number of people with bachelor degrees, said Brent Barcellona, clinical instructor at the USC School of Social Work.

“”You used to need a high school diploma and you were OK, and then you needed an associate’s, then a bachelor’s degree, but now you need a master’s to remain competitive in the workplace,”” he said. “”In social work, you have to have a master’s degree.””

Students usually come back to get their graduate degree after a few years of working, when they realize they want to remain competitive, said Georgia Ehlers, a UA Graduate College administrator.

“”The master’s degree is now the old bachelor’s degree,”” she said.

Many of the students who attended the event had already applied to graduate schools but came to see if there were schools they had overlooked in their research.

“”I also wanted to observe what schools the UA is channeling, because an event like this reflects the type of school the UA is,”” said Natalya Kolosowsky, a studio art senior.

Hannah Marshall, a veterinary sciences senior, said she recently applied to graduate schools including Colorado State and Ohio State, and was happy to have the process over.

“”The process of applying for graduate school was horrible,”” she said. “”You have to fill out these big application packages.””

Once graduate schools receive applications, they look to see if an applicant has “”a solid academic background, good writing skills and is well grounded,”” Barcellona said.

“”A graduate student has to be prepared to work really hard,”” he said. “”We tell people not to make any major life decisions in the next two years when they are planning to attend graduate school.””

Students can learn more about the schools that attended the event at the Career Services Web site, www.career.arizona.edu.