Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC)’s students reacted to an article by TIME Moneyland entitled “Americans Overwhelmingly Pessimistic About the Economy,” with both concern and optimism.

According to the article by Brad Tuttle, a survey was conducted which polled U.S. residents regarding their views on the current status of the American economy and how optimistic they are of future improvement.

Fordham students who hope to get a job once they graduate have concerns about finding one.

One concern is not being able to pay for graduate school, said Megan Brandon, FCLC ’13.

“I’m optimistic about the economy. However, not over a short period of time because it’s a process to regain people’s faith in inverting and buying.” She said that it takes time “for job creation and employment to affect those who aren’t currently employed.”

She continued, “I am extremely nervous about getting a job after I graduate, especially since I plan to invest in law school upon getting my undergraduate degree.”

Michael Thurman, a professor in the political science department, stated that the problem is not economic, but political. “Beginning with Ronald Reagan, a mantra appeared that said that the government was the problem and this has been exacerbated by the ‘Tea Party’ movement.  In a sophisticated modern economy, government is absolutely essential.  If you say that the government is the problem, what do you have left?”

The article said that the majority of Americans believe that the economy is in a crisis and have little confidence on it getting any better: only 6 percent of respondents categorized current economic conditions as excellent or good.

The survey said that nearly two-thirds (64 percent) described conditions as “poor,” while 31 percent rated the state of the economy as “only fair.”

Fordham students who hope to get a job once they graduate have concerns about finding one.

Angela Krontiris, FCLC ’13, displayed optimism as well, but with concern over the competition of other students looking to apply for the same job positions.

“I am concerned that once I graduate it will be hard to find a job because of the competition of other graduates searching for a job, as well as the experienced workers who were laid off finding entry-level positions,” Krontiris said. “The best advice for a student facing the struggles of finding a job in the future should continue their education by going on to graduate school.”

Thurman said, “All economies go through difficult periods after a recession, and this one was bigger than most.  It may take a year or two for it to recover.  This is not unusual for a recovery of this size.”

Only 31 percent of people surveyed are optimistic about the economy. Over 51 percent believe that we are still in a recession and are not sure if the economy will be in a better state. According to the TIME Moneyland article, “The two groups who are the most optimistic about the economy in the next 12 months are the groups who many people say have suffered the most over the past few years: young people ages 18 to 34 (41 percent optimistic) and African Americans (61 percent).”

The statistic continued and said that 61 percent of people surveyed are pessimistic of the government enhancing economic growth in the future.

Ashley Misir, FCLC ’15, displayed some positivity about the economy improving, but with little concern, “I have hope that the economy will get better, but I will definitely intern before I graduate to try to secure a job. Getting a job once I graduate is my main concern and affected my major choice. But I plan on going to graduate school, and I’m hoping that the extra education will provide me with a higher chance of getting a job.”

As for the elusive American Dream, of the four out of five people surveyed, 80 percent believe it is harder to achieve now than in the past. Only 12 percent of Hispanics and 17 percent of African Americans feel that it is currently easier to accomplish the dream. In addition, “Youngsters in the 18- to 34-year-old category are the least likely to think that achieving the American Dream has gotten harder over the last 10 years.”

Some Fordham students hope to intern to secure a job once they graduate. Katarina O’Regan FCLC ’12 said, “I would love to be able to get a job out of the internships I did in the past. Even if I don’t end up working for them I will have job experience which would make me a more competitive candidate.”

In addition, O’Reagan said that she wanted to be positive about the economy getting better, but she thinks it will take a while. “I am definitely concerned about getting a job after I graduate especially because as a liberal arts student I don’t think I am very much in demand,” she said. “I do want to go to graduate school eventually because I would like to get a job that requires an advanced degree. Ideally I’d like to work for a bit after undergraduate, and then get my master’s, but if I can’t get a job I might have to go straight into graduate school.”