The thought of not having a job when you graduate is definitely scary. That’s why many students, even at UK, are turning to graduate school. But that move is just delaying the inevitable.

According to a Nov. 19 Kernel article, a Kaplan survey said there has been an almost 6 percent increase in students taking the Graduate Management Admission Test. The GMAT is one of many exams undergraduates can take in order to gain entrance into a graduate school.

But a flood of entries into various graduate schools only further complicates the problems undergraduates are facing. According to that same Kaplan survey, 75 percent of business school admission officers claimed that recent floods of applicants have made acceptance into their schools harder.

“We do expect (admission) to be highly competitive,” said Liza Weale, director of graduate programs for Kaplan. “Students need to make sure their applications are robust and stand out as much as possible.”

That means a majority of undergraduates cannot find jobs or get into graduate schools. In a sense, those same undergraduates are back exactly where they started, with a few months that could have been used job searching spent instead studying for an exam.

Furthering your education isn’t bad. If a student had planned to go to graduate school, they should still apply. If they believe they have a good chance to still be admitted during a highly competitive time, a student should certainly apply.

But applying because the real world is too scary and you’re too lazy or frightened to seek out a real job in tough economic times is not going to solve your problems. There’s no point in it, especially if you aren’t qualified for graduate school, and it’s only delaying the inevitable job search that comes with stepping into the real world.

A better degree may not promise you a job and for many, graduate school is more student loan money to pay off in the future, especially since graduate school is more expensive and usually takes longer for people to finish. If a student even makes it through graduate school, but tough economic times still prevail, what good will a master’s degree be with extra loans hovering nearby?

Sure, if an undergraduate had planned on graduate school the entire time, he or she should pursue that goal. But graduate school shouldn’t be the easy way out for students simply because of a receding economy.