SYRACUSE -- Syracuse University Senior Mindy Diamond knows she'll be graduating from school in less than a month, but it's what she doesn't know that stresses her out the most.

"My whole life has been very planned, so to not know what I'm doing in four weeks, I would say, is the most stressful part," said Diamond.

Like many of her classmates, Diamond is still searching for a job.  Numbers from the National Association of Colleges and Employers indicate the job outlook this year for college graduates is on the rise, with employers planning to hire 19.3% more graduates this year than last.  But spend just a few minutes talking to seniors on The Hill and you'll find the stress level is also on the rise despite those projections.

"(Searching for a job) It's my whole life," said senior Alex Sall.  "It's hard to go to sleep at night because I'm pretty stressed." 

Experts at Syracuse University see this first hand and warn finding a job is not going to be easy.

"I think for the past couple of years, students have been aware that the job market has been pretty tight," said Mike Cahill, Director of Career Services at Syracuse University.

Cahill said students should treat their job search like a marathon, not a sprint.

"The best thing is to not get discouraged, set small goals for yourself so that the only goal for yourself is not to get a job, because (then) every day you don't get a job becomes a failure," he said.

And while college seniors I spoke with aren't exactly thrilled about how difficult finding a job will be, Cahill said there's a underlying positive in the struggle.  He said students tend to work harder to brush up on their skills and network when the job market is tough, rather than sitting around and waiting for a job to fall into their lap.

It's why students at SU are constantly networking with other Orange graduates, some trying to avoid moving back home.

"I love my family very much, but I would like to maintain my geographic independence," said senior Rachel Brenner.

She may not have to look very far to maintain that independence -- the NACE finds the Northeast is the most favorable region for college grads searching for a job.