Cornell University senior Eric Shannon made it through four rounds of interviews last winter when a hiring freeze turned him into just another soon-to-be graduate facing a shrinking job market.

Now he's among a growing number of college seniors finding refuge from the recession in the Peace Corps, AmeriCorps, Teach for America and other national service programs, which have seen historic increases in applications.

"It was something I had been considering for a long time - the economic downturn and shortage of job opportunities was that last little extra shove," said Shannon, 21, a biology and society major from Westbury.

He'll spend the next two years teaching science in New York City schools for Teach for America, earning about $45,000 a year. When he's done, he'll also get a $9,450 award to help with graduate school costs or pay off student loans.

"I've got stability," he said. "I won't be starting a job somewhere just to find out in a month they are cutting back."

Service program veterans describe a perfect storm of circumstances sparking interest unlike anything they've seen before: Young people stoked about politics and public service by President Barack Obama, many graduating with crushing college debt in a suddenly slumping economy.

"I've been here for eight years and what's happening right now is unbelievable," said Jessica Simonson, an AmeriCorps program director who supervises several programs in New York City and Long Island. "There are all these young people out there in need of work and in need of money for school who want to serve their communities."

Online applications to AmeriCorps more than tripled in the first two months of this year to 18,207, up from 4,351 over the same period in 2008.

Teach for America applications have shot up 42 percent nationwide, and 75 percent at Cornell alone. At Stony Brook University, 51 seniors applied this year, up from 29 in 2008.

Nationally, the Peace Corps reports a 16 percent increase in applications, while the New York regional office says its applications rose 47 percent over this time last year.

"It was like, 'I don't want to wait for something new to happen, I want to make it happen,' " said Frank O'Connor, 23, of Islip Terrace, who is heading to Mali for the Peace Corps in July. He'll do agriculture and community development work.

O'Connor, a May 2008 graduate of John Jay College of Criminal Justice, said the presidential election inspired him. "It was the change in the nation," he said. "I wanted to be a part of it."

Meanwhile, Obama is expected to sign a bill as early as this week to expand the number of AmeriCorps positions from 75,000 to 250,000 by 2017. It also will increase the education award and create summer service programs for middle and high school students. The federal stimulus package includes funding for 13,000 more AmeriCorps workers.

"It's really catching fire," said Marianna Savoca, career center director at Stony Brook. "These are amazing programs that give kids a reality check about the world. And they look great on graduate school applications."

Lydia Plieman, a senior broadcast journalism/international major at Hofstra University, considered law school but applied to AmeriCorps instead. She is waiting to hear whether she's been accepted.

"This is one of those things I've wanted to do since I started college," said Plieman, 21. "It's a good place to spend a couple of years. It'll look good when you try to get a job later on. You'll have real world experience."

Most service programs also offer students a chance to defer or, in some cases, erase student loan debt.

That wasn't what drew Camille Pajor, 21, to the Peace Corps, but the Adelphi University senior was thrilled to learn the government will eliminate 30 percent of her federal Perkins Loan debt after her stint in Eastern Europe.

"The perks are great," she said, "but I think the experience is going to be so much better."