Why I’m Going to Grad School
April 8, 2008
Why am I going to grad school right after undergrad? Because it’s the right decision for me.
I know that grad school is not a get-rich-quick scheme. In fact, that has nothing to do with why I am going.
I believe that the graduate program I am attending will challenge me in ways that undergrad didn’t. I realize that a job would do this as well, but they would do so in different ways.
Graduate school is a personal decision that must be thought through extensively. The program, people and practical experience accompanied with the program are what drew me. While deciding between work and grad school, I thought through many questions. Here are a sample of the questions I asked myself when I applied:
- What and where is the program?
- How long does the program take?
- What are the benefits of the program versus the benefits of working?
- What are the costs? How will I cover them?
- What would be the difference if I went to graduate school now versus after working for a couple years?
I only applied to one grad program. I was fully prepared to enter the working world until the end of the summer before my senior year when I stumbled upon my program online. The summer before my senior year I started networking for potential jobs at my internship, throughout the city and at school. After visiting the school of my program, I fell in love with the program’s one-year intensive class structure, the professors and the students from all over the world. The program combines theory and practical application from marketing, public relations and advertising into a curriculum. It matched everything I wanted to get my hands in.
I see this program as more of an experience than another year of schooling. Just as getting a job or creating a start-up would be an experience, I believe that this graduate program will build different but just as valuable professional skills. And I am fully aware and prepared that this experience comes with a price tag.
After much thought, discussion, and reading (mostly in the blogosphere grad school debate), I realized that each professional decision is a personal decision. Professionals, colleagues, parents and friends may advise you- but you make the right decision for you. For me, it’s moving to a city where I don’t know anyone and giving my best shot at grad school.
-Carla
Entry Filed under: Graduate School. .
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1.
Tiffany Monhollon | April 8, 2008 at 1:28 pm
Hey, Carla,
Interesting post here. I’m glad you’ve weighted the decision to go to grad school and realize that the choice is what you make of it. So many people I know – for whom grad school right after college was a mistake – made the choice almost unthinkingly or believing that it was a necessary means to a certain end.
Grad school – just alike all other investments of time and money – can be valuable or it can be a bust, but unlike many other investments, you have most of the control over the outcome.
Best wishes!
2.
Rebecca | April 8, 2008 at 4:46 pm
I really like what Tiffany said and thinks it makes a lot of sense. It also sounds like you’re really excited to go to this program, so it probably is right for you. I hope it works out
3.
carlablumenthal | April 8, 2008 at 4:58 pm
Thanks for the comments!
@Tiffany- There are a lot of students who go to grad school straight from undergrad because they don’t know what they want to do. That is the wrong reason. But I do believe you pave your own destiny from each situation- whether in school, work, networking, or advanced degrees.
@Rebecca-I think this is the right path for me, so I am excited to see what will come of it. Thank you for your support!
4.
Jaclyn | April 9, 2008 at 1:07 pm
Carla, I think it’s good that you emphasize the individual nature of this decision. There’s no one size fits all.
I’d like to throw another option out there – look for a job at a university after you graduate. It’s an easy transition to move from student to employee in a familiar sort of setting and many universities let you take classes for a substantial discount if you work for them. So you can get a gentle introduction to the working world and take part-time grad classes without having to take out tons of loans to finance something your might not be sure about.
5.
Els | April 12, 2008 at 5:32 pm
I’m another new grad having to confront moving to a new place for the first time. I’ve done it before but I’m getting a little tired of it, having to uproot, make new friends again, etc, but I know that you have to go to great opportunities, wherever they might be; they never come to you.
And contrary to what others may say, depending on your field, going to grad school right after undergrad may be a great choice. I know many folks who vowed to go to grad school, but after getting into the routine of the working world, they lost the passion and never went!
6.
Daniel Hoang | April 13, 2008 at 8:07 pm
I went to grad school straight after undergrad. I think it was a good decision at the time because the job market wasn’t so hot. Looking back, I think a year or two in a professional environment, particularly in consulting or auditing where you’re exposed to a more project-based working environment, would have provided additional value to grad school. That break would have given me time to step back, stop being a student, and starting being a professional. That said, I did what you’re doing, looked at it like a job or two year internship, and have done very well since. Best of luck.
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