Graduate school is not a subject to take lightly and shouldn’t be a rash decision. I’ve been looking into graduate school since my freshman year as an undergraduate. I’ve changed my mind almost as much as I’ve kept it consistent. The problems with graduate school are large, but there are also a wide range of good reasons to obtain a graduate degree.
As most of you know, graduate school programs typically last 2-3 years for a master's degree, and even longer if you’re going into medicine, law or a Ph.D. program. The cost of going into a graduate program will follow you for years to come – on top of what you may or may not owe for your undergraduate degree.
Cost of graduate schools is a con in some peoples’ minds. This is how it is for me. It’s a double-edged sword: you need to pay to get a degree to further your career, but you don’t want to pay that much in case the job market plummets the year you graduate and you can’t find a job to pay back the loans that are pretty much a guarantee. That is, and will continue to be, my number one reason for hesitation.
Having a graduate degree is worth more than the paper it’s written on. You can take your level of higher education farther than you probably realize with one. Say you’re competing for a job with someone who doesn’t have as high a degree as you. You’ll probably get the job because of the time you spent obtaining a degree that isn’t always necessary. It shows dedication to the field you’re going into. Employers like dedication; actually, they love it.
If you have a higher degree, you don’t have to just stick to the minimum qualifications for jobs because you have something that is potentially worth more to them. However, hearing the words “you’re overqualified for this position” would be devastating to anyone who has just spent years and thousands of dollars to get a higher degree.
Having a graduate degree does not guarantee you’ll get your dream job in your dream city.
Graduate school opens up more possibilities for students. You can change your career path completely as you apply to graduate programs. You don’t have to stick to the same path forever, and most schools want you to experiment with other fields because it will make you a more well- rounded individual. To say you obtained a degree from a certain school – especially if you make it to the top level of a company or in your chosen field – will get recognition too. That’s an important thing to keep in mind.
Higher education becomes more and more competitive the higher you want to take your degree. Undergraduate programs are competitive and master's programs are even more so. Not to mention how competitive Ph.D. programs are. It’s stressful to think about the rejections that are bound to happen.
It may seem like a waste to pay 50-100 dollars per application fee just to receive a “denied” email in a few months. It’s worth the risk in so many ways, but if the stress and monetary problems inhibit you, don’t worry about it. There are plenty of options out there for people who don’t have the money, the time or the patience to go back to school.
I understand that the graduate school debate will continue for years. Each time a student graduates from a university, they will wonder if they should or shouldn’t have gone to graduate school immediately after undergrad, especially when it comes time to pay back those dreaded loans.
I’m not looking forward to spending the next 20 years in that much debt when it’s unsure if I’ll even be able to find a job after getting these degrees that I’m currently applying for.
The waiting game is horrendous and will eat at you until you cannot stand it anymore. If you have the money to apply to graduate programs, why not? The worst they can say is “no,” and you’ll be
out a little bit of money. I understand that this is not a light subject, but it is an important one. Graduate school will affect you forever after you attend, or even if you don’t attend and wind up regretting it.
If you cannot go to graduate school right out of the gate, there’s always time to go back to school. You don’t have to do it right after your undergraduate graduation in May. Take your time. A Longwood professor once told me that you should get a really crappy job at Walmart or an equivalent, pay back your undergraduate loans, save as much money as possible and then go to graduate school.
There’s always time to decide to go. You can go back in a year, or two or five if you really want or come to need the degree. Some employers even pay for their employees to go back to school to get a higher degree or certificate of some sort. Maybe that’s the option you need.
Make a list of pros and cons for graduate school and go from there. Don’t make the decision alone, either. Ask your significant other or your parent what they think. Everyone needs a support system of sorts when they make a life-changing decision.
