Let’s admit it. Ever since we were little, our parents have been telling us that grad school is the way to go. But as we go through life, grad school may or may not be apart of our journey.
For those who don’t know, graduate school AKA “grad school” is where students can earn an advanced academic degree. Grad schools offers various programs that range from full-time to part-time, and even online. There are two types of grad school degrees:
1. Master’s degree
2. Doctorate Degree
On average, Master’s degrees take two years and doctorate degrees take four years. Regardless of which degree you pursue, both degrees reflect a real grasp of a subject. Grad school is a big decision that will heavily impact your life so and there are many factors to consider when deciding whether or not to go.
1. Advancing your career
There are some careers that require a degree from grad school to be qualified. Grad school is a great way to open the door to more career opportunities, whether it’s in business or social work. If you’re also looking to change your career, grad school can help. Not everyone is satisfied with their career so going back to school can help you find your passion. Who doesn’t like money, right? Although grad school is expensive, it can be a great investment for the future depending on what you want to pursue as a career.
2. Enhancing your education
When you finish undergraduate school, you just scratched the surface of the major you studied. Attending grad school means you’ll dive deeper into the study of your choice. There are so many opportunities from research to teaching at universities that offer you all the resources you’ll need. If you’re looking for a chance to face exciting challenges and engage in a community that share the same goals, grad school may be the choice for you.
3. It’s something you want to do
The most important thing about grad school is you genuinely want to go yourself. Whether it’s to learn, to think, to challenge yourself, have a reason for wanting to go. Talk to a professor, advisors, and anyone who’s been to grad school that can offer you advice on your decision. Take advantage of the various resources and networks the university provides to expand on your knowledge. They can provide you their opinions on what life in grad school is like and job prospects. Consider everyone’s opinions and journey because some may have loved grad school while others may have some regrets.
4. Highly competitive
Remember how you felt when you applied to college? The feeling that you won’t get in because of your grades or facing the reality of the acceptance rates? Grad school is the same and slightly worse. There are fewer spots when it comes to grants, research opportunities, and seats in the program in general.
5. Highly stressful
Being a college student is hard. From countless all-nighters and back-to-back finals, college is one of the most stressful experiences that you go through. If you decide to attend grad school, stress will be your new best friend. Grad school can last from two to seven years which can be emotionally exhausting. Think about if you’re prepared to handle the amount of stress.
6. Expensive
Grad school is expensive, no doubt about it. The longer you stay in grad school, the more debt you’ll accumulate. You have to really consider if the trade off is really worth it to you cause money is a big decision.
7. Investment might not be worth it
Just because you receive a degree doesn’t mean you’ll be guaranteed a job or a higher salary. Even if you receive a job with a higher salary, the debt from loans and tuition will still follow you for quite a while. Grad school degrees also heavily emphasizes research so if your future career doesn’t require that, it might not be for you