It’s that time of the year when juniors and seniors in their undergraduate degree are considering their post-graduation future. For some people, this might mean getting a job or taking a gap year. For others, the consideration of grad school comes to the forefront.
I chose to go to grad school.
For some background, at the time of writing this, I’m in my second year of a Creative Writing and Poetics MFA. I’ve been in college since 2014, starting with an Associate’s degree during my high school days through the Running Start program. I’ve had no breaks aside from a few months between earning my Bachelor’s degree in the winter of 2019 and beginning my MFA in the autumn of the same year. Especially as a humanities student, going to grad school seemed like a gamble. As much as I wanted to climb the academic ladder, I also knew there would be costs. As a grad student, you pay not only with money but also time and effort to get a degree that may or may not help you attain a good-paying job. In the end, after much consideration, I decided to pursue a graduate degree.
As a current grad student, I’ve found that the benefits of grad school outweigh the costs. My first quarter of school made me question whether or not this was the path for me. I struggled to work through graduate-level projects where guidelines aren’t as strict and the professors are there more for guidance and less as a direct instructor. However, once I got the hang of things, I found the professional development and connections I’ve made have provided me a great trajectory for my future. While I am paying a lot of money, I’m also getting a lot out of the program. I’ve developed personally, academically, and professionally, and I have a portfolio of work to showcase as I move into post-graduate life.
Here is what grad school can unlock:
- A higher-paying job
- A network of mentors
- Connections among peers
- Learning and professional opportunities
Here are the costs:
- Tuition
- Time
- Mental and emotional bandwidth
- Flexible scheduling
- Ability to travel
Here are some things to think about when considering grad school:
- Why do you want a graduate degree?
- Consider your reasoning for going to grad school. What are your motivations? Are your motivations worth the financial, physical, and mental cost?
- What are your goals? Can they be achieved without a graduate degree?
- When thinking about your degree path, take your future into account. This can be something broad like financial issues, having to move, your career, etc. Try making a pros and cons chart to help visualize your academic future.
- How much of a financial burden are you willing to undertake?
- If you don’t want to pay for grad school look into programs that are fully-funded. This means that the program pays for your tuition and potentially other costs. However, there’s usually a catch! This catch comes in the form of being a TA or assistant professor, which is very much a job in and of itself. If you want to focus only on your academic work, then a fully-funded program might not be for you.
- To find a fully-funded program, you have to do research! I know this part isn’t usually fun, but pick some programs you think look good academically and look into funding. Sometimes, the funding isn’t obvious on the page and you have to dig a bit.
- Is it important to find a fully-funded program, or are you more concerned about the prestige of the program?
- If you do want a fully-funded program, be aware that they are not only more difficult to get into, but create a more limited pool of programs to pick.
- How important is the location and flexibility of the program?
- Every program is different, and the location and class flexibility are a huge part of that. Consider what you want from not just the program but also the school.
I wish all of you the best of luck tackling the big questions and reflecting before a life-changing decision!