Why Graduate School?

Graduate school represents an enormous investment of time and money. Before you go very far down the path of graduate school planning, you should make sure that you understand your reasons for wanting to go to graduate school, and that you feel those reasons justify the time, work, and money you will be asked to commit to the process.

Try asking yourself these questions:

- What do you expect to get out of graduate school? Do you want a graduate degree to advance in your career, or to switch fields? Do you hope to contribute to research or theory in your field? Or do you just love this particular subject and want to study it in more depth, for your own satisfaction? These are all good reasons for taking on the challenge and expense of graduate study, and can help you decide which schools and programs are right for you. On the other hand, if your reasons for considering graduate school are more along the lines of keeping up with the Joneses (everyone else you know seems to be going to grad school), or escaping a job you can't stand, you might want to take a step back and reconsider your plans.

- Are you willing to do the work asked of graduate students? Graduate study is different from undergraduate study. You will have fewer classes than you did as an undergraduate, but will be asked to do more (and more intensive and original) work than undergrads are. Classes will be smaller, and will demand more active student participation. You may be expected to participate in hands-on projects and internships, in addition to writing papers and carrying out research. You're expected to have the self-discipline, initiative, and time management skills to complete your work on schedule, and the people skills to establish and maintain good working relationships with professors and other students. You're not going to do well in a graduate program if you aren't willing or able to carry out these tasks well, under your own initiative.

- How will you pay for graduate school? Will you need to borrow money? If you do, when would you have to start repaying your loans, and how much would you have to repay? Do you qualify for grants, assistantships, or other support? Would your employer help pay the costs? What obligation would you have in return? Is what you’re likely to get out of graduate school – improved career prospects, personal satisfaction – worth the price?

- Is now the right time to go to school? Will you miss out on career or other opportunities by going to graduate school now? Or will graduate study be less disruptive to your career and personal life now than it is likely to be in the future? Will the time and money demands of graduate school conflict with other issues (family, friends, financial security) that are important to you? If you’re going to graduate school for career reasons, will you have time to realize the benefits that you hope to gain from your degree?