Should You Go To Graduate School?

To go or not to go to graduate school? For bachelor’s degree holders, this may be a very confusing question. When a student graduates from college, he usually has two options: to go straight to work or to seek advanced studies in his field of choice. If you choose the latter, you’re in for opportunities, such as the chance to be “a bigger frog in a bigger pond.”

But before you head for the GRE’s or compose that graduate admission essay, a.k.a. “statement of purpose,” here are some things that you might want to consider:

Have A Good Enough Reason For Going To Graduate School

Make sure you really want and have to go to graduate school. Ask yourself, “(why)?” Now, you may have two answers to this question: either you need it or you want it. In what circumstances will you need graduate school education such as a master’s or a doctor’s degree? Most commonly, it is needed if you want to advance to a certain enviable position in your company, such as top rank manager, scientist, or executive. But if going to a graduate school for you is just for prestige or for more kudos, you better just get a job and earn your credits by working hard. That way, you don’t only gain the esteem of your friends, you also earn the fruits of your labor every month or fortnight.

This is perhaps the reason why graduate school admission procedures require their applicants to furnish a (graduate admission essay or a statement of purpose). A graduate admission essay is a composition that lists your fields of interest, the reason why you want to go to graduate school, and your clear-cut set of goals. The graduate admission essay or statement of purpose also lists how your career advancement plans as well as your research experiences. The graduate admission essay or statement of purpose is supposed to show your prospective graduate school that you have at least one good reason to enter graduate school.

Top tip: Make sure your graduate admission essay/statement of purpose is well-written.

Bank Up On Knowledge: Prepare for the GRE’s

If you’re thinking that you’ll just encounter the GRE during the admission procedures, you may be wrong. Fact is, some graduate school courses may actually have GRE’s all throughout the semesters. This means that if you really want to hit it off in graduate school, you have to really hit the books, prepare for the GRE’s and all other exams that your graduate school course may have, and strive for good grades.

Graduate School Means Business

When you’re in graduate school, it doesn’t really mean that you’re a student again. You have to take on the mindset that you’re sort of doing business in a company, albeit in an academic manner. You won’t just be dealing with people who want master’s or doctor’s degrees, you’ll be dealing with educated and possibly seasoned professionals who desire to have more feathers on their cap. So, here’s the question: Can you own up to that challenge.

Photo Credit : Ricardo Villela

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