4 Things To Consider Before Applying To Grad School

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Thinking about going to graduate school? That’s a huge step, believe it or not. Whether you’re fresh out of undergrad or already in the workforce, making grad school happen is undoubtedly a difficult goal to achieve. Before you apply, make sure you ask yourself the right questions and figure out exactly why you want to go. Here are four things to consider before you write that personal statement.

1. Long-Term Career Goals

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The most obvious factor in choosing to go to grad school is how you’re hoping to use your degree. If you’d like to further your education to advance your career, grad school certainly can make a lot of sense. But if your career goals don’t align with your potential grad school program, ask yourself what you’re gaining from this degree. Working and going to school part-time could be a good solution for fulfilling both your long-term career goals and your higher-ed goals, but you have to be in the right program for that to happen.

2. Time Constraints

Do you need to go to grad school right now, or can you afford to wait? You may be thinking that you’d better go now before you’re in your 30s and “settled,” but more and more people are enrolling in programs at a later stage of life. The average age of graduate students in the United States has been static at 33 years old, which shows that you do have time, even if you think you don’t. Everyone has personal time constraints, though, so honor them and go to grad school when you feel you need to. Also important to consider: you might find that it’s the norm to enroll in certain types of programs right after school, while with others, it’s typical to have some work experience first.

3. The Cost And Your Financial Return

Let’s get down to the nitty-gritty — money. Of course, your financial responsibilities should be a major factor in your decision, specifically because grad school tends to be expensive. With overall student loan debt reaching $1.3 trillion as of 2017 in the U.S., and graduate student debt contributing 40 percent of that debt, the idea of jumping into a program that will cost you tens (maybe even hundreds) of thousands of dollars sounds…not so good. If you’re planning to make a large financial return in your career after completing the degree, though, you may be more interested in taking on that debt.

Here’s what you may not know, though — depending on your program and your chosen university, grad school could be free. Make sure to look into your specific program and which schools are willing to provide tuition remission (meaning free tuition), health care and/or a stipend so that you can actually live while you study. Also, certain employers will agree to pay for your degree in exchange for a commitment of time to the company. If you can go for free, why the hell wouldn’t you go?

4. Your Readiness To Jump Back Into Exams And Papers

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Even if everything else seems to fall into place (you can afford grad school, the degree can further your career, etc.), you might be forgetting one major thing: your readiness to get back into school mode. If you’re coming straight out of undergrad, you might not have an issue jumping right back into a 10-page paper, but if you’ve been out for five years and haven’t taken a test recently, don’t expect your brain to bounce right back. Don’t think you’re ready for that kind of responsibility? Maybe grad school isn’t for you, after all.

Alright, guys, how are you feelin’ about grad school now? If you’ve checked these four points off happily and are ready to go, we say go full-speed ahead. Investing in higher education is an incredible way to promote self-growth, and if you can handle it emotionally and financially, then get those applications ready.