Advice: To grad or not to grad?

By: Mike Fisher ~Copy Editor~

You might be asking yourself this question, especially if you’re a senior. Perhaps heading out into the real world isn’t the best idea, at least not yet, and you’d like to remain in the confines of academia. Or you’re in a particular major that requires a master’s degree if you hope to move up the ladder. Regardless of why grad school is on the agenda, you’d like to know if it’s right for you, and what it’s all about.

You may have heard horror stories about how much harder grad school is. A ton of reading and more assignments with less time to do it in. The list goes on. This may be true for some majors like English, while others not so much.

Being a grad student myself, I can honestly say the workload is much less than my undergrad days. Don’t ask me how because I still don’t know the answer. Professors work with you, and they understand that you actually have a life outside of school. Most of my classmates have families and work full time.

In my program work is done in class with a few presentations here and there. The other difference is you don’t have to worry about core classes because you are only taking classes directly related to your area of study. The one difficult change is this: professors in grad school expect you to produce new knowledge and ideas. This means instead of regurgitating information given to you, you must present new information from course material. It sounds arduous , but you learn how to do it eventually. I know I did.

If grad school is on the horizon, ask yourself why you want to do it and what you want to get out of it. This will help you stay motivated when the going gets you know what. And start networking with your favorite professors, if you haven’t already done so. They’ll come in handy for recommendation letters.