Graduate School

Graduate school can be a great way to polish your craft and expand your career options- but it’s not right or even necessary for everyone. This quick guide will provide an overview of what to keep in mind when considering graduate school, and a guide to applying.

WHY GRAD SCHOOL?
The first step is to know what you want and how grad school can help you. For some careers, an advanced degree will be a necessity. For others, it will allow you to advance further and make more money. However, an advanced degree will not always benefit you, and at times could even make your job search more difficult. Be sure you’re doing it for the right reasons!

Good reasons to attend grad school:
- I have clear career goals, and the jobs I want require an advanced degree
- I know that my advancement will be limited without a graduate degree
- It’s necessary for me to gain additional skill or training in a specific area

Not-so-good reasons for attending graduate school include:
- I don’t know what I want to do, and I hope grad school will help me narrow down my goals
- I enjoyed my undergrad experience and want to stay in the college environment
- The economy is bad and I want to put off the job search for a few years

MYTHBUSTING GRAD SCHOOL

Graduate school will improve my job prospects

While this is often the case, it is not always true. In some fields an advanced degree will help or even be necessary to get a job. But in other fields that value experience (business, for example), or where the employer has to pay you more for your degree (public schools), an advanced degree without work experience will leave you in the same position as before- or even worse off!

Graduate school will help me explore my career options
Typically your undergrad experience is intended for broader exploration; graduate studies typically focus in one specific area and hone your skills/knowledge narrowly.

A graduate program will be just like my undergrad experience
Your experience will be much more focused, and much more intense than your undergrad experience. While many people still enjoy it, you should expect that it will be quite different than what you’re used to.

I can’t afford graduate school
It won’t be cheap, but there are plenty of options available for financing graduate school if you are creative. See the links below for some ideas.

I need to go on right away or I’ll never go back
Sometimes a few years of experience out of school can help to solidify your goals and give you an important perspective on your work. In a few years you may decide you don’t need to go to grad school, but many students still find the motivation to go back.

Read our extended Grad School Guide for information on indentifying programs, applying, and funding your education.