Going to Graduate School

There are many who are now well-placed in their respective careers, but are contemplating on going back to school — yes, Graduate School. It has always been said that not everybody is for the university. In the same manner, not everyone, in spite of their bachelor’s degree education, should be in Graduate School. A lot of highly successful individuals do not have to have graduate degrees. However, those who wish to be in the academe must have advanced degrees, such as doctorate degrees.

There are numerous articles in the Internet that encourage professionals to pursue their graduate education, and there are equally numerous articles discouraging them to do so. If you are contemplating on pursuing graduate education, these articles are for you. If you ask me, I can only give you a couple of very serious considerations to think about before deciding whether or not to go to Graduate School.

First, are you already certain about what you want to study while in graduate school? If you are not, then you probably are thinking of going to Graduate School too early. How would you know that you’re ready for the Graduate School? Prepare a brief write-up (about 1,000 words) describing the specific topic you will study. This statement should include the topic’s historical background, research gap about the topic as implied in the literature, a set of research objectives, the theoretical basis for the specific topic you want to study, and perhaps a description of the methodology you intend to follow in undertaking the study.

Second, are you financially prepared to go back to school? Graduate School is very expensive, and it will be a drain in your family coffers. It is an additional expense, a major expense, at that. If you will be a good graduate student, you can finish in may be 3 years (for a Master’s degree) or may be 5 years (for a doctorate). Otherwise, it can drag on and on, until you will not finish it.

The first thing you must expect in Graduate School is that you will learn independently and by yourself, most of the time.