Is Grad School for me?

What should I expect in graduate school? 

Grad school gives you the opportunity to finally dig deeper into topics that you discovered in your undergrad classes. As a grad student, you will be more independent and you can take some control over what you learn and how to learn it. However, students are often worried that grad school is “too difficult,” so it is good to know what you are getting yourself into. 

Grad school is very different from undergrad. Your class sizes are much smaller and require more active student participation. Instead of textbooks you will read research articles and instead of attending lectures you will sit around a table and discuss the readings. If you love to learn you will absolutely love it. 

That being said, you should know what it takes to succeed in this environment. Two of these components are that you are driven and have self-discipline in order to push yourself when no one is watching.  You become the sole person accountable for reading those articles before the seminar in order to think of something to contribute to the discussion. Seminars helped me realize that grad school is just thinking critically about the topics, which is a step beyond what you typically do in undergrad - which focuses on introducing you to the topics. 

Grad school gives you the freedom to focus on a topic of your choice, those ideas that have been floating in your head since you took that class or that research project can be your entire focus. But that freedom comes with a price tag. You will be responsible for juggling many tasks, class work, research, TA-assignments, student organizations. It is often stressful and you will feel like there is not enough time in the day to do them all. You have to be able to prioritize and complete tasks that will help you graduate and learn the skills that will prepare you for your career. 

You don’t have to have these skills from the get go (I am still figuring it out!), but you have to be willing to learn. That willingness to learn and push through is what makes the difference between those who finish and those who don’t. 

Is grad school hard? 

Yes, grad school is challenging and yes it can be stressful but don’t let these obstacles discourage you from pursuing this goal. Everyone in grad school is faced with these challenges and the vast majority of people succeed despite them. It will take more work and effort than your undergrad did, but this work is focused on a smaller subset of topics, and can be more rewarding and engaging. Finally, it will help you develop the self-discipline you will need to succeed no matter where you go in your professional career. 

Whether something is “hard” is also relative. For many first gen students, earning an undergraduate degree while working full time was hard. For me, it was harder to continue the cycle of poverty rather than pursue a career that could provide me with stable income. Graduate school was “hard” because it challenged me in novel ways. My reality is that when I was finally given the opportunity to focus on my education full-time, I thrived. Grad school may be “hard” but you may have already overcome challenges in your life that were much harder. 

So, is grad school for you? 

Grad school may seem like the next logical option after you graduate. But before you embark on this journey, take some time to do some self reflection and think this all the way through.  I usually do my self-reflection by journaling and taking long walks where I can think through the possible scenarios and ask myself the tough questions. Here are some questions you should ask yourself: 

• Is this degree required for the job I want? 

• Is there another route I would prefer to take to get where I want to be? 

• Is this topic/major something I want to focus on for the next few years?

• Do I have the self-discipline to succeed in graduate school? 

• What would I do if I don’t get in? 

If you answer these questions honestly and decide that grad school will get you where you want to be, you can shift your focus to begin putting together a strong application packet to increase your chances of admission!