Grad School: Early Prep & Planning Pays Off

I remember when I was in my last year of college and had the sudden realization that I would soon be out on the streets and having to get a real job. At that point reality hit me, and I started thinking “What do I really want to do with my education? Do I want to join the workforce now or continue on to graduate school?” I am somewhat of a professional student , so graduate school was much more appealing to me.

Before I made that decision, the idea of graduate school was very far off–I was focusing on just trying to get through college. If I had any advice to give, I would say learn from my delayed decision, because I know I would have had many more options open to me if I had set graduate school as my goal a few years earlier.

If you’re considering graduate school, here are a few of the issues you’ll want to pay heed to now:

What would you like to study? For myself I was torn between English Literature and Art. Depending on which field of study I chose, I would need to fulfill certain requirements in order to gain admittance into a graduate program.

When you go to graduate school you are not limited to continuing to study in the topic of your major. You can be an English major and decide to go to Law School or Medical School or get your Masters in History. But in order to have those options, you need to have fulfilled requirements in college that would prove to the admitting board that you can do graduate work outside of what your major in college was. Making an earlier decision about what you’d like to study in graduate school will give you time to prepare so you can reach that goal.

What is graduate school really like? That may sound like a silly question, but for each field of study there may be different experiences. A graduate program in History or Anthropology may lead you to travel into ancient civilizations. Are you up for that? What does being a successful graduate student entail? The best way to find out is to talk to professors who are in the field you’re interested in.

My experience is that teachers love to talk to students about their futures. Call one of your favorite teachers in the field that your interested in, and ask them if you can come by to talk about their experiences in graduate school. Talk to a few professors so that you get a diversified idea of what to expect. Talk with teachers who are currently graduate students, and ask them what their impression is. The only way you’ll find out if graduate school is for you is to ask folks who have already been there.

How high a GPA do you need to have? Obviously the higher the better but some fields of study really require primo GPAs. By the time you’re in your last semester of college, you are limited in how much you can raise your GPA. By knowing what the entrance requirements will be a few years beforehand, you’ll have ample time to prepare your grade point average.

Where will I get the money? Yes, although we’ve managed to avoid the rat race we can never escape the need for cash. Many fields of study offer paid fellowships and graduate assistantships. If you’re able to secure one of these positions, you won’t be rolling in the dough, but there is a chance that you’ll have enough to get by without taking out a loan.

Any money that you can save up before starting grad school will put you ahead of the game. Believe me, when you’re studying, going to class, and doing your assistantship round the clock, the last thing you want to worry about is paying your rent. Plan how you’ll handle your finances in grad school before you get there.

These tips are only the tip of the iceburg–there are so many other variables that you’ll need to take into account before getting into grad school from taking the GRE to forming great relationships with teachers who will give you great references. Taking the extra time to think and plan while you’re in the early years of college is a wise thing to do. Even if you decide at the end of your sophomore year to pursue an even higher education, those precious two years of college prepping for grad school will be like gold.

Source: The Southern

Photo: via