Is Graduate School Right for You?

Every year countless students consider going to graduate school. Whether you are after a higher paying job, seeking more knowledge in your field, or simply want to be called "Dr." there are many reasons to consider grad school. However, graduate school is a huge commitment which isn't for everyone.

Ask yourself these questions before you decided to go:

Are you serious?

One mistake that many people make is to view graduate school as a means of postponing "real life." Graduate school is much different from a four-year college, and it takes a serious commitment. If you are unsure about what to do next in life, graduate school is not the ideal place to do your deciding.

Only consider graduate school if you are actually serious and committed to spending the next 2-6 years of your life there.

Are you willing to make sacrifices?

Graduate school is full of sacrifices: you'll sacrifice most, if not all, of your free time, your social life will generally suffer, and you'll sacrifice the opportunity to make money right away.

Graduate school takes up a lot of time and a lot of money. Take a good hard look at your current situation. Is it possible for you to live on the small graduate stipend? If you don't get funded are you okay with going into debt? Are you willing to postpone starting a family and career? If you have a family already, are you willing to sacrifice time with them? Be brutally honest with yourself here.

Do you love research?

You may love to do research on topics that interest you, but a graduate student needs to enjoy the process of research, no matter the topic. Often graduate students are asked to take part in research that an advisor wants to do. Would you be willing to spend countless hours researching a topic you aren't interested in? If the answer is still "yes" then graduate school will probably be a good fit.

Can you devote yourself entirely to one topic?

When writing your thesis or dissertation you will have to become practically obsessed with one, usually very narrow, topic. Is this something that you can do? People who get bored easily with one subject should probably think twice before attempting graduate school.

Are you self-motivated?

Perhaps the biggest difference between undergraduate work and graduate work is the amount of independence required. There will still be deadlines in courses, but for everything else you will be expected to work independently. Outside of the classroom you will have to juggle advisor-given work, thesis and dissertation, preparing for comprehensive exams, and keeping up with the research in your field. No one will give you deadlines for these tasks, so you have to be willing to schedule your time accordingly. If you are the type of person who needs to be told what to do and when to do it, graduate school is probably not for you.

If, after answering these questions honestly, you are still unsure about whether you want to attend graduate school, consider talking to grad students. Most can give advice and information that can aid in your decision-making process.