how many of you are/were in grad school
1. do you like it
2. is it worth it
3. anything else you wish to share about grad school

and
go!

8/15/2005 3:45:56 PM

I am & I like it. I think it's great that I am being paid to get a degree. I have a great advisor though. As long as you are being paid & you have a good advisor, it is great. Friends with bad advisor's hated it though. One thing is that western educated professors treat students much better than non-western educated profs. Most non-western profs treat students like crap & make them stay longer. At least that is how it is in my department.

8/15/2005 3:53:15 PM

I am currrently in grad school. I don't get paid for my degree, but overall it's still worth doing if it will get you where you want to be in your life/career. The classes are more time consuming than undergrad, but it's still just college. More free time, not as many responsibilities, etc. Getting paid would be nice, but you know it will come in due time. Overall I would say grad school is worth it if it will benefit you in the end.

8/15/2005 4:09:04 PM

plz to hear from MBAs

8/15/2005 4:14:29 PM

1. no idea my first class is Wed.
2. no clue yet
3. i'm going to be poor for the next 2 years

all i know at this point

8/15/2005 4:16:00 PM

1. I did like it (wasn't at State)
2. Too early to tell if it is "worth" it, but I have a feeling it will pay dividends
3. I wish it had lasted longer

8/15/2005 4:17:49 PM

I'm in grad school now... It's a lot of work, but it will be worth it, i suppose.

8/15/2005 4:17:53 PM

I like it but after two years and going into my last semester, I am READY to be done...I am also not getting paid...in fact, I'm taking out quite a few loans, but to me it's worth it, because it gets me qualified for the kind of career I want. To me, being a grad student is more like "having a job" than college...b/c of all the extra work, practicums, group stuff, etc. Last semester I was interning about 25 hrs/wk, taking three classes, and working a part-time job about 25 hrs/wk and it was tough. But in December I'll be an M.S./Ed.S. in Community/Agency Counseling with a concentration in Child and Youth Settings and to me, that's totally worth it.

8/15/2005 4:18:45 PM

Just Finished my MBA at the University of Miami, liked it, did not love it

Starting Law School on Thursday, a bit apprehensive

8/15/2005 4:22:59 PM

1. I love it, it's a lot better than undergrad.
2. I think it's definitely worth it. I got 2 awesome internships in my first year and I have a great job now.
3. I will never take 12 hours and work three jobs again like I did this past year. I wish I could stay in school forever.

8/15/2005 4:27:18 PM

It was alot of work, but it is very rewarding and can pay dividends if you know what you want to do. Also pay close attention to the focus and approach of different programs...it will make a big difference depending on your needs and what you want to get out of grad school. You will be very busy with school and any internships you have, but it is still in the "school" realm in that you are around alot more of your peers day to day than when you start working full time.

8/15/2005 4:46:19 PM

when i was working on my ChE degree, they had a program where you could do a masters in engineering or a MBA in one extra year. basically, you killed yourself the last year of your bs by taking all your bs engineering classes, a few at the 500-level (double counted for the MBA as tech electives), and then a few of the MBA classes. it was tough time-wise as i was in my design classes and those took a lot of time. the MBA curriculum was honestly pretty easy subject matter wise - as in it was mostly common sense to me. it did involve some reading and that was sometimes a time battle.

1. it was ok. i really am an engineer so the business aspect was a little out of my normal realm of interest. i liked the supply chain classes and i liked a few of the other courses. i HATED finance - it bored me to tears.
2. yes. i am not using it now but to get into management at my site, it helps a lot. most of the people they put in management have ChE degrees and MBA's.
3. be careful of where you do your grad work. not all schools are created equal. ncsu's MBA program is no harvard so most people coming out of it shouldn't expect a six figure salary starting off. i will say this though, for what i will use my MBA for, it was fine. no problems there. in fact a lot of people in my class (MBA class that is) were engineers who wanted a crack at management in a technical field. if you do an engineering PhD, your pedigree is important to consider depending on what you want to do. most people who want to be a prof at a big name school or get position with a large company need a highly rated grad school. if you want to work at a start-up or smaller company or smaller less known school that isn't as important. i'd say that is important for any of the science and probably for most degrees.

8/15/2005 5:19:52 PM

^the MBA is all about reputation

I went to a mid-level school, i think it was ranked 51st in the last report i saw (have seen it as high as 34th in the wall street journal, and as low as 70's in some publications) I did well on the GMAT, but was forced to go to a lower level school b/c of 0 full time work experience....but I do not regret my decision.

Miami is a good school, not many people know that, but things like perception of football/party school sometimes hurt peoples view

NCSU's MBA will be a great degree to have, but even better in 15-20 yrs, because they will build relationships/reputation/connections/alumni base. The mentor program at UM had 200 local businesspeople (most of which were high up, VP's/CEO's/COO's/etc) that were there to guide and introduce students to the business climate and connections in the area. That is what B-school is all about. Once NCSU builds these connections and alumni base i think it will be looked at as one of the better places to get an MBA, especially if they market it towards students with technical degrees.

my rambling 2 cents at least

8/15/2005 10:35:51 PM

Quote :

"when i was working on my ChE degree, they had a program where you could do a masters in engineering or a MBA in one extra year."

that is correct, except for one important point...it wasnt an MBA. i cant remember the exact classification of the degree (i was to say MS in business, but for some reason that doesnt sound right). I was in that program, but unfortunately, they changed the degree to an MBA my junior year, and they did away with the accelerated program. they didnt feel you could be adequately schooled for an MBA in such a short time period....plus, its not a good idea to get an MBA without any work experience.

so i ended up having a pretty light load of classes my senior year because i had taken most of the classes early to make room for the business classes.

8/16/2005 11:20:30 AM

^ you are right. it was MSM - Masters of Science in Management. before NCSU did not have a MBA. all they had was MSM. i was in the program during the change. while in my senior year in ChE when i was doing the 500 level tech classes and a few business classes, it was MSM. my last year (after graduating ChE), it was changed. so i was grandfathered in and was given the MBA.

honestly, i did fine with the MBA curriculum. i had some work experience (while i was in school) as an engineer. the classes were not difficult. the subject matter was pretty common sense. some argue that you need work experience prior to starting the program. i'll agree to some point.. it helps when relating to the issues discussed. but i don't think it is necessary. my GMAT scores were well above the class average. i made good grades (3.5+) in all my classes (took 15 hours per semester) while working 30 hours per week at an engineering firm.

8/16/2005 11:28:28 AM

cool deal...i knew i was a little off with the name. i was right at the cut-off of getting grandfathered in. im sure if i really pushed it, i could have gotten in, but from talking with people in my field (i had co-oped alot), MBAs were a dime a dozen, and more often then not, they were taking entry level positions just as undergrads because there was just too many of them.

i decided to go into the workplace, which so far has been a good decision for me. im in the "management track" program of my company, and if i decide down the road to pursue an MBA, i can go to Johns Hopkins and get it all paid for.

8/16/2005 11:35:01 AM

i'm definitely not using my MBA yet. i am a process engineer and will be for a while. BUT, at my company almost all the managers have che's and MBA's. most had to go back at night and go through executive mba programs at tulane or now even lsu has a program. it is tough... i'd hate to go back while working. i'm just glad i am done with school and it is out of the way. so if i choose to go the management route, i can. if not, then it was only an extra year of my life. i am now trying to figure out how i can get my company to pay for me to go back and get a PhD or at least a Master's. thinking maybe Texas A&M or Rice.

if you are on the management track.. don't worry about it. you will probably be fine. and good that John Hopkins is close enough to go to... good school.

8/16/2005 11:54:21 AM

Duke offers a Master of Engineering Management that is gaining recognition

8/16/2005 12:01:39 PM

Hey Queti

You knew anyone by the last name Gandhi in your class?

He joined as an MSM student too, but finally got an MBA.

That said,

I am a grad student.

I like it? - To be frank, state's engineering school does not have the resources to run a quality grad program.

Is it worth it? - Definitely...I know I can work hard cuz of grad school experience...

Anything else I'd like to share - Do not commit to any research unless and until they offer you money. I have done enough work at State without getting paid, and that's not how it should happen.

8/16/2005 12:06:07 PM

not sure... i never got a lot of people's last names. there were several indian guys in my classes so it is definitely possible.

i will disagree to some point with you on ncsu's engineering grad school. i think that definitely depends on your area and DEFINITELY your advisor. there were prof's in the che grad school that had loads of money and had a lot of nice equipment and resources. their students basically had everything at their disposal. on the other hand, there were others that had a tough time getting funding. all in all ncsu's che dept is somewhere like 9th ranked nationally.

another example. my husband got his PhD in chemistry from univ. of ill. at urbana champaign. his particular focus was in analytical chemistry. u of i is ranked 1 or 2 for analytical chemistry. BUT his advisor (who was once nominated for the nobel prize btw and is probably one of the most recognized researchers in chromotography and chiral separations) was retiring. so his last couple of years, he really did go after funding. alot of the equipment was old and u. of i was horrible with funding grad students.

8/16/2005 12:13:07 PM

1. yes i liked it a lot
2. it is definitely worth it
3. grad school is but one (albeit a major one) part of your overall value proposition


people often get degrees expecting things to fall into place by virtue of having the degree. in reality, it takes a lot of hustling to be successful. by hustling, i mean that you want to make sure your degrees are complemented by meaningful internships/coops, publications, and other pertinent experience.

Quote :

"NCSU's MBA will be a great degree to have, but even better in 15-20 yrs, because they will build relationships/reputation/connections/alumni base. The mentor program at UM had 200 local businesspeople (most of which were high up, VP's/CEO's/COO's/etc) that were there to guide and introduce students to the business climate and connections in the area. That is what B-school is all about. Once NCSU builds these connections and alumni base i think it will be looked at as one of the better places to get an MBA, especially if they market it towards students with technical degrees."

as a recent NCSU MBA grad, i agree completely, although i think we'll gain much of that credibility within a decade.

we came into the rankings relatively strong in our first year of existence, then slipped a little due to some job placement debacles. however, we still had relatively strong placement, especially at the top end. due to the infancy of the MBA and tiny size of the full time program, we also have enough people at the bottom to affect the overall average. in other words, people who land solid jobs at the end of our program make pretty good money. i think over the next couple of years as we gain placement momentum, and especially when we sell the naming rights to the school, we'll gain a lot more prestige (and in turn, more placement).

i'm currently contracting in Corporate Venture Capital doing healthcare deals. i'm expecting it to become permanent soon. for whatever its worth, there were 2 other interns in addition to me last summer. one from Carolina-Kenan and one from Wake-Babcock, but I was asked to stay on. of the crew here, there are several Duke-Fuqua MBAs, one from Northwestern-Kellogg, one from UVA-Darden, one currently in the UNC-Kenan exec program, and a bunch of old schoolers who are here because of their industry experience.

furthermore, i paid dirt cheap tuition. its getting higher now, but i think my entire MBA was cheaper than one semester at the branded schools. given what i paid in tuition and expenses, what i gave up to go fulltime, and given what i make now, my ROI is solid.

8/16/2005 1:23:18 PM

State's CHE department is definitely an outlier.

I have heard that it has a ton of money and my old roommates (who were getting their PhDs in CHE) always told me about wasteful spending.

8/16/2005 1:37:19 PM

I am getting my MBA at Emory (Goizueta Business School) here in Atlanta. I absolutely love it. A small (~150 full time students in each class - intentionally kept small) program that is quickly rising (only school to be new to the BW Top 20 in over a decade) was the perfect fit for me after my Navy service.

I think it is worth it (in fact I'd probably pay more for the experience and education) given my strong military service, but lack of "real world" business experience. It doesn't hurt that Emory is built on developing leaders, not money makers (a fact reflected by Emory being named the #1 school in the US for business leadership - a fact that miffed Harvard after their stranglehold).

I have gone from being a Political Science major at the Naval Academy to working in Internet Strategy and Programs at Verizon Wireless. I have been offered to stay on at VZW through the year, and all of my friends have gotten offers from their internships.

If you're looking for a great program that can get you the job and the dollars, but also want to experience teamwork, comraderie, and a fun learning atmosphere, Goizueta is the place for an MBA.

They also shell out the scholarships like crazy - if I was in an earlier round of applications, I would have gotten a full tuition ride, but the 50% still isn't bad. Guess that's the benefit of having the 8th largest endowment in the country (thanks Coke!).

8/16/2005 1:41:07 PM

^ nice

on a related note, each of our fulltime entering classes is barely 50 people

8/16/2005 2:00:02 PM

Quote :

"State's CHE department is definitely an outlier. I have heard that it has a ton of money and my old roommates (who were getting their PhDs in CHE) always told me about wasteful spending."

yes, the che dept has probably receives more funding than any of the other programs... there were folks in the $ million+/year range in funding.

i am a little worried about its coupling with biomedical engineering. over the last few years states che dept has been known for polymers, nanotechnology, co2, and kilpatrick's oil/asphaltine work. i fear that a lot of the major non-bio related companies will pull out of funding... my company being one. i think we are already pulling our on campus recruiting. there have already been a few schools che depts hurt when coupled with bio. most of your better che depts are coupled with materials science and eng.

[Edited on August 16, 2005 at 3:11 PM. Reason : er]

8/16/2005 3:09:58 PM

I'm looking to go to grad school. I'm just trying to figure out how to go about it tho.... I've heard if you can find a professor who has a spot open in their lab and they like you, you're a shoe in...

8/16/2005 3:23:33 PM

^^ What do you mean coupled with biomedical engineering?

A lot of research areas overlap usually...I mean you can couple biomedical engineering with something as obscure as business management or industrial design.

8/16/2005 3:31:19 PM

thanks for all the input guys
i think i have decided that if i can get some $$ i want to go ahead and do grad school

for engineers with mba's, how are the classes? i don't have a whole lot of interest in business... would it be silly for me to get an mba?
also what made you chose to get an mba as opposed to getting an ms in the engineering field you had your bs in?
so many decisions!!!!

8/16/2005 5:53:27 PM

^^http://www.che.ncsu.edu/

biomolecular not biomedical... my mistake. still i wonder about the consequences of the name change.

my take on the classes:

Quote :

"honestly, i did fine with the MBA curriculum. i had some work experience (while i was in school) as an engineer. the classes were not difficult. the subject matter was pretty common sense. some argue that you need work experience prior to starting the program. i'll agree to some point.. it helps when relating to the issues discussed. but i don't think it is necessary. my GMAT scores were well above the class average. i made good grades (3.5+) in all my classes (took 15 hours per semester) while working 30 hours per week at an engineering firm."

it was a little boring for me.. especially finance... UGH! but it went by quickly and wasn't hard. just be ready to read. i think long-term it was the right decision.

[Edited on August 16, 2005 at 5:57 PM. Reason : er]

8/16/2005 5:55:26 PM

i'm in a phd program now

i like grad school a lot (it doesn't hurt that my school is literally on the beach), my advisor's of the work hard/play hard philosophy so thankfully there's a lot of both that goes on in my lab --

i was on a national fellowship for that payed really well (it was comparable to several of the starting salaries in the other thread and would've gone further if socal wasn't such an expensive place to live), but funding issues can be a bitch so try and work that out ahead of time

i need the advanced degree to do what i want in my career so grad school is worth it for me, but it is a lot of work -- and of course a phd program in the sciences is going to be very different from a lot of other degrees so definitely talk to people in the programs you're looking to apply to

8/16/2005 8:49:51 PM

entering year two of g-school is ehh

i like having really no schedule outside of classes and part time jobs

i don't like not havinga steady paycheck each month

living in anything but a house i own sux

checking out the hotties on campus is fun

writing a thesis will be challenging

having no boss is great

oh yeah, finanicial loans (debt) sux

but i don't have to get up early 3 days a week!

8/16/2005 10:52:05 PM

I'm in year 3 of my D.P.M. program. School gets old after a while but I know for sure I'll have a job when I'm done. If you have the opportunity to go to grad school I would do it, you will never regret it.

8/16/2005 11:57:17 PM

i'm in the position to continue for both a JD and either an MPA or an MBA. i don't know whether to get the MPA or the MBA, but i'll put that off until i finish the JD by '09.

8/17/2005 12:00:58 AM

I will be done in 2007

but i still have a 3 year residency after that



I will be 29 by the time its all said and done. My twenties will have been entirely devoted to my education.

8/17/2005 12:05:03 AM

well considering i took my 21st year off, and am taking most of my 24th year off, i'll be done with my JD when i'm 28, then done with my MPA/MBA sometime in my 30's. i'm just gonna take night classes to get the MPA/MBA. I mean, I'd like to find some woman who's crazy enough to marry me sometime in the next 7 years, and start a family.

we'll see. the only sure thing right now is law school. maybe.

8/17/2005 12:15:17 AM

Quote :

"Just Finished my MBA at the University of Miami, liked it, did not love it Starting Law School on Thursday, a bit apprehensive"

I gotta ask why you did them seperately. I'm starting a 4-year joint J.D./M.B.A. program next August (since I want to be in corporate law/contracts) and I was advised to do that. I'm not sure if that is normal or what you did is, but hopefully it works out well for me too. Oh and where are you going to law school?

...

Quote :

"School gets old after a while but I know for sure I'll have a job when I'm done. "

Yea that is a nice bonus of going to professional school (law, med, vet). There is a 98-99% guarantee that you will have a job within a year of finishing school in the field you want. None of the bullshitting around waiting for jobs that you might not even want to do if you just have an undergraduate degree..

[Edited on August 17, 2005 at 11:07 AM. Reason : f]

8/17/2005 11:04:41 AM

<------ Potential grad student

Lots of good info. Keep it coming!

8/17/2005 11:08:39 AM

My suggestion is:

Get your BS, get out in the world and work for a year or two.

You will appreciate school MUCH more coming back, and tend to be better prepared, have a larger pool of experience to draw from, and do better work.

That said,

I am in my 2nd year of my Master's. I fucking LOVE it. I am losing all kinds of money, getting little sleep, and have no social life outside of my classmates. And I still fucking LOVE it.

I can say, for me at least, that had I done this right out of undergrad, I would have dropped out. But after working and realizing what I was doing, this is absolute awesomeness.

Oh and Holler to gargs for the Industrial Design shout out

8/29/2005 5:41:11 AM

^Just to give another perspective, I went into my masters program right after (3 1/2 weeks after) completing undergrad. I had a part time internship related to my field while I was taking my classes, and finished my coursework in a year. I can see where you were coming from, but I had an easier time keeping motivated because I could see the relevance of everything I was taking to what I wanted to do. I think working for awhile could do that, but an internship to reinforce the practical side can reach the same end. For me, I was happy to go ahead and get my masters out of the way. Since grad school eats up your life, it is sometimes good to go ahead and focus on it when you don't have many other obligations...IF you know what you want to do and are motivated to work for it.

[Edited on August 29, 2005 at 6:59 AM. Reason : .]

8/29/2005 6:59:15 AM

Quote :

"I am in my 2nd year of my Master's. I fucking LOVE it. I am losing all kinds of money, getting little sleep, and have no social life outside of my classmates. And I still fucking LOVE it. "

I couldn't have said that better myself. I agree completely. I appreciate everything so much more second time around. It's just too bad that Brent Road isn't the same as it was in 96-99.

8/29/2005 11:06:48 AM

So when is NC State going to get a Law School like every other school our size?

8/29/2005 1:18:17 PM

if we do, i say we only teach IP law

8/29/2005 1:30:52 PM

How hard is it to get into a JD/MBA program? I've been considering law school to get into corp. law, but I'm afraid my GPA wasn't great. I'd have about three years experience by the time I'd go in. I'm still weighing options and waiting to see where this job goes, but at the very least I need to go back for an MBA in two years. Just curious how you guys did in undergrad, and if you have any advice.

8/29/2005 1:46:03 PM

im working on my master's part time.

my biggest gripe is that i've been at state since fall 97 and i'm ready for it to be over. its also hard to focus on school when i only have class for 1-1/2 hours, two days a week.

8/29/2005 2:58:17 PM

i'm in the mba program here at state currently and i know that in the long run it will be worth the money (but with a ta or ga spot you don't pay much of anything anyway).

i was accepted after graduation, but i have some professional experience and entrepreneurship experience which probably carries more weight in the mba program, but it's a lot to take in. you learn a lot and it truly is one of those "you get what you put in" type of things. the mba program here has TONS of networking opportunities with fortune 100 and even some fortune 5 ceos or employers so you can get your name out.

the mba program here has a big tech focus as well which is helping a lot in job placement. supply chain management has a 100% ratio for jobs before graduation, so if that's an interest...you're in the right place for that.

the professors all have tons of experience and you get to work with some of the top in the field for whatever you do...the mba program has barton queen on the payroll and he's probably the top public speaking coach in the world right now (he leads most of the national conferences).

also, there is a new biotech/pharma concentration that you can pair with another one for a unique mba that most schools don't offer. rtp is a great location for this because most of the casework is paired directly with hiring biotech/pharma firms in the area that are known to hire directly after completion of a project.

so for me, grad school is a great thing...and as long as you have decent time management skills you won't go crazy...lol

8/29/2005 4:03:31 PM

1. I liked it.
2. It was worth it.
3. Unless you want to do some good research/thesis or atleast learn some really good skills don't go for it. I have seen many people just taking some lame courses which are not worth anything and finishing a good for nothing Masters degree. Also if you are going to do a thesis, try to find a really good Professor who is doing some good research.

8/29/2005 10:47:05 PM

Quote :

"How hard is it to get into a JD/MBA program? I've been considering law school to get into corp. law, but I'm afraid my GPA wasn't great"

I finished with a 3.1 GPA. But I got in the 94th percentile on the LSAT (mid 160s). I got into Northeastern, Hofstra, and got denied at UNC.. I'm planning on doing the joint MBA/J.D. 4 year program (but in 3 years thanks to summer courses!) starting a year from now...

8/30/2005 7:56:29 AM

I'm currently taking my second and third classes at UNCG for a Master of Arts in Liberal Studies. Really interesting, fun stuff, but not very difficult. Also, it's "continuing education," so i take the classes either at night or on the web. It doesn't feel like college (unfortunately).

8/30/2005 3:42:19 PM

Quote :

"I finished with a 3.1 GPA. But I got in the 94th percentile on the LSAT (mid 160s). I got into Northeastern, Hofstra, and got denied at UNC.. I'm planning on doing the joint MBA/J.D. 4 year program (but in 3 years thanks to summer courses!) starting a year from now..."

Man, that is exactly what I wanted to hear.

8/30/2005 4:27:05 PM

Law school = death

9/22/2005 11:48:33 PM