topic says it all. is it of any worth to me?

1/16/2006 1:58:07 AM

I hope I get into grad school this year. If I don't, I'll probably try again in a year or two.

1/16/2006 2:00:32 AM

I got a job waiting for me when I graduate this summer (B.S. degree) paying ~15% over the average.

I'm tired of school. Screw grad school. I want a paycheck, no more homework, and no more tuition payments. Maybe the working world will make me desire grad school in 5-10 years. 'Til then...

1/16/2006 2:03:54 AM

It all depends on what type of postgraduate degree you want, and what you want out of your career. For me, with a BS in Botany I pretty much had to go to grad school to get any kind of decent job, but I knew this when I chose Botany.

1/16/2006 2:13:35 AM

I think for most undergrad degrees if you are unsure to the point where you can ask yea or nay, then its definitely not a necessity. As with innova with botany, in philosophy I knew that my choices were go for a PhD in philosophy or head to law school. I think you always know when further school is required. But I'm of the mind that one should go for as much as they can handle. Masters degrees don't seem like huge commitments if you don't want to head to try for something higher. My vote is Yea.

1/16/2006 2:20:37 AM

It totally depends on what you want to do with your life.

1/16/2006 3:10:41 AM

Quote :

"Maybe the working world will make me desire grad school in 5-10 years."

A good thing to say during interviews is you want to pursue an advanced degree. Every company I interviewed with looked at this in a positive light. A lot companies with established benefits offer some sort of tuition reimbursement.

Quote :

"It totally depends on what you want to do with your life."

That pretty much sums it up right there.

Career, Personal Life, Grad School Program, etc. etc. all make a difference. The other thing is it depends on your specific grad program and its requirements. Some PhD programs are 1/3 courses, 2/3 research. Others the opposite is true. Depends whether you like one track vs. the other.

Myself, I got tired of working 60-80 hours per week as an undergraduate while being broke so I decided to start my career. I still want to get an advanced degree and am looking to enter an MBA program in Fall 2006. Taking two courses a semester, I'll graduate in Summer 2009.

1/16/2006 5:37:57 AM

read this and think about it
http://www.cs.unc.edu/~azuma/hitch4.html

1/16/2006 6:29:18 AM

Quote :

"topic says it all. is it of any worth to me?"

Not to you, no.

1/16/2006 7:07:49 AM

im happy with my choice except that books cost $500+ this semester...and technically it is a module so im going to have to buy more books in the first week of march.

1/16/2006 9:29:46 AM

^^ exactly what I was thinking when I saw the thread

1/16/2006 9:41:25 AM

I concur with the "if you don't know, not now" people. I'll be starting grad school in the fall, and I think I would have wept for weeks on in if I hadn't gotten in.

1/16/2006 9:56:25 AM

that really depends, if you are broadening your career choices like law or business (where there may be multiple paths that you could take) it isnt as big of a choice deal at first. granted you'll want to figure it out pretty quick once you are in there.

1/16/2006 10:11:44 AM

completely depends on what you want to do. if you are in a scientific field and want to do research, teach, etc - yes. a masters is sometimes helpful in getting your foot in the door with some jobs but usually not required.

don't go to grad school with no idea as to what you want to do tho. what you want to do has a great deal of influence on what degree (masters or phd), what school you attend, what program, and even which advisor you choose. you can easily waste 5+ years of your life if you have no direction from the start.

1/16/2006 10:31:53 AM

If you have no idea, talk to a professor in your specific field, or someone else that works in it, and research jobs you'd get with your BS degree to see if that's where you want to stop.

My suggestion is that if you're still unsure after talking to someone that works in your specific area, don't do grad school after you've worked for a while, to make sure that is what you want to do. With grad school you can focus on a different part of your field than what you're currently in, so that may be the best course for you.

1/16/2006 11:33:57 AM

my biggest fear in life right now, even more than snakes, is being turned down by every school i apply to

while i have them personally ranked

i don't give a fuck which one i go to

as long as i get into a grad program

THIS "REAL WORLD" WORKIN' SHIT HAS GOT TO GO

1/16/2006 11:53:22 AM

was my fear too, but it worked out and i got my first choice. miami decided they were only taking business undergrads late after the app deadline and then wouldnt return my fee, buncha jerks.

you gotta figure, if you've done well in undergrad, have decent scores, and really put some thought into the essays...someone will take ya. if not, at least you have work exp already.

[Edited on January 16, 2006 at 12:03 PM. Reason : .]

1/16/2006 12:02:03 PM

i was reallllllly elated when i saw my gre score

everyone i talk to now thinks that will be the piece that ensures i go somewhere...

1/16/2006 12:32:16 PM

like most other stuff, just depends on school and major. i know what you mean, one thing less to worry about. im sure the recommendations are one of the bigger parts when it gets down to the nitty gritty. what do i know about admissions though.

1/16/2006 12:37:12 PM

hey man, whatever you say i'm listenin' to

you got into one of my top 3 schools

1/16/2006 12:46:16 PM

I agree that you should go only if you know it will be useful and applicable to what you want to do. I just finished in December and I honestly wouldn't have made it through if I hadn't been passionate about what I was doing.

1/16/2006 1:46:16 PM

thats an ironic post, re: your user name

1/16/2006 1:49:55 PM

being a strange minority would help, perhaps you should try that. im half eskimo, quarter liberian, eighth turkmenistanian, sixteenth uruguian, thirty secondth antarctican, and so forth. i didnt even have to apply.


[Edited on January 16, 2006 at 1:59 PM. Reason : .]

1/16/2006 1:58:13 PM

Get all promises of funding in writing!

1/16/2006 2:26:59 PM

aaronburro, you're an NE? crazy, i wouldn't have taken you for one. Are you going to do grad work in NE or computer science? I don't know too well what the differences are, but i do know they will both be two completley different worlds. But in those areas, it's definitley not a bad thing to do a graduate track. Just don't go further than that, overeducating can be bad too.

1/16/2006 3:41:35 PM

You can never be too educated, but it is possible to be overqualified.

1/16/2006 3:53:03 PM