What's new
By:

Grad School

Archie Moses

Archie Moses

Well-Known Member
What are your guys opinion on grad school? Is it worth it? I've been debating on going for a while, but I can't figure it out.

I grew up in a house with parents that told me I wasn't going to college (unless I had a scholarship) because they weren't paying for it. I always thought I would figure the college thing after my mission. The mission came and went, and I ended up not going to Logan to play football. I did a semester at UVU then I ended up moving to CA to work for a while. While in CA I did 2 years of online school at the University of Phoenix. The school was pathetic, but I couldn't go to any other because I covered 7 states for my job and was constantly on the go. My friends at the time, pretty much all went to Stanford and I was always ashamed of my education. Imagine hanging out with law students at Stanford and going to the U of P. lol... I constantly felt like I was underachieving. I'm not a Stanford student, I know that, but I still felt like I could do a lot better than U of P. It got to the point where I felt I was selling myself short and I quit my job where I was making really good money so I could go back to school. (There were other things too.)

So I was jobless and I knew I wanted to get my undergrad from somewhere other than U of P and I moved back to Utah. I transferred to UVU because they would still accept me as an in-state-student. Out of my 48 or so credit hours I did at U of P, UVU accepted 4. When they told me that, it was a really hard blow. I already felt like I was behind, and I didn't want to repeat basically two years of school over again. I told myself I wasn't going to quit, and I pushed forward with the plan to graduate with my BA. I also switched my major a few times and that set me back even more, but I'm still pushing forward. I'm 27 now and I'll graduate in April. It will be a proud day and I imagine come April I will cry! haha

In retrospect, I wish I went to the University of Utah when I got home from my mission. I wish I had college as a bigger priority when I was in high school. I just always thought that stuff would come later, and like I said, my parents weren't too much help.

So now, I'm about burnt out with school. I want to be done, but something keeps telling me to do grad school and go to University of Utah. I'm not getting my undergrad there, but I would love to graduate from there. As corny as it sounds, it would be a dream come true. I just don't know if a) I'm too old b) it's not worth it c) I'm burnt out and d) I have money and jobs lined up, so it's not like I have to do more school.

I guess I'm just looking for some advice and I would really appreciate your opinion.
 
In a similar situation. I graduated from the U in '09, had a decent job lined up before graduation, and I've been there since. Considering going back for my master's degree but don't know if I want to do it, don't know if I want to do it here or in Japan, don't know what I want to get my master's in, etc. I'm also married now, which makes can make things a little more difficult if I decide to constrict my income a bit to go back to school.

Bleh.
 
A bachelors degree is about as good as a GED nowadays. Especially in this economy. Unless its really specific: Computer Science, Nursing, etc.
 
Beantown said:
A bachelors degree is about as good as a GED nowadays. Especially in this economy. Unless its really specific: Computer Science, Nursing, etc.
Click to expand...

It has little to do with the degree. It has more to do with fulfilling a goal/dream and graduating from the U.
 
Sounds kind of like a waste of time based on what you wrote. You can never be too old for college anyway so you could always go back if things don't work out or you just want to fulfill your dream like you said.
 
Beantown said:
A bachelors degree is about as good as a GED nowadays. Especially in this economy. Unless its really specific: Computer Science, Nursing, etc.
Click to expand...

I agree with this in some cases, yeah. But a bachelor's can still open some doors for you (hopefully more once the economy turns around). I wouldn't have my job if I didn't go to school. It isn't a dream job, but it is something for now.
 
Archie, you're a good guy and your vulnerability is endearing. You have a good catch with that wife of yours. But she has a great catch. :cool:

Other than that, I have nothing to offer.
 
  • Like
Reactions: UB
I will say this though, assuming you don't know what you want to go back to get your Masters in (I assume that because you didn't mention it), don't do it. Don't throw tens of thousands down the toilet now for nothing. That is to say if it's not going to be in a field suited toward your current or future employment. Pride is great. It's also a mother. Get yourself settled with your wife, plan well, and maybe down the line when you know something you feel passionate about studying, you can start going. Just my two cents.
 
I think everyone is different and the decision you make is entirely up to you and your circumstances. That said, let me tell you about my experience thus far...

Grad school is tough. It has been entirely different from undergrad in that the skills that are expected of you are entirely different. It seemed like during my time at Utah State the emphasis was on test scores and, in a way, sorting out students based on performance. Graduate school is entirely different. Although grades and test scores still matter to a degree, my advisor is more interested in my individual output regarding my project. I think he would rather see that I added a few more data points to my thesis project rather than a perfect score in any of my classes.

Furthermore, the social scene changes. You will spend the majority of your time in a particular building working with specific people on a daily basis. Your world becomes smaller.

Finally, if you're going to be paying for it, know what you are getting yourself into. Make sure you enjoy what you are doing because I think this would all be quite painful if I hated what I studied.
 
larryselbows said:
I think everyone is different and the decision you make is entirely up to you and your circumstances. That said, let me tell you about my experience thus far...

Grad school is tough. It has been entirely different from undergrad in that the skills that are expected of you are entirely different. It seemed like during my time at Utah State the emphasis was on test scores and, in a way, sorting out students based on performance. Graduate school is entirely different. Although grades and test scores still matter to a degree, my advisor is more interested in my individual output regarding my project. I think he would rather see that I added a few more data points to my thesis project rather than a perfect score in any of my classes.

Furthermore, the social scene changes. You will spend the majority of your time in a particular building working with specific people on a daily basis. Your world becomes smaller.

Finally, if you're going to be paying for it, know what you are getting yourself into. Make sure you enjoy what you are doing because I think this would all be quite painful if I hated what I studied.
Click to expand...

Hey, thanks, man.

+1.
 
DREAM DEFERRED

What happens to a dream deferred?
Does it dry up
Like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore--
And then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over--
like a syrupy sweet?
Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.
Or does it explode?

by Langston Hughes
Click to expand...

don't put it off too long

and congratulations on sticking to your goal of getting your bachelors, that's quite an accomplishment
 
Some good comments from KrazeeEyezKilla and larryselbows.

My advice: don't go to grad school just for a dream. Go either because (1) you know you need a graduate degree to get the job you want, or (2) you are just so dang interested in some topic that you can't imagine NOT studying it further. It doesn't sound like either of the two are the case for you, so I'd advise against it. But if you have more specifics in mind (what degree program, what future job do you see yourself having), I might change my mind.

Another huge factor to consider: in some degree programs (law, business, medicine, humanities), you pay them. In others (science, engineering), they pay you! If you're thinking of one of the "you pay them" programs, then that's another strike against grad school for you, in my book.

Edit: another huge factor is the length of the program. If it's a 2 year business program, that's very different than if you're considering a 6 year PhD program.
 
With all due respect to larryselbows, I've seen grad school as being easier.

As undergrads, we all have to slog through classes that, for the most part, are either (A) not really related to our major of choice (i.e., history majors being forced to endure biology classes) or (B) just plain aren't interesting to us at all.

As a grad student - in terms of classes you take - you are now specializing yourself to a level where you only take classes that relate to your choice of study (and, by extension, what interests you). I'm doing physical chemistry grad work, so I only take physical chemistry classes. So in terms of academics, grad school is fun. Sure it can be difficult; even if you like the subject/class, there will undoubtedly be something that makes you scratch your head, but herein lies how well you rise to challenges. When I confront a physical chemistry problem that stumps me, it just fuels my fire to figure it out. To me, that's fun. But I also understand that not everyone will think thusly.

Aside from academics are the - for lack of a better term - "administrative" things. Grad work, at least at the Ph.D. level, requires you to suffer through 1st year written exams, 2nd year seminar presentation(s), 3rd year oral exams, and finally a 4th year dissertation defense. While those can induce stress, again I think the "problem" distills down to how you rise to the challenge. I just finished my 2nd year exams, and though I was surely frightened, I found the challenge almost fun. If you find yourself easily motivated to go out there and hit home runs, then grad school is for you.

Regarding the concept that grad school is for the smart(er) people: I don't buy that. I have been told - and am witnessing in others around me - that "triumphing" over grad school is as much a test of perseverance as it is intelligence. If you can ram through 4 years (or 2ish for a Master's) and not find it sapping your perseverance center of your brain, then you will come out just fine.

Practically, getting a grad degree will net you - on average - a higher salary down the road. Sure, you've effectively forfeited a few years of B.S/B.A.-level salary to get the grad degree, but it will be made up with your higher M.S./Ph.D. salary. So there's a payout there surely.

Don't concern yourself with being "overqualified." In today's world, grad degrees are becoming the norm. A B.S. in a science nowadays will net you a job as a lab tech. An M.S. too, but just higher up on the totem pole. A Ph.D. gives you so much more - the power to create your own research projects, manage people, and be at the forefront of research. At least it is within my world of chemistry.

Go for it.
 
I think most of the good stuff has been said already. I certainly agree that if you want to go to grad school, you'd better know what field and what you plan to accomplish. As has been said, you should either attend to a) get a job you want, or b) because the material is extremely interesting to you. Sounds like a) doesn't apply because you've got jobs available, and possibly not b) either, unless you're just failing to mention an area that interests you. Grad school is all about specialization and narrowing your focus... in undergrad your advisors are helping you to discern your own goals and direction of study; in grad school they expect you to know that yourself.
 
Archie, nice post man. I knew some of that stuff about you, but not that your parents weren't supportive. I'm graduating in the spring and don't know if I could have done it without my parents, especially my mom pushing me to keep at it. Although a previous poster was referring to grad school, I also think the biggest lesson I have learned with my undergrad is perseverance. There were more than a few times that I almost threw in the towel.

Anyway, I wanted to comment because I've been going through a similar thing lately, graduation is coming up and I am really considering grad school, but haven't decided what I want to do. What is your undergrad in again? Is it media of some type? I did business and have thought about doing an MBA, but I'm not sure my grades will quite cut it to get in at the U so I've been thinking about doing a minor in Info Systems (all of my work experience is in the software industry) or doing the MBA at UVU with an emphasis in Accounting which will make me eligible to sit for the CPA exam. (I worried that an MBA from the same school where I got my undergrad and in the same area of study might not be the best, or even worth it, but being eligible to sit for the CPA exam and being an MBA CPA would be rad, especially if it was a little less expensive going to UVU.)

Anyway, not sure what your thoughts are on what you want to do with grad school. I'm really struggling with the same thing, and I'm not quite sure what I want to do.

If you have any interest in an MBA from UVU they are having an info session next Wed night at 7:00 in WB 125. If you're interested, go to the link below, I think preregistration is required.

https://www.uvu.edu/woodbury/
 
One of my college professors keeps bugging me about applying to grad schools.

Not a bad idea considering I've been unable to find work with my double major.

It would probably be at the University of Utah for linguistics. The unfortunate thing is that I really don't see where I could get work with a master's degree in linguistics.
 
I've got a Master's in Mathematics, and there have been a couple of jobs I simply would not have gotten with a Bachelor's (one with the government, another teaching), because I lacked other qualifications. However, unless the degree is really necessary for your chosen field of work, the primary reason to go is a huge love of the subject, as colton said.
 
archie - there's lots of good advice and suggestions here! Not knowing what field of study interests you, it's tough make specific suggestions - but one thing I'd like to add that hasn't been mentioned is going to U of U for a certificate program rather than doing a full grad school program. Most universities offer various shorter-term certificate programs in a variety of fields that have advantages over a standard grad school program (less time, less money and more career specific) - if you haven't already looked into these programs at the U of U, perhaps you should see what they offer.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page
Back
Top