Which grad school should i go to

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You can learn for free or for much less money. There is a plethora of content — books, videos, podcasts, and more — that are now widely available, at no cost, to the general public. Arguably, much of this free content mirrors or actually is the material students are studying in grad school programs. Consider all the things you can learn just by watching YouTube , assuming you have the discipline and self-control to focus: coding, digital drawing, UX design, video editing, and more.

Other platforms, such as Udemy and Coursera can be used to upskill at a more affordable cost than attending a degree program. Essentially, if your goal is to acquire a new skill, and that skill can be taught, it is hard to compete with platforms where experts can crowdsource, teach, and share content.

You may be wasting your time. Historically, people have mostly learned by doing — and there is a big difference between communicating the theoretical experience of something and actually going through that experience.

In fact, most Fortune firms end up investing substantially to reskill and upskill new hires, regardless of their credentials. For instance, employers like Google, Amazon, and Microsoft all pointed out that learnability — having a hungry mind and being a fast and passionate learner — is more important than having acquired certain expertise in college.

Along the same lines, many employers complain that even the best performing graduates will need to learn the most relevant job skills, such as leadership and self-management, after they start their jobs.

Oddly, this does not stop employers from paying a premium for college qualifications, including graduate credentials. You will probably go into debt. It can be challenging to find a program that is certain to boost your income in the short run, particularly if you also want to study something you love. For example, an MBA, which remains the most popular choice of grad school program in the U. But if your true passion is climate change, you may end up excelling and having a more lucrative long-term career, but struggle financially in the short term.

The problem is that most people would probably prefer the qualifications of a graduate degree without the underlying experience and education, to the actual experience and education without the formal qualifications that follow. What is actually valued are the consequences of having a degree, rather than the degree itself. It seems, then, that the decision to go or not to go to grad school is as complex as uncertain, for there are no clear-cut arguments in favor of it or against it.

To be sure, it is not easy to predict what the ROI of grad school will be, though the factors outlined here may help you assess your own individual circumstances. Like any big decision in life, this one requires a fair amount of courage and risk taking. That can mean going into teaching, or getting a role with more authority and responsibility at your company. If that sounds exciting, then you may already be thinking about how to apply to grad school. This question is pretty simple.

Other highly popular graduate degree programs include public administration and social services, computer and information science, theatre and performing arts, social sciences, history, psychology, and theology. You can safely assume that these more popular programs will be available at most graduate schools, but you may be interested in a different area that is less common at grad schools like technology or production.

Depending on the size of a college and their faculty, they may specialize in some things but not have enough instructors to teach others. The safest way to know what any school offers is to check their website. That way, once it comes time to complete the online college application , you will know just what to apply for and which boxes to check off. You can also contact a graduate school directly by email or phone and just ask for them to send you information on what programs they offer.

Every year new industries, government policies and social issues lead to new graduate programs. So keep looking and keep asking, because there will be more choices for you as time goes on. Compared to being an undergrad, going to grad school is all about having more choices. That can feel like freedom, or it can be overwhelming. The financial options are different, the options for your living situation are greater, and the chances to have a social life are not the same, either.

Before you do anything else, read this and remember: do not go to graduate school because you have nothing better to do. This type of professional school will require much more energy, time, and effort than your undergraduate degree program.

It takes too much effort and money to use as a double gap year. So, on to the practical stuff. Start with people who already have graduate degrees and ask them what it was like. Did they enjoy their classes during their graduate study? Could they balance their time? Was it affordable or did they have to take significant student loans to attend? Did a grad degree help them get a better job or make more money? Not only will these conversations help with your decision of whether or not to attend, but by speaking with professionals you may get the inside scoop on how to submit an outstanding application and what typical grad school interview questions entail.

Think about what you want to do for a living.