Grad School Dreamin’
Posted on January 14, 2005 7 Comments
Grad school presents an interesting dilemma for even the most driven professional in her 20s and 30s. How much do you want to invest in your current career?
A million questions bounce through my head when I think about grad school. In the marketing field, what’s more useful: an MBA or a master’s degree in IMC? Am I in the right profession; should I be looking at master’s programs in other fields to begin a new career? Is grad school a good time to make a lifestyle change and move to another market? What timing is right for me?
Because I cannot answer so many of these questions, I don’t think grad school is right for me just yet. I can’t fathom spending that much money on a course of action I am not sure of, and I want to build a financial cushion before making any major decisions. But I do know I’ll be in grad school at some point, so I read articles on the subject with interest.
For those of you closer to a decision, here are some great resources:
If you are considering grad school for business, log on to www.careerjournal.com, a sub-site of the Wall Street Journal, no subscription required. While you’re there, check out the “Women to Watch” section as well as the MBA link, which contains really informative articles and interviews.
Also check out BusinessWeek’s MBA insider at http://www.businessweek.com/bschools/mbainsider/. I don’t think you need a subscription for this either.
Anybody thinking about medical school will want to check out the AMA’s student Web site, though I’d assume if you received your undergrad in medicine you have a pretty good education plan laid out in advance:
http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/category/12851.html
For those considering law school, here is US News & World Report’s Law School site:
http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/grad/rankings/law/lawindex_brief.php
Also, here’s the ABA student Web site:
http://www.abanet.org/lsd/home.html
I could probably go on all day with this, but don’t have a ton of time. Sorry to all the liberal arts undergrads out there seeking master’s degrees! I couldn’t easily find a credible one-stop resource for you on the Web.
In addition to industry-specific data, here’s a recent column from Washington Post columnist Michelle Singletary about the costs of grad school and some new thinking on financing the journey:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A5338-2005Jan12.html
Category: Career
Tags: Grad school
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7 Responses to “Grad School Dreamin’”
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July 19th, 2005 @ 9:39 pm
This is a subject that has been on my mind– thanks for collecting these links! It’s really a tough call– do you risk the career progress you’ve already made by going back to school? Will it be worth the investment? If your company gives tuition reimbursement, can you handle work and classes at the same time? All tricky issue to grapple with. And every minute you wait, it gets harder!
August 10th, 2005 @ 12:46 am
I dream on going back to school for a PhD once I reach finantial freedom (somewhere around 35 to 40 years old… in 5 to 10 years).
Since my pre-freedom career will be short lived (not too much longer) I do not think it will benefit from the education investment.
I can go to school later and use the PhD to become a proffesor at some college.
Money and Investing
January 3rd, 2006 @ 8:41 pm
Great info, thanks! I’m looking for a way to pay off my past undergrad tuition bill ($6k)so that I can apply to grad school, can I get a loan for that? I was laid off from my job before they could pay for it.
January 6th, 2006 @ 11:29 pm
Is your undergrad bill currently in the form of student loans? Or do you just owe the university outright?
I don’t know if you can a student loan to cover past education bills. I recommend that you call your school’s financial aid department before going to a bank.
I think you should consider working in your field to pay off that bill BEFORE you go to grad school. $6,000 is not a ton of money, comparatively speaking, but if you get a loan now and wait to pay it off until after grad school, it will snowball into a lot more, all added to your grad school loans.
One exception here is if you are going to grad school for a high-salaried profession (med school, law school). What you make on the back end will likely outweigh the $6k that you owe now.
If, however, you’re going to become a writer or musician or academic, etc., I’d think about holding off a year or two to pay down that debt rather than taking out a loan to cover it now.
However, if you have $6k left in a STUDENT LOAN granted by the government, you can have it deferred while you go back to grad school.
Double check everything I wrote here. As I typically state in my disclaimer, I AM NOT IN FINANCE, ACCOUNTING, or any related field. Just someone who has a blog.
June 18th, 2006 @ 11:13 am
This is my first visit to the website – great idea and I’ve enjoyed reading. I admire your openness regarding your finances.
In response to grad school, if it’s something that you are really serious about and want to do, I say go for it! Don’t wait. I contemplated the decision for a few years before I finally just went for it. So, in December 2005, I quit my job, enrolled in a university in Switzerland and went back to school full time to pursue my MBA. This experience has undoubtedly changed my life forever.
Financially, the timing probably wasn’t the best for me, but I’ll make it work. The return on an MBA is typically pretty high. It’s really important to think about why you want to go back to grad school – are you looking to move ahead in your current career? Make a career switch?
If you’re financially able to go back to school full time, even if it’d be a bit of a stretch, I’d seriously consider it. It will allow you to concentrate on your studies and complete your degree much more quickly. If you’re able to move to another city or another country to pursue your degree – even better I think. It will add to the learning experience and open up so many new doors for you!
March 28th, 2007 @ 9:14 pm
Grad school is by far the hardest and most frustrating thing I’ve ever done. I’m a year from my Ph.D., but I’m not sure I’d do it all over again if I had the chance.
December 13th, 2007 @ 10:18 pm
Lots of people go on to medical school after completing undergrad studies in something else entirely. (Also, in the US, there is no such thing as an undergrad degree in “medicine,” although there is in Europe.) A BA/BS in biology is no insurance that you’ll make a good doctor, and a degree in humanities could lead you into med school if you have taken all the science prerequisites. It’s a big investment, though, in both time and money, so people should make a wise decision on all grad school programs!
Jerry
http://www.leads4insurance.com