untilgradschool

Hours of testing and it’s not even definate? I’d love to find an alternative admissions process where I can go in, talk shop, show off my resume and just plain old interview. I’ve been told by so many conformists that the GRE’s and GMAT’s are just the nature of the best and that I shouldn’t get myself so worked up over them. I hate that! There are definitely grad schools out there that don’t require you to spend hundreds, or even up to thousands of dollars just for a dumb standardized tests. Are these schools accreddited without requiring ST’s? How important is accredidation to an employers?

I’m under the impression that the real value that will shine through in graduate school is the networking. Whether it is research for professors or the internships held, these are the real-life applications that experience is built upon. Additional to learning skills and techniques on an internship, you’re meeting people that could very well employ you after graduation. If they can’t employ you, somebody should be able to that they know. Is this too utilitarian? Is the system too rigid and inflexible to be worked around? I sure hope not. Otherwise I may have to give a second thought, or by now, a fifteenth thought on where/when/if and why I want to go to graduate school.

Besides, I’ve met plenty of people with masters degrees (no exaguration) who have absolutely no skill in the jobs they hold. Their qualifications lie soley in a piece of paper that they bought (or earned) and hence they are instantly more valuable than I. Here I am, blogging, freelancing, volunteering, trying to build a portfolio and a reputation. Unless I work for myself, which would be great, I’ll need demonstratable intellectual assets to write down on my resume to be of use to anyone who would pay me to do interesting work.

I’m so anti-establishment tonight. I don’t know what’s gotten into me at all. I feel like I’m paying out to a bunch of people ever day, week, month, year and so on with little to no personal growth resulting from it. The books I read, the people I meet and the music I listen to are far cheaper (especially the people, he he he) than any education I could ever find. I don’t want to lose my soul for the sake of fulfilling someone else’s idea of what it is to be a productive, useful human being. I feel better about the few hundred mediocre words that I put down here in my blog than an entire quarter of work at my job. Maybe that’s just the way I’m built. I’ve always sort of felt that way. Sources of authority are not meant to be trusted in my eyes and I’ll never pledge my allegience to any cause unless I’ve truly connected with the people it affects. I’m selfish because my causes are not reflected by the majority, therefor I place no faith in it (them).

I’m going to start a “get James into college fund.” Nobody will contribute because I’m a punk, but maybe I can shelter some of my freelance money from The Man’s taxes.

Several challenges present themselves to someone who is interested in Graduate School.

The time frame never quite seems right. It is quite easy to say, “I’m going to enroll this time next year.” But, the process of applying for next year comes and goes much quicker than next year actually does. Getting the ball rolling is the first step and probably the hardest.

Second, the tuition costs of course are outrageous across the board. One can only hope something special shines out about their intellect or potential so that a scholarship of some sort might be awarded.

Third, standardized testing fees are hundreds of dollars. To take one test, regardless of the score you receive at the end of it, you must pay hundreds of dollars just to sit down and take it.

Fourth, fees associated with applying are pretty bad. Try finding an application processing fee under $55. Occasionally (and I mean, rarely) the graduate office with display some semblance of mercy and allow the fee to be wavered, but otherwise this hefty fee easily adds up to hundreds of dollars if the list of graduate programs applied to is not whittled down.

But the programs… oh the programs! I look at the semesters laid out with classes and internships and thesis seminars and I feel like I’m going over a cruise ship itinerary saying, “I’ll do that and that and that and that too!” The classes seem a bit more interesting and specialized, as they should be for a “masters” level education. With the semester’s worth of classes that I spent taking graduate courses in a foreign university (the Harvard of Central Europe), I can tell you that the work load is heavier, but without a doubt more interesting. You don’t feel yourself straining to writing a compelling argumentative paper on Chaucer because graduate school should ultimately be the continued steps towards the passionate career you’ve always wanted.

Plus student life is romatic. Late nights studying, coffee shops, intellectual conversations. Being out of touch with the 9-5 world can be a beautiful thing once you’ve suffered it for a year or two. There are also the people that work full time and still take classes. How do they do it? How might I do it? It all seems so strenuous, yet entirely rewarding at the same time.

The steps taken towards grad school are not a sealed deal by any means. If you take the GRE or GMAT, your test scores are valid for years to come. So, if you do not get accepted to your program of choice or your situation doesn’t allow you to enroll immediately, then the money paid up until you get a satisfactory score on your test(s) has guaranteed you at least a chance to vie for scholarships, fellowships and admission. Working in a graduate admissions office at one point, I saw several applications of people who had applied many times to be faced with rejection. The people who continue their efforts to pursue educational and career goals are especially inspiring.

As my grandfather says emphatically, “it’s okay to spend money if it allows you to make money.”

Planning can be tough. Often life throws whatever it wants at you and the unexpected becomes situations that need adapting to. Continuing education, regardless of the location or price can definitely accelerate one’s path towards a better career, but what about other immediate and long term needs that should be tended to? Buying a house or condo during this real estate down swing could be a huge benefit for a young person trying to become more financially secure. Is getting into a house sooner than later more important than getting a graduate degree?

The student loan bills come every month, never fail. Rent keeps coming as well. The rent can be deflected by getting a condo. With a condo the money sent in every month will at least give you shelter and go towards owning the place you live in. That sounds much better to me. A more appealing price point would be even better. Not having to put a ton of money down up front would help. I don’t want to get into something that I can’t afford, but I’d be willing to stretch my budget and work more in order to accommodate my situation.

Good role models are hard to come by. There are dream jobs out there and the people that hold those jobs come from a wide array of circumstances. Some happened upon their jobs through networking, others may have been sought out for these highly coveted jobs because of their educational and work backgrounds.

The decision to pursue or continue one’s education in a certain field is one that can provoke hours, upon days, upon months and well into years of deep and conflicting thought. Anyone who has already gone through their undergraduate with a jaded view on their current life or job situation will have a large leap of faith to take in order to continue on their path towards whatever goals they have.

A good mentor, careful observation of the people around you as well as some careful introspection must be made in order to stretch graduate school dollars as far as possible. But then again, how can anyone be sure until they take that big chance?

No risk, no reward. The studying never ends and the path towards prosperity twists in ridiculous ways. Listen to the people that you look up to and always get as many opinions as possible. Is this networking, but in a meaningful way? What a concept!

Interesting correlations exist between the housing crisis and the emerging crisis in education. Variable interest rates can be the downfall of just about any unsuspecting borrower who believes taking a risk at the beginning of the borrowing term is worth it because of all the potential that lies ahead. Those who bought a home or went to college on borrowed dollars are faced with serious financial consequences.

Both housing and education accrue in value over time. Clearly the difference between housing and education is that once you have an education nobody can take it away. Choosing to make such a large purchase is rarely an easy decision, but societal and economic pressures can push along a hasty decision. There are plenty of homes on the market and innumerable banks to loan money for mortgages, so why don’t young people take more time in deciding where their educational dollars will be spent?

The value of an education can be measured in many different ways. The quality of professors, the amount and quality of resources to students, faculty and staff as well as the facilities and general stature of the school amongst its peers. But what exactly differentiates between a college that costs $45,000 a year and a state school that runs somewhere between $10,000 and $20,000 a year?

Quite possibly it all comes down to reputation. A truly motivated and gifted student will excel in virtually any setting that he or she is placed in. The student’s circumstances depend on how much money they will need to borrow, if any and which opportunities will be presented to them in their current location and educational setting.

The average student doesn’t have the opportunity to go through their undergraduate education for free. The tuition and resources available are therefore translated into a defined price tag that needs to be compared to other schools. Just because a school with a “better” reputation sends out their acceptance letter to an eager incoming freshman, does not mean that their reputation alone should equate to “buy, buy, buy!”

It is a tough realization to face when a recent graduate realizes that he or she has spent too much money on their education simply for the sake of living in a certain part of the country or for the façade and reputation associated with the college’s name. College tuition and all the costs associated with a good education can potentially be the best dollars that anyone can spend in their lifetime, but those dollars should be spent wisely in order to ensure the biggest return on investment throughout a lifetime.

College is a concept sold to young people as the key to a higher earning potential and the doorway to interesting and exciting opportunities in life. A degree does indeed offer all sorts of great things for a young person to explore. The years and costs associated with a degree are lost as consequential numbers compared to the dreams and aspirations of the would-be college Freshman.

The allure of a good education as well as a good adventure seems to be enough for the average 18 year old to eagerly take on relatively massive amounts of debt in order to get from points A to B. Is it worth it? Most would probably say yes. But, the decision to take on debt and the foresight on how to manage debt are aspects of education that more people should be knowledgeable about. Just about anyone can get a student loan. But the interest rates and other terms of the loan can make the difference of thousands of dollars during repayment.

Also, the options to be frugal and shop around for one’s education exist. No one holds a gun to your head during the college application and acceptance process. Not all cheaper schools have inferior programs and many state schools have incredible amounts of resources to offer at the fraction of the price of many private institutions. Learning what is right for the individual and attacking the payment plan should be focal points considered in a young person’s senior year.

Student loans must be paid back. High interest rates and long repayment terms are sobering reminders post-purchase that a college education can take you places, but you don’t want it to hold you down either.

Senior year of high school had passed and the dewy eyes of a first generation city kid stared at the next four years as being the spring board to his entire future. Tuition, financial aid and student loans were new and scary concepts being introduced to this young adult. Soon he would have to make a decision to whether the expensive college or the local state schools would be his destination.

Regardless if the main character to this common story is a he or a she, rich or poor, smart or just average, the four or so years passing pass in a blurry of mental and emotional growth and the person at the beginning will be catapulted into their new world; a resulting from the once thought to be meaningless interest rates and job growth factors hardly considered at the beginning of the journey. 

 The journey becomes the story and the story makes the person. Whether the high road leads farther or higher is the job of the navigator to find out.