Jul 28 2008
The weight of all sides combined
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.”
