Advice to Future Graduate Students

As I am now on my fourth year of post-bachelors education, people have been coming to me more frequently to ask for advice about graduate school, be that for applications, what programs to consider, or for anything they should know before starting. So below, I have put the top points I tell people when they are considering/applying for graduate school.

1) Be sure this is what you want to do.

This is the most important piece of information I give people. If you want to go to graduate school, you better be sure it is 100% what you want to do. If you do not have any career exposure to the field you want to do a graduate degree in, I recommend getting some. That can be through shadowing, taking a a year or two to work in the field, or speaking with a variety of individuals that work in that area. It is important that you have a good grasp of the area you are going to do your graduate degree in because graduate school is expensive, a time commitment, and does not provide as much flexibility as undergraduate programs, so you want to make sure it is what you want to be doing before making that investment. We have moved to a culture where individuals are coming straight out of undergrad and going in graduate degrees, and that does not work for everyone. You are better off taking some time off to figure it out before going back to school to make sure you are making the right choice.

2) This isn't just school, it's a job

Remember sitting in the quad between classes? Relaxing with your friends in the union? Being involved in 20 different student organizations? Well, graduate school isn't that. Now, I am not saying that graduate school doesn't have social elements, extracurricular activities, etc. (I was on the board of several student organizations during my masters), but it is not the same as undergraduate. Getting a graduate degree is more like a job. Many individuals work/intern part-time, are going to career building events, and are at different stages of life than the homogeneity of undergraduate. You should be showing up the way you would for a job, always on time and always bringing your A game.

3) Learn to love networking

Going into my masters, I would have been the first to tell you that I hated networking. It felt so fake and robotic. However, networking is a huge part of the graduate school experience. Making connections with people and learning about different career paths will only help you once you are getting ready to go onto the job market. So practice networking, meet with career advisers, and change your mindset on how you feel about networking. You can also follow me for my article on how I learned to love networking for more tips in the coming weeks.

4) Listen to yourself

When deciding if you should start a graduate degree or not, you are likely going to seek the advice of experts in your field or mentors that you have. For every one person that says you should go to graduate school, you are also going to talk to someone that says you should not. It is going to be very confusing to hear both arguments from people whose input you trust. Ultimately, the choice to go to graduate school is going to be your own, so you should listen to everything they have told you but then come up with your own decision. You need to create the opportunities you want for yourself, and if going to graduate school is going to create that opportunity for you, then you should pursue that choice.

5) Take your time to find the right fit

I know so many people who rushed into graduate school without doing the work to research the program or school enough and ended up regretting where they got their degree. The right program fit is so important. You should be able to identify an adviser that has worked on what you are interested in (for research based programs), a school that supports graduates going into the industry you want, or has a balance between internship work and classes that you are looking for. There are so many graduate programs out there that it seems like the choices are endless, but do your research and use your network to find out as much as you can about the program before you commit to it. Finding individuals on LinkedIn that completed the program you are interested in is a great way to find out more about a program if you do not know anyone that has completed it.

There are many more pieces of advice I cold give, but these are the five that I always give. Graduate school is an incredible time and I am happy to discuss with anyone that is considering taking the next step in their education.