Chloe Reid

Reporter

Spring graduations are right around the corner. As exciting as starting a new chapter in your life can be, it can also be very intimidating. Considering your options after graduation, whether it be in a few weeks or a few years, can be overwhelming to any college student. Whether you might be considering trying to jumpstart your career by landing a job right after college or thinking about applying for a graduate school after acquiring your degree, there’s a field of possibilities for upcoming college graduates to consider.

The concept of grad school can seem a bit confusing at first. Why would you need to continue your education further after you’ve graduated? Isn’t the first college degree enough? In some cases, no. For a simple explanation, grad school is a chance to further your education in a specific field after graduation. It helps you further understand your career path in a way that wasn’t fully taught throughout the typical four years of college. So how do you know if grad school is a good match for you?

You’re certain of what you want to do in the future

Grad school is a great way to expand your knowledge and skills in the field you’ve studied throughout your first four years. Grad school is very specialized in comparison to a traditional college, meaning that changing majors is very rare. In grad school, classes are very focused on one topic to assist in learning more about a specific field of study. If you’ve found yourself tossing around majors throughout your time in college, or find it difficult to truly feel passionate about one major or another, applying to a grad school might not be your best bet.

Your desired job requires an advanced degree

For some career paths, a simple bachelor’s degree in your major will suffice. However, this doesn’t apply to all. For careers in the medical, law, finance and social service fields, an advanced degree is most likely required. If you’ve been studying to become a doctor, lawyer, psychologist or economist, you’ll most likely need further education. If researching your desired career path shows that the field requires a master’s or doctoral degree, grad school will most likely be the best path to take.

You’re ready for a more rigorous education

Heading into the job field directly after graduation might not be for everyone. For those who enjoyed the college experience and want a chance to further their education in a topic they love, grad school is a great choice. However, grad school does come with more challenging academics compared to the traditional first four years. Truly consider your options before deciding and make sure you have a genuine interest in going. Traditionally, depending on the field of study, grad schools can require an additional 2 to 7 years to graduate. Grades in grad school will also be a bit more challenging to maintain. In most experiences, a “B” grade can be considered the same satisfactory level as a “C” grade would in a four-year college. While the typical minimum GPA requirement for grad school is a 3.0, some law or doctoral schools can require a competitive GPA of 3.5 or above.

You want expanded knowledge of your desired career path

Like previously mentioned, grad school provides career-specific courses in comparison to a four-year college and can assist in furthering your knowledge on the major you received your degree in. Besides just using grad school as a way to achieve a more advanced degree, it’s also a great way to become more knowledgeable in the career path you hope to pursue in the future.

Consider costs

Undeniably, grad school will add a greater amount of expense after college. According to Petersons, a college assistance website, someone who obtained a master’s degree will obtain an average of $40,000 more a year than someone with a bachelor’s degree. However, this is relying on averages, and the actual difference of income may increase or decrease depending on the person. With this in mind, on average, grad school in total costs about $30,000-$40,000 annually to attend, whether it be a public or private school. Depending on how long you attend grad school, the total cost of attending could range anywhere from $80,000 to $280,000. Because of this, several people who have attended grad school have been faced with the harsh reality of loans that are hard to pay off. However, this fact shouldn’t completely disenfranchise you from considering the possibility of grad school. Although additional income for graduates varies, grad school has proven to be successful for many and the cost shouldn’t act as a complete barrier from attending. If you’re still unsure about the ability to pay off the additional expenses, maybe put further consideration into attending.