NWR: Grad school?

LoveAdopted

Can anyone offer advice as to starting the process of applying to and starting grad school? I am feeling like the beginning of wedding planning- I don't know where to start! Thanks in advance!!

Ainslie325

I went to grad school prior to meeting and marrying my husband.  I chose to attend to the same university (private, Catholic) that I'd attended for my undergrad.  I went to graduate school fulltime while working fulltime until the final semester when I student taught (I was not an education major as an undergrad).  I would be most conscious of what the entire program will cost, whether tuition rates are locked in for the duration of the program, and have a sit down with DH about how you're going to finance the program (will you continur to work fulltime, cut back on work in an attempt to finish more quickly, take a year off and go fulltime, dip into savings, take loans, etc.).

Because I chose to attend a private school and finance it through student loans (which I took at the full amount to defray living and travel cost as my non-profit job had a meager salary and didn't provide benefits), I incurred a large amount of debt.  Granted, the increase in my earning power has been pretty huge, but it's still going to take a long time to pay off.  I would seriously recommend looking at state-funded institutions if they have the program you're looking for.  If this isn't a possibility, consider the lifestyle changes you'll need to make in order to avoid completely financing the education through loans (they're lower interest, but are a burden).  Investigate which schools have fellowships and teaching assistantships available, and how likely you'll be to get one.  Consider how long each school's program will take to complete, what opportunities exist for networking with alumni, and what kind of support they provide following graduation.

Another thing to be aware of are entrance exams.  For me, this would have been the GRE.  The test itself has a fee attached, but not all schools required it for admission to my program.  In part because state schools did, I didn't consider them seriously.  I had been out of undergrad for a while and didn't feel like taking a test.  In retrospect, I should have.  It's not always a tremendous factor in the admissions decision, I've always tested well, and my laziness and apprehension probably cost me (now us) tens of thousands of dollars in debt.

I loved my university, my professors, and my program, but given that my life is no longer all about me, I definitely would have made some different choices at the outset. 

soon2bMrsFWed25699

I have my J.D. (Juris Doctorate) but my undergraduate degree in Culinary Management, so I had very few options for graduate school with my major. I choose law for a variety of reasons. I went to law school part time and worked part time, while paying rent and living in the city. I was extremely stressed out to the point of vomiting weekly, and crying or having anger outbursts. Luckily my now fiance stuck with me through it all (he lived with me during it too), but I made many of my friends enemies because of my antisocial behavior because I didn't handle the stress well.
 
I have lots of advice.

1. I feel as do most of my colloques that if you think graduate school might be for you, it probably isn't. If you KNOW it' for you and KNOW what you're planning to do then it is!

2. Start scouting out schools early. Many have a variety of essays, teacher assistantships, scholarships, and exams that if you don't take early enough you might miss out on some great financial assistance.

3. Take a prep course for whatever graduate course you take. The LSAT for Law School, you can take multiple times but your scores are averaged together, and you are penalized depending on the school if you take the test more than 3 times.

4. Meet with an advisor before you apply with your transcripts. For a Post-Baccalaureate Licensure many of your undergraduate courses can count, and this will also transfer if you decide to continue on with your Masters. The same from Masters to a CAGs program.

5. Ask your professors for advice who are in the field you want to get your graduate degree in. They recommended some great University's and schools I didn't know about because they were smaller (meaning more intimate relationships with your teachers later one).

6. Apply early in your senior year of college. Don't wait until late fall or winter.

7. Find out the grading system/policy. Some schools I looked at only allowed you to have two C's your entire time at school before you were on academic probation, others had a "bell curve", where your grade was based on others around you. For example if you and 20 other students had A's or B's you would probably receive a C. If you had a C or a D on an exam, with 10 others you probably had a D or an F for your exam. Those who had A's were superior and fortunate to receive an A or a B on their exam. Some graduate schools just have biazzare grading rules.


I have a million more but I'm sue you know from experience already. Graduate school is really rewarding. Even though I don't practice law, my degree has helped me in any ways. I am able to get better mortgages because of my ability to pay off loans and get a higher paying career, and I have lots of other job opportunities not just in my field.

Oh one more thing. Be prepared to be in debt from loans for quite a while. Despite having a higher degree and a higher pay it still takes forever to pay them off!

Good Luck!!

october010bride

Picking grad school for me was fairly easy. I took a year off after undergrad and then started my search. I knew what I wanted to study and I knew where I wanted it to be so there were only a few schools for me to choose between.

I went to Simmons for my Masters in Teaching because the program was well known and respected, they have a fantastic placement program for graduates and the classes they offered sounded interesting to me. I did take the GRE's and was also accepted into BU and Northeastern.

I spent a lot on grad school but I knew that I would just take out loans. If paying for it is a concern then I would def look at state schools rather than private schools... you will get a much better deal at them. For ex. Simmons cost me 30k for my 1 yr program where as Salem State would have been closer to 10k. But I wanted the Simmons name that went with the school.

LoveAdopted

Thanks! Now I have a better idea of where to start.