Graduate Study

Exploring Your Options
When deciding to go to graduate school, your career path or at least employment options should be foremost on your mind. You need not know exactly what you will do with your degree, but you should know what the possibilities are, and you should feel enthusiastic about one or more of those possibilities.

Perhaps you are thinking about a Ph.D. in chemistry because you love research and think you may want to become a professor. Do not stop at that thought, but investigate what it takes to become a professor, as well as what other, non-academic career options there may be.

If you are already pretty certain about what you want to do, you may wish to ask yourself if a degree is necessary to do it. For example, is a master’s degree in journalism required if you want to be a journalist? Do some reading on the matter in the CDC library, and try talking to some journalists about their work and career path.

To prepare, read up on networking, informational interviews,and our wide network of alumnae. Consider doing an internship to see if the work and the work environment are right for you.

If you are considering pursuing graduate school because you don’t really know what else to do, or want to postpone “big” decisions, don’t! Going to graduate school under such circumstances could be a costly proposition in terms of both time and money. There is no harm in waiting for a year or more (a great many students do) to be certain that this is what you want.

Going to graduate school should be your own decision, and, preferably, your own idea. By all means, listen to the advice of friends, family, and mentors, but base your decision on what is best for you.