posted
I think I've posted about these things before, or not, I don't remember any more. I've got three quarters of school left, and then I'll leave with a B.S. in chemistry and a minor in math. I've done well grade wise.
At this point I am strongly considering graduate school, and will in all likelyhood, apply and attend somewhere. I've talked to people at Drexel, and here at PSU this summer, and all of these people made the choice to go. All of them see this as an easy, no brainer kind of choice. Everyone I have ever talked to has told me that I should go.
I feel as though I have missed something here, that I am not seeing the whole picture. I don't want to make a choice that will use years of my life in a cavalier way.
So what I guess I'm interested in hearing from people who didn't go, but also people who aren't academics that went. I don't really care what the subject you studied was, but more the though process that led you to make your choice.
There is also the question of a masters vs. a doctorate. Choosing one over the other represents different goals to me, and will massively influence both my area of specialization and the choice of schools to apply to. I see a Master's degree, for someone fresh out of school as a way to become more employable. A phd is more of an end in and of itself, in my mind at least.
Actually contrary to what I may have said above, say anything you want, I'd be interested to hear it.
Posts: 1621 | Registered: Oct 2001
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posted
Honestly it depends on your career path and what you want to achieve.
Yes, you can get a Master's in Chemistry and probably do very well - but you should check the requirements for Drexel and other companies and what they like/prefer for what jobs.
If you go private, you can carve an excellent niche for yourself with either the Master's or the Doctor's - I am of the impression that a Doctorate is more in keeping with professional academics, but my father has a Doctorate in Chemistry and he went to work for Coca Cola until he retired.
How's that for not being very helpful? Although if you're going to pursue a Doctorate, I hope you love your subject matter.
posted
I have only a bachelor's. I kinda wish I had gotten a master's although it wasn't really an option right when I finished up my degree. (Nor is it now. I think it may be again at some point in the future.)
I think my point is, if it IS a fairly straightforward option for you right now, take it. It seems to me, far more people say, "I wish I had gotten that degree!" than say "Man, that was a waste of (however many) years!"
Then again, my parents are both PhDs, and academics to boot.
posted
My experience was that the 2.5 years I took off between bachelors and masters was enough to lose significant technical mastery. My BS was Aeronautical Eng, and MSE was Aerospace Engr (Fluid Mech and Hypersonics). My recommendation is that if you're going to get a MS in a technical aspect of your field get it while you're still fresh. You'll most likely get it done more quickly and with less angst.
Now this doesn't answer the question of whether you should spend the time getting the MS at all....that is very dependent on individual circumstances.
posted
Get your master's. It's becoming increasingly important in the sciences, even applied science, and it's almost certain that you'll never reach a managerial/supervisory role without one.
Posts: 37449 | Registered: May 1999
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posted
It is typical to get the masters before the doctarate. But when applying you can apply to both programs and then pick up the masters along the way.
If you're just thinking about doing the masters I'd say go for it. Two years isn't that long and many people go back and get it eventually. Many people here who are taking classes wish they'd just gotten it done with while they remembered how to do things like take tests. As far as the PhD I don't think that taking time off and working is a bad thing. The people I know that came back from industry are more efficient workers and they are more focused. Both of these qualities make a PhD program easier.
Really it's up to you. If you're not sure about what you want a PhD program will be hard because you'll most likely spend a lot of time wondering why you're doing this to yourself. However, a good option might be to go somewhere where you can get the masters and then consider the PhD.
There are quality of life issues to consider. You're poor in grad school and you don't have the time or money to do a lot of stuff. However, it's not an awful job either. I can set my own schedule and work on what I'm interested in.
Posts: 872 | Registered: Mar 2002
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posted
In the sciences it's usually not necessary to get a master's degree before entering the PhD program, thought some people do, particularly to beef up their resume if they're trying to get into a very competitive program. Many schools (including mine) don't offer a master's program at all, but give a master's degree to people who leave (or are asked to leave) the PhD program without completeing the PhD but after spending 2 or more years working towards it.
Anyway, I guess the reason some people see it as a no-brainer is that in some fields in science there is hardly any downside at all to going to gradschool. The pay isn't as horrible as you might think, and you get to do some pretty exciting work and set your own hours.
In my case, after I got my B.S. in Biology I was working for a company as a lab tech, making about $26,000 a year. I had been with this company for several years, so I knew there wasn't much chance for advancement. I had been looking for a better job in my area, but all the entry level jobs paid less than what I was making.
Then, someone I knew started talking about gradschool, and I realized just what a good deal it is for someone in the sciences. Most schools I applied to paid a stipend of about $21,000 a year, plus tuition, fees, and health insurance. It would be a paycut for me, but not a huge one. And at the end of 4-6 years I would really have something to show for it, unlike at my old job, plus I would have more chance of truly benefiting mankind through my research.
Now, gradschool certainly hasn't been a walk in the park, but I don't think I'll ever regret going.
Also, something to consider when choosing whether to go for a masters or PhD is that you are far, far more likely to to get everything paid for when working on a PhD.
Posts: 96 | Registered: Jun 2001
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posted
Oh, and I just wanted to add that, yeah, taking time off and working for a year or two between your undergrad and grad school is not a bad idea. In fact, I would say at least 2/3rds of the people in my PhD program worked for at least a year. In fact, such people are favored for admission here because "lab/research experience" is one of the areas the admissions committee considers.
Posts: 96 | Registered: Jun 2001
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posted
Generally, with just a BSc you're going to be a lab rat who does the experiments that people with higher education tell you to do. It comes down to what you're happy doing (and, obviously, how much money you're happy making). If you ever want to be in charge of a project or decide what projects you're going to do you're going to need at least a masters. Much more likely a PhD. If you're happier with keeping your hands dirty than reviewing endless amounts of papers than stick with your BSc.
But with 3 quarters of your schooling left, I wouldn't spend any sleepless nights worrying about this. That's a course for 4th year students: "Staying up all night worrying about what you're going to do with your degree and your life." It's quite popular.
Posts: 3243 | Registered: Apr 2002
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posted
I think he means three quarters as in one school year. Like 3 quarters=two semesters, if his school is on the quarter system.
Posts: 96 | Registered: Jun 2001
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posted
Guess it all depends on your end goal -- and everything has to be planned with that end goal in mind. If it gets you closer to it, then go for it. If it doesn't-- then question it.
My own son is about the enter this same quandry. He is about to finish his biology/chemistry dual major bachelor degree, and can't decide if he wants to go further, mainly because he hasn't decided on an end goal -- what he wants to really do as a career.
Very hard to get somewhere if you don't know where you are going...
posted
You might also consider getting some years of work experience in your field before you go back for a Master's. Then you might have a better idea of exactly which program you want, and you'll definitely have a better idea of exactly how it will benefit you.
Though I suppose in some fields you pretty much need those extra degrees before anyone takes you seriously enough to hire you. And there's something to be said for getting all the education you can before you move on in life.
Anyway, something else to consider. Posts: 5957 | Registered: Oct 2001
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posted
I'm in the human services field and advanced degrees are required for upper level positions.
I currently hold my BA in Community Services (social work) with an emphasis in political science/history. My end goal was to apply my decade of direct service experience (both paid and volunteer) to the macro-level of social work. I.e., how to keep those government and corporate programs in line with the actual reality of providing services to different populations.
While the years of experience DO count, the degree is what is listened to, not the experience.
But I am not willing to sacrifice anymore "mommy" time to classes and studies. Full-time (plus) work already eats enough of that time, and Nathan really got very little of me for the last two years of my BA.
Although, he WAS too young to complain when I read him my textbooks for bedtime stories - he was just happy to be snuggled and read to . . . Posts: 5609 | Registered: Jan 2003
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