posted
I have returned briefly from my self-imposed hiatus to bring an important question before the Jatraquero council: Should I go to grad school next year?
Here's the deal: Six months after graduation I found myself with a rather boring part-time administrative job, and no idea what else to do. I longed for the days back at school, so I decided to apply to grad school. I considered computer science (too technical), philosophy (too impractical), education (me thinks me = too shy for school teaching... although maybe not), and finally decided to apply for the PhD program in Political Science at my alma mater, for a variety of reasons including because I'd get to study ancient Greek philosophers while simultaneously coming out with a degree that might be useful - and also because I thought I could get funding, a necessity.
Well, I applied and was accepted - but got no funding. But I waited a few months and somebody dropped out - leaving me with a TA deal that would allow me to pretty much break even going to school next year.
Thus I now face the question: Should I go? After all, I don't know what I would want to do with this degree, or whether Political Science really is my favorite subject (I only took a couple PoliSci classes in undergrad), and I'm not all that into the idea of staying there for 5-6 years to finish the whole PhD. On the one hand I get the standard career counselor advice that "you should only go to grad school once you know what you want to do!" - waving statistics about poor, underemployed PhDs at me. On the other hand, I get the family/friend advice that I should just go do it, that I've got "nothing to lose" - which is true, at least in terms of my jobs prospects at the moment. After all, I might like it - or love it! But then again, maybe not...
So, what's a poor, confused grad to do? Take the money and go off to grad school next year? Or wait another year or two until I really know what I want to do, forfeiting the funding money and potentially the chances of returning to my beloved school? What do the wise and experienced Jatraqueros have to say on the matter?
posted
Yes, you should go, but first, stop running around in circles. You'll never get anywhere running in circles. Seriously though, go.
Posts: 4569 | Registered: Dec 2003
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posted
a graduate degree can help you get a job...but as a grad student myself, I can tell you grad school can be very tough if you don't love what you are doing. Knowing exactly what you are doing after you graduate is not as important as knowing you really love what you are going to study. If you don't it will be very hard to push yourself through the reading and writing that is required.
Posts: 1901 | Registered: May 2004
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posted
On the issue of "while I have the chance", I expect I'll continue to have the chance for a long time - and I'm pretty sure I'll inevitably go to grad school in some subject at some point in the future. It's more an issue of now (and avoid more evil job hunting) or later (and have a better idea of what I want) ...
Edit: Dag, have you had the chance to hang with Sabato?
posted
Yes, go. Don't use it as an excuse to not think about the rest of life, but go if you have the opportunity.
Posts: 26077 | Registered: Mar 2000
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posted
No, but apparantly he thinks I have. I keep getting stuff from his center for politics and his youth campaign. We participated in some debates he set up during elections. But the presidential campaign during my undergrad years was 3 months after I started, and I didn't know who to pay attention to yet.
He did a chat on the Post yesterday, and will probably be all over the place during the last months of the campaign, so it should be a good time. Plus, this election promises to rewrite a lot of conventional wisdom, since about half the usually reliable indicators point to a Bush landslide and half point to a Kerrey landslide.
posted
Are you thinking a masters or a PhD? This is an important distinction that should be made. A masters is a fairly short time commitment with a clear end. It's also possible to do a masters without getting bogged down in some of the particularly nasty things that make grad school awful.
Everyone else is telling you to go and do it. I thought that I should point out that grad school has a rather nasty side. I've also discovered that not having a good idea of why you're there makes it less fun.
I frequently feel that I'd rather be working a boring 9-5 job doing anything than be in grad school. It consumes all of my time. I don't have a lot of time to read for fun, or write or much else. I'm also fairly socially isolated from the rest of the world especially during semesters. There's always some paper, some presentation, some prject, or some test that means I often can't take a night off. If I knew/remembered why I was doing this or if I was totally in love with the material it would be much easier some days.
Just a word of caution. Only you can decide if you should go but really think it through.
Posts: 872 | Registered: Mar 2002
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posted
Well, I'm not sure exactly... Political theory was one area, among several (my majors were Economics and Philosophy), that I dabbled around with in college and enjoyed somewhat. I also spend a lot of time arguing about politics around places like this forum. But at the same time, it's not something that I go around thinking about all day, and I've never been all that interested in, say, working on Capitol Hill or something. It's possible I'd love it, but also possible I'd get bored quick... particularly in the subfields of American and Comparative Politics, which I'm a lot less experienced in.
I originally applied to the field because I had a whole number of different fields I couldn't decide between (it seems I'm a generalist), and this one sounded like a good compromise. But since then I've begun to question whether compromise was a good approach to take.
Before applying I thought I might go into social science research after a few years, but after looking into that a little more I realized that might be boring for me. I've started some volunteer tutoring and coaching and have found working with younger kids very rewarding - putting the idea of teaching back into my head instead. But, I'd need an education degree for school teaching, and if I was going to try to teach at the college level (and thus go for the whole PhD) I'd probably want to do it in Philosophy, which is my truer interest area - an area, I might add, with few jobs even at the PhD level.
So, to make a long story short, I'm generally confused about my level of interest - but then again confusion is a normal state for me.
Edit: Sarah, I applied for the PhD program because that was my means of getting funding, but I could leave with a Masters after two years and a thesis.
And I might add, you can count on me to "think it through" - more so than necessary.
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Seriously though, go.
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I'm an advocate of being a student forever and ever!!!
