The Lemon Life | online magazine offering a fresh perspective on post-grad life.

Arguments For and Against Going Straight to Grad School

Image By: Hugo Arias

We Don’t Need No Further Education

Words By: Sarah Stanley

Grabbing your bachelor’s degree and then heading straight to graduate school is a tempting option, especially in this economy. Not only is it another step forward, but it allows you to maintain control. Another block of time defined before it has even begun.  You have a vague idea of your path, on which you will be that much more prepared for with a strengthened resume in hand, and a title that literally declares you a master of your chosen subject.

For those who are looking to become doctors, or lawyers, or teachers, or any other vocation that requires additional specialized training, then graduate school is not just the logical next step – it has to happen.  And you’ve planned for it.  But don’t go to graduate school because you can’t think of anything else to do.  You’ll grow and mature of course; but you’ll be locked into a particular program and focus, without opportunity to explore the unknown and perhaps realize that your interests and strengths are actually different from what you’d originally thought them to be.

The idea of entering the working world can be daunting, especially when you have no idea what industry to even start with.  So don’t go by industry.  Just start looking at job listings.  Monster.com, Craigslist, local listings – study them thoroughly and see what seems enjoyable.  Or even just doable.  You’re most likely in your early 20s, and in a new phase of your life – you’ll evolve.  And the simple fact of the matter is that the more you experience, the more your interests will evolve too.

You’ll be exposed to jobs and fields that you might not have known even existed, and that heightened exposure will help you get a better idea of what you like, what you don’t like, and what allows you to thrive.  Perhaps you’ll find a position that aligns with what, as an undergraduate, you saw yourself doing, only to realize that you actually hate doing the type of work that you thought you’d love.  Disillusionment is sad, but wasting money on graduate school for that preconceived passion is even more upsetting.

Once you start getting a feel for what you enjoy, by all means revisit the graduate school option, this time for a degree that will compliment your work experience and interest.  Justify that tuition!

What’s most important though is that you don’t underestimate the capabilities you have with just an undergraduate degree.  Take advantage of your newfound freedom.  Carve out a path for yourself.  Because you can.  You’re no longer a student, no longer a disciple of a sheltering institution.  You’re now an independent, a realization that will subsequently lead you to self-identify as an adult.  The workplace will affirm this as you interact with colleagues who (hopefully) take you and your opinions as legitimate contributions. You’ll learn to respond to real-life situations. Call it a professional workout; building up those career muscles until you’re ripped and ready to continue upward.

So, if it’s a fear of the unknown that’s holding you back, or self-declared inexperience making you hesitant, ignore it and take the plunge.  Even if you don’t feel confident before you take it.  By doing so, you’ll gain more confidence, and in turn become that much more prepared to succeed in the real world.

In Defense of Grad School

Words By: Laura Dean

It’s your last semester of your last year of university and the question is unavoidable. Your classmates, your parents, your professors, your landlord, the person you’ve been buying sandwiches from for the last four years - everyone it seems, is asking the question, “What are you doing next year?”

I contend that, “I’m going to grad school” is an answer that you should feel proud to proclaim. 

While grad school is certainly not the place for every student, for those who feel they have not yet had their fill of institutionalized academia, a case can be made for marching off that graduation stage and back into the classroom.

The completion of a bachelor’s degree may leave you feeling one of two ways: completely burnt out or hyper-motivated. You may find that studying and writing papers towards the culmination of your undergraduate degree has energized you and awakened a desire to know more, write more, read more, hone in on and delve into the finer aspects of your major. Unless you are lucky enough to find a “job in your field” directly after graduation, it is possible that you will stray from your collegial concerns and forsake the field of study that once inspired you so.  Instead of running this risk, why not fan the flames of your intellectual fire, do your research, find the program that’s right for you and proceed boldly?

Finances stand as a menacing obstacle on the path leading to grad school.  The funds required to finance a graduate degree however are unlikely to be accrued after only a few years in the working world. One of my professors from grad school once said, “Debt is another way of saying ‘credit for the future’”.  In the wake of the credit crisis, I understand this piece of guidance may not offer the same reassurance it did when I first heard it. Regardless, I say to you: procure a loan against your future earnings. A graduate degree grants you access to more and better paying career options than an undergraduate degree. Even if the sign on the job market window appears to be flipped to the closed side, with persistence, your line of credit and regular payments will eventually become acquainted with one another.

Beyond the purely utilitarian, there are other, less tangible reasons why an immediate grad school enrolment is ideal. Grad school taught me how to enjoy my own company.  For four years I had been supported, entertained, accompanied and validated by the friends I had made in undergrad. I learned to do without their constant counsel in my new graduate environment and found confidence in the knowledge that the decisions I made there were entirely my own.

So sure, if the smell of the library or the stains of a highlighter evoke a sense of panic, hold off on grad school.  And sure, if you haven’t pinpointed what inspires you quite yet, just relax and pursue other options for now.  If, however, you find that your repertoire of party banter increasingly includes references to your honours thesis and if you notice that conversations on preferred citing methods have really started to get your motor running, then why delay the inevitable?  Why wait to go to grad school?

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