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applying to grad school after being out of college


modern_muslimah

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I've been out of college since August 2008. I graduated from Case Western with a degree in Religious Studies. My GPA was a 3.77 and my major GPA was a 3.87. My husband moved to Toledo right after I received my degree and I had a hard time finding a job. I didn't want to do grad school in Toledo plus I just felt that I needed a break from school. I finally did manage to find a job as a secretary at an Islamic School. I do like my job for the most part. I love the children and the staff that I encounter but honestly, I am ready to finally move on grad school. However, I am afraid that I will be seen as a horrible underachiever for only working as a secretary.

I was thinking that perhaps getting an MSW would be good for me since I did take a lot of sociology courses in college (I was one class short of having a sociology minor) and since I do blog frequently about social issues, especially among Muslims. I guess the main issue I am worried about is 1) perhaps I am not really meant to be a social worker 2) graduate social work programs might perceive this in my application and wonder if I am simply applying so that I can go back to grad school.

I have a lot of interests but I just don't think that most of them will allow me take care of myself. With an MSW, I will probably always have a job. Yes, I know that I won't make huge amounts of money but I'm sure it will be much more than what I currently make. Plus, it's not as if I don't care about making the world a better place.

I would love to get a graduate degree in religion but honestly, I don't know if I will be able to get a job after I graduate and additionally, I will have to take the GRE probably and frankly, at this point, I don't have time to take them.

I've talked to my mother and my husband and I still feel confused. I figured getting honest, unbiased feedback from strangers might be more helpful. All I know for certain is 1) I do not want to be at my current job come August and 2) I want to be back in school by that time. Help! :wacko:

ETA: I know some of you might suggest teaching. Please don't. I have substituted as a teacher and I do not like it.

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I don't think they would look down on you working as a secretary. My boyfriend got into a masters program this year after spending a year mostly unemployed, working part-time at a grocery store for a few months. People reading your application will not think that because you spent a year working in a job that may not be extremely challenging or competitive (well maybe it is, but you certainly seem to think it is beneath your potential), you are unqualified for their program. It is normal to spend some time after college working in temporary jobs that have little to do with your intended career. Lots of people have debts to repay after college, and can't afford to go straight to grad school. I doubt it will be a problem.

GREs will be a problem, though. If a program says they require the GRE, your application won't be considered without it. Try looking for programs that accept applications into the spring (instead of the usual December deadlines) or that allow students to enrol in the spring semester (i.e. starting in January 2011). If you apply to these places, you still have enough time to take the GRE.

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I wouldn't worry about having a secretarial job. I would just think about ways that you could make the job sound relevant to your grad program. Anything that even remotely involved research I would emphasize. You also don't have to say you were a secretary. You could also look into different ways to describe your job title, or just leave the job title off. Look at different resume layouts and get creative. In the end though, I don't think its an issue. I have friends in Phd programs who waited tables for a year before starting grad school..at top schools. Most schools look at the whole overall package anyway...they aren't going to focus only on your work experience -- so make sure the rest of your application is excellent.

Also..you seem concerned about picking the right degree. Try not to worry about it. Just pick what fits your interests, and will lead to a job that matches your strengths and just do it. One thing usually leads to another...and there are plenty of people with multiple masters degrees, phd's in topics different from their MA, and there are also those who end up doing something entirely different from anything they studied. I suggest taking the GRE (most schools require it), apply to the best programs you can, see where you get in and what kind of financial aid you get, and then make the decision...

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No time for the GRE? So what's changing between then and now that will help you have time for graduate school? Studying for one exam while working full-time isn't a big deal by any stretch of the imagination, even if you have family to worry about. You'll be busier than that if you start a graduate program. [edit: Oops -- upon further review, I may have misread that one. If you actually meant that there's no time to take it before applications are due, that's a bit of a different story. It would depend on the deadlines, in that case.]

You go to graduate school because you want to pursue a particular field or advance in your career. In your case, your post really sounds like someone who is simply unhappy with your current position in life and scrambling for an out. You suggest that you are worried about graduate schools perceiving you as simply applying for the sake of being back in school based on what you've done since graduation, but I actually think that you are worried about this because you know that it's true.

You articulated your reasons for getting an MSW poorly. If you're not even sure you want to do something that an MSW will help you achieve, then why waste your time? I'll definitely give you the benefit of the doubt, and you should post about why and how going back to graduate school will help you to advance in the long-term and accomplish your goals.

Also, before you think I sound like an ass, I'm blunt about this topic because the replies so far have been quite the opposite, and I needed a good dose of bluntness to get on the right track myself. I was going to apply to medical school just because it seemed like a good thing to do, without seriously considering the cons. That's not smart.

Edited by iggy
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I don't think they would look down on you working as a secretary. My boyfriend got into a masters program this year after spending a year mostly unemployed, working part-time at a grocery store for a few months. People reading your application will not think that because you spent a year working in a job that may not be extremely challenging or competitive (well maybe it is, but you certainly seem to think it is beneath your potential), you are unqualified for their program. It is normal to spend some time after college working in temporary jobs that have little to do with your intended career. Lots of people have debts to repay after college, and can't afford to go straight to grad school. I doubt it will be a problem.

That is encouraging. :)

I wouldn't worry about having a secretarial job. I would just think about ways that you could make the job sound relevant to your grad program. Anything that even remotely involved research I would emphasize. You also don't have to say you were a secretary. You could also look into different ways to describe your job title, or just leave the job title off. Look at different resume layouts and get creative. In the end though, I don't think its an issue. I have friends in Phd programs who waited tables for a year before starting grad school..at top schools. Most schools look at the whole overall package anyway...they aren't going to focus only on your work experience -- so make sure the rest of your application is excellent.

Again, this is encouraging and makes me feel better.

No time for the GRE? So what's changing between then and now that will help you have time for graduate school? Studying for one exam while working full-time isn't a big deal by any stretch of the imagination, even if you have family to worry about. You'll be busier than that if you start a graduate program. [edit: Oops -- upon further review, I may have misread that one. If you actually meant that there's no time to take it before applications are due, that's a bit of a different story. It would depend on the deadlines, in that case.]

I meant that I don't think I would have time to take it before apps are due not that I don't have time for the GRE.

You go to graduate school because you want to pursue a particular field or advance in your career. In your case, your post really sounds like someone who is simply unhappy with your current position in life and scrambling for an out. You suggest that you are worried about graduate schools perceiving you as simply applying for the sake of being back in school based on what you've done since graduation, but I actually think that you are worried about this because you know that it's true.

You articulated your reasons for getting an MSW poorly. If you're not even sure you want to do something that an MSW will help you achieve, then why waste your time? I'll definitely give you the benefit of the doubt, and you should post about why and how going back to graduate school will help you to advance in the long-term and accomplish your goals.

The thing is, I liked college (well, the papers not so much but I don't think I'm out of the ordinary on that and even then, researching for the papers was always interesting). I liked going to class and discussing different issues with intelligent and intellectual people. My passion really lies in studying religion and more specifically, Islam. I write a lot on Islam and gender. I did independent study on it, I write a personal blog mostly about it and, I write for another blog on media representations of Muslim women.

Since starting my job, I just feel like something has gone wrong. Basically, I just didn't have the time or didn't feel like it. It's quite draining. I realized something was just wrong. I just wasn't happy. I get no type of intellectual stimulation at my job. Besides my supervisor, who is really awesome, I can't talk about any of my interests to anyone anymore. I can talk to my husband about it sometimes. It actually feels really ironic considering that I work in an Islamic environment. What's also weird is that being a secretary isn't hard but it feels so much harder, so less natural than being a student.

As an undergrad, my dream and goal was to go on to grad school and study more about Islam and perhaps even study in a Muslim country. Deep down it still is. However, (I think my mom has a lot to do with this) I wonder how practical it is to get an MA and PhD in this area. I would need an MA since I would need to be proficient in Arabic and another language such as Farsi. I'm not there yet and I know I would have to be to get into a PhD program. I've read all the horror stories of PhD's who have to take menial jobs that have nothing to do with their actual degree just so they could have some income and then still couldn't pay off their student loans. I know not all PhDs have these types of stories but I still worry that this would become my fate. My husband has basically told me that there's no guarantees in life and that I need to suck it up.

I've realized that I need to be back in a university setting and that I really, really do not need to be back at my job come August. I refuse to go back to my job in August. I would love to go back for an MA in Religion or Islamic Studies but honestly, I don't think I would have enough time to study and do well on the GRE by the time I would need to apply for Fall 2010. I think Spring 2011 or Fall 2011 would be more feasible. Going this route though, I still have to figure out what to do in the meanwhile. Jobs are exactly plentiful where I currently live. I'm just afraid this fact will lead me to settle for another job where I'm really unhappy.

Also, before you think I sound like an ass, I'm blunt about this topic because the replies so far have been quite the opposite, and I needed a good dose of bluntness to get on the right track myself. I was going to apply to medical school just because it seemed like a good thing to do, without seriously considering the cons. That's not smart.

No, I don't think you're sounding like an ass. I'm happy you replied because I was looking for someone to be blunt (you probably have this expression :huh: on your face right now). How did you do to get out of your conundrum? How did you get on the right track and what are you doing with your life now? I hope you don't think my questions too personal. It's just good to hear from people who were in similar shoes (I thought about law school until I realized that truly was not right for me).

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You're still just giving reasons why you want to be back in school. It's just a temporary reprieve. In two years, what's to say you won't end up with another job you hate? You need to think carefully about the reasons you want a degree, and don't act rashly by just jumping into it. I'm guessing an MSW is going to require you to take out loans, and it's possible that an MA in religion would as well. You'd better be sure you'll be happy doing whatever you do after that, because you don't want to be in a bad job and in way more debt than when you began.

It sucks that you hate your job, but quitting it for graduate school is not the way to go until you have an exit strategy. Don't leap into anything that isn't going to improve your life long-term... and if sticking it out in your current job will help you get to where you want to be, then I'd use that as your motivation.

I was going to apply to medical school for a number of bad reasons. Good ones include wanting to be intellectually challenged by my work and be able to help people directly. Bad ones included that it just seemed like the logical thing to do for someone who really likes biology, and that being a doctor involved prestige and money. I figured out that medicine wasn't for me by researching it heavily and getting myself involved as much as I could by volunteering and shadowing doctors. In the end, I realized that I would be much more fulfilled by becoming a research scientist, and found that PhD programs were more up my alley.

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"I do blog frequently about social issues, especially among Muslims." This tells me you would be great in the social work field.

I am applying to MSW programs right now and will go on to PhD so I can teach at the university level. I already have a counseling psychology MA and have 12 years working with moms on public assistance.

I have to say that you would be a stellar MSW candidate. Your secretary work is awesome because you are immersing yourself in your subject everyday. This is great experience. If you are worried about social work you could focus on macro practice (studying organizations, policies and systems) instead of the face to face client work. Then you could work for advocacy agencies. Some schools even have an internationl option and several have religion. You would bring cultural competence to any program you attend and I think you would gain a lot from it too! Remember that you can always weave in, women's studies, religion, and journalism and make the program your own. Also a lot of top programs don't require GRE's.

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