What made you want to apply to grad school?

[Guest GuestGirl]

Hello, everyone!

To take your minds off those silly admissions decisions and to reaffirm your desire (which may be waning right now) to attend graduate school:

Why did you decide to apply to graduate school? What is it that you think you can achieve by going to grad school that you could not achieve otherwise? :?:

[meridionale]

I felt that getting a masters would help make me a better qualified candidate for job prospects. I also enjoy being in school, so not only will it help my career (as I am getting a professional degree), but the connections I make and the people I meet will also benefit my future.

[Guest]

to be a professor .. duh

[Guest Guest]

to be a professor .. duh

You say, "duh," but not everyone who goes to grad school wants to be a professor. Don't be rude and don't assume. Certainly, getting a Ph.D. oftentimes means one is on the academic path, but a lot of people go to graduate school for other reasons. For example:

1. Better pay with higher degree.

2. Desire to study material in a different way.

3. Vocational skills.

4. Desired position requires a Master degree or above.

5. Administration.

etc.

The list is really endless. :?

[Guest shellyb]

good question, guestgirl. my biggest reason is that i want to do research!!!!

[kamay]

I am trying out a new track for studying the same subject I did as an undergrad. By changing fields, I hope to better understand some of the issues I came across before.

[Guest]

well it was implied "grad school" = phd .. people get phds to become profs ... it's just that not everyone can become a prof ... not enough positions etc ... as for like grad school in terms of md / jd / mba / dss / etc .. then of course it's more like .. to get more moeny or something

[Guest Guest]

well it was implied "grad school" = phd .. people get phds to become profs ... it's just that not everyone can become a prof ... not enough positions etc ... as for like grad school in terms of md / jd / mba / dss / etc .. then of course it's more like .. to get more moeny or something

"Grad school" can also mean M.A., M.S., M.F.A., etc., and there are a lot of people here applying to Master programs.

[Guest shellyb]

how bout the msw, you def don't get that for more money! But i'm going for the phd to be a prof, hopefully one day!

[Guest]

the field i want to go into (urban planning) generally requires a master's degree even for entry-level jobs.

and also, i'm turning 30 soon and i want one of those "career" thingies.

[Guest]

let's not forget that higher degrees don't always equal more money. you have a much better shot and a better starting salary with an MA in English or Literature than a PhD in either.

[yin-bodhi]

In kindergarten, I told my teacher the work was too easy and then I asked her when I could go to college. She didn't like that, but I think I've always wanted a Ph.D. for one reason or another. I don't want kids and I want to make a difference in the world. I want to mainly conduct research and help solve social issues (mostly on an international level) that are in our world. Plus, I'm lost without academia. Sure, I want to conduct research in the private sector for a while (shhh... don't tell) but eventually I want to be a professor.

[Guest]

I'm pretty much with yin-bodhi on this one. I'm a moderately smart child-free do-gooder not driven by $$$. I got a master's degree, went and worked in the real world for six years, and just knew I needed more intellectual stimulation. While I'm in school, I want to feel intellectually pushed half to death. I haven't given much thought to what I will do after. Eventually, I want to do research with impact, where I am constantly learning. I think that would make me happy, which is ultimately why I am going to grad school.

[Guest guest]

I applied to meet more people to work with, not just my professors, but my classmates. My field is all about connections and they're just harder to get without grad school. I took off a few years to work and now I'm ready.

[Guest]

Because every time I walk onto a campus - regardless of the school - my face lights up and I walk a little lighter. I have an MS under my belt and the thought of being paid to go for 4 more years seems like a dream job (granted, I am going from a 6-figure salary to about $20K, but heck, it's still pay). I am at home in academia.

Secondly, having work as an IT consultant for the past 10+ years, I get frustrated at seeing projects completed (either successfully or failure) and no time being put into what made the project a success/failure. I want to be able to step back and research what makes a project successful.

--Boat Meadow

[Guest]

I applied for all the hot chicks. w00t w00t engineering :wink:

[Guest]

well it was implied "grad school" = phd .. people get phds to become profs ... it's just that not everyone can become a prof ... not enough positions etc ... as for like grad school in terms of md / jd / mba / dss / etc .. then of course it's more like .. to get more moeny or something

you are just in a field where the only need for having a PhD is to be a professor or, if you do go to industry, there isn't a large need so no big $ or not a big difference.

Demand for PhDs vary a lot. For instance, some fields are overrun with PhDs, others are in need and you can go into the industry making 100k+ and I am not talking about Law, Bus, Med.

[AliceInChains]

I am fed up with the world's dependency on oil, specifically the US and how it affects our govt, etc.

So I will get a PhD in EE emphasizing renewable energy sources and other factors that are important to the energy industry and see how I can help throughout my career.

oh, I can be honest and say I don't think I am ready for a real job and so I stuck with school.

The other reason would be that I will probably be the only successful person in my family and my parents don't really have a retirement that can support them.

here is some enjoyment for future PhDs:

http://www.phdcomics.com/comics/archive.php?comicid=3

http://www.phdcomics.com/comics/archive.php?comicid=282

http://www.phdcomics.com/comics/archive.php?comicid=283

http://www.phdcomics.com/comics/archive.php?comicid=291

http://www.phdcomics.com/comics/archive.php?comicid=292

[Guest bianca]

the only things I know how to do are research and teaching. I'd be completely lost without academia. I don't care about earning tons of money- I want to be able to continuously feed my intelectual curiosity. plus I love to study and I'm very passionate about my research area - human sexuality.

also, my father is a university professor so I know what that life's like and I think I'm gonna enjoy it in the future.

for the next 5 years though, I think it's just great that I'll be paid to study what I want to study!

[Guest Paddy_Conscience]

Having neither the desire nor the inclination to do things other than read books, write about books that I've read, and occassionally talk about said books with others, I have opted to remain in the safe, warm embrace of Mother Academia. Besides, I worked in the private sector for a few years, and I like the idea of having a job in which I can stop smiling all the time and am almost expected to be occassionally ornery.

[Guest Mnemosyne9]

Why grad school? I love sociology and want to devote myself to it full time. I want to do research, though I haven't exactly chosen the precise topic I want to work on.

Additionally, after some long thought, I realized I wanted to teach too. I work as a tutor for undergrads part time right now, and have done other activities involving teaching to some degree, and realized I really like it. I am a talkative person, I like speaking in front of groups, and I like being able to explain concepts and ideas to other people. When they get it I feel really good, and as a professor I think I can achieve that.

[History_Nerd]

How about working nine months a year? Kidding. I don't want a job that doesn't encourage creative thought. Plus, you have to want the lifestyle, I had a moment where I was sitting with a prof my sophomore year having coffee, and I thought, "Dude, he gets paid to do this. He gets paid to have a chat about history with me . . . "

Maybe it becomes a job at some point, but, in that case, I still don't want to go to law school. :roll:

[duckrabbit]

I've been looking forward to graduate school ever since I was a little girl. I don't want kids and am OK with not making a lot of money (I hope to become a professor, and in my field they don't make an insanely high income). What I do want is the privilege of spending several years studying and pushing myself intellectually, then the chance to get a job where I'm paid to do more of the same.

History_Nerd said: "Plus, you have to want the lifestyle, I had a moment where I was sitting with a prof my sophomore year having coffee, and I thought, 'Dude, he gets paid to do this. He gets paid to have a chat about history with me . . . '" and I completely agree.

[Guest kn0519]

I'm following my passion for music. After spending 5 years in the military and little over 3 working for an IT company, I finally decided to look into getting a foot in the door in the music industry. A friend of mine heard about Entertainment Business degrees and Music Business degrees and a lightbulb went off in my head. Why not combine my business experience in the music industry to become a music executive one day? So I found an internship locally and looked for schools with a Master's program. I really didn't want to get another undergrad and I knew the internship opportunities I would get at NYU would be great for this career move.

[PETRAL6]

the only things I know how to do are research and teaching. I'd be completely lost without academia. I don't care about earning tons of money- I want to be able to continuously feed my intelectual curiosity. plus I love to study and I'm very passionate about my research area - human sexuality.

also, my father is a university professor so I know what that life's like and I think I'm gonna enjoy it in the future.

for the next 5 years though, I think it's just great that I'll be paid to study what I want to study!

Where are you studying and in what field? Human sexuality can be covered in a number of areas. I am studying female sexuality in biopsychology at Chicago. Might be interested in discussing with you sometime.