Guest GuestGirl Posted February 20, 2006 Share Posted February 20, 2006 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? :?: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meridionale Posted February 20, 2006 Share Posted February 20, 2006 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 20, 2006 Share Posted February 20, 2006 to be a professor .. duh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Guest Posted February 20, 2006 Share Posted February 20, 2006 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. :? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest shellyb Posted February 21, 2006 Share Posted February 21, 2006 good question, guestgirl. my biggest reason is that i want to do research!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kamay Posted February 21, 2006 Share Posted February 21, 2006 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 21, 2006 Share Posted February 21, 2006 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Guest Posted February 21, 2006 Share Posted February 21, 2006 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest shellyb Posted February 21, 2006 Share Posted February 21, 2006 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! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 23, 2006 Share Posted February 23, 2006 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 23, 2006 Share Posted February 23, 2006 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yin-bodhi Posted February 24, 2006 Share Posted February 24, 2006 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 24, 2006 Share Posted February 24, 2006 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 24, 2006 Share Posted February 24, 2006 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 24, 2006 Share Posted February 24, 2006 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 25, 2006 Share Posted February 25, 2006 I applied for all the hot chicks. w00t w00t engineering :wink: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 27, 2006 Share Posted February 27, 2006 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AliceInChains Posted February 27, 2006 Share Posted February 27, 2006 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bianca Posted February 28, 2006 Share Posted February 28, 2006 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! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Paddy_Conscience Posted March 8, 2006 Share Posted March 8, 2006 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Mnemosyne9 Posted March 15, 2006 Share Posted March 15, 2006 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
History_Nerd Posted March 15, 2006 Share Posted March 15, 2006 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: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duckrabbit Posted March 16, 2006 Share Posted March 16, 2006 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest kn0519 Posted March 23, 2006 Share Posted March 23, 2006 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PETRAL6 Posted March 23, 2006 Share Posted March 23, 2006 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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