to graduate school just because you do not know what you want to do career-wise. Unlike a liberal arts undergraduate program, you will be concentrating in-depth solely on one subject. If that subject is not your passion, you will not last long in the program. Graduate school is not the place for you to ‘find yourself’ – you should be doing that at Wabash or through other experiences. Graduate schools are often very choosy regarding admissions, especially with regard to WHEN work experience. Ranked MBA programs in SHOULD I GO? particular rarely admit candidates unless they have significant work experience, 2 years at least. In general, the higher the graduate program or school is ranked, the more selective they are regarding work experience required for admission. You also need to determine if you’re ready. You have been in school for 16 years – do you need some time to work and/or make more focused career decisions? If you feel you are ready, and you have the necessary grades and academic experience, you may want to go ahead and complete the program immediately post-Wabash. Full-time programs obviously take less time to complete, but you have the opportunity for FULL-TIME VS. assistantships and possibly more in-depth PART-TIME reflection and study. Not all graduate programs have a part-time option, but many do. Some may allow part-time work at some stages of the program but still will require a full-time component. Doctoral programs often require that at least some part of the study be full-time. Part-time programs are becoming more popular, but do take longer to complete and may limit you more to working with part-time or adjunct professors. The answer to this question may also influence the part-time vs. full-time decision. Graduate WHO IS schools offer loans, assistantships, and some PAYING? scholarships and fellowships. Pell Grants are not available for graduate studies, but you can defer your undergraduate loans if you take at least 6 credit hours each semester. Many employers offer tuition assistance or reimbursement, especially for part-time programs, and some even offer a sabbatical to complete a graduate program. In general, you should probably not be paying the cost for a doctoral program. Many schools will not admit you to doctoral programs unless you are qualified for and receive an assistantship.
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