The 5 Worst Reasons to Go to Grad School

Here at UL Lafayette, we believe that earning a graduate degree is one of the best ways for you to pursue your passions and reach your personal and professional goals.The Worst (& Best) Reasons to Go to Graduate School Having a graduate degree can be an asset or even essential, depending on what you plan to spend your life doing.

There are plenty of , but there are also plenty of reasons not to get a graduate degree. We鈥檝e put together a list of the worst reasons to get a graduate degree 鈥 so if you鈥檙e using any of these to justify getting your graduate degree, you may want to reconsider your plans and explore other options first.

1. You think grad school is your only option

Maybe you鈥檙e not sure what else to do, you鈥檙e bored with things as they are now, or you鈥檙e not sure what your passion is. That鈥檚 the wrong approach. When you鈥檙e considering graduate school, you should think 鈥淵ay!鈥 and not 鈥淢eh.鈥 You should be excited about broadening and deepening your knowledge, learning more than you ever imagined! The first step to finding the right graduate program for you is to figure out what your passions are鈥攁nd then find a program that fits you, not the other way around.

2. You think it will improve your job prospects

This definitely isn鈥檛 one of the worst reasons to go to grad school, but it shouldn鈥檛 be the only reason. If you鈥檙e an experienced professional and want to move up in your industry, then you should consider a master鈥檚 degree. If you鈥檙e an undergraduate who can鈥檛 find a job, a master鈥檚 degree may not solve your problems. You need to make sure your graduate program fits your ambitions and career goals, and that combination of passion and knowledge will lead you to the career you鈥檙e looking for.

3. You want to continue the 鈥渃ollege experience鈥

News flash: getting your graduate degree is not the same experience as getting your undergrad. You鈥檒l probably get the same amount of sleep, but not because you鈥檙e spending your nights partying鈥攊t鈥檚 because you鈥檒l be spending your nights completing readings, perfecting your writing and scholarly analysis, and analyzing your research data. But you love it! Because you鈥檙e delving deeper into the subjects that excite and interest you.

4. Somebody told you it was a good idea

鈥淔ine, Mom! I鈥檒l go to grad school!鈥 should not be the start of your graduate career. But to be clear: having someone pressure you into going to graduate school is different from someone offering their advice. It鈥檚 important that you go to grad school on your own terms, but it鈥檚 a good idea to reach out to people who have gone through the graduate program you鈥檙e considering. Sourcing opinions can help you make your decision鈥攂ut be sure that you鈥檙e the one who makes it.

5. Everybody else is doing it

This is never a good enough reason to get a grad degree. Forge your own path! This is the time to be selfish and think about yourself. Why do you want to earn your master鈥檚 or PhD? Because you have the drive, the ambition, the excitement, and the passion for what you鈥檙e studying.

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