Grad School Advice

[CarolinaNCSU]

I'll try making a long story short, but essentially I'm graduating in May and applying to grad school. Originally intended to start in the Fall, but due to lack of communication/me being lied to, I missed the deadline date. However, due to that lie, the grad school people are allowing me to continue my application for the Fall if I choose, or I can wait and apply for the Spring.

Now the question. I can start in either the Fall of 2013 or Spring of 2014. The kicker, the graduation for both is still May 2015, no matter which you start. Essentially, I can take a semester off, work/live at home, make and save a little money, and also figure out the exact route I want to go with my masters and have a semester of doing what I want. Or I can start in the Fall and not skip out on a semester of school and all things that go with it. Granted, most of my friends are graduating this May as well.

So Huddle, should I take a semester off or continue on the path I had intended?

[toldozer]

How much is it going to cost, and why do you need grad school? Not saying you but some people use school as a crutch, rack up student loans way higher than the possible pay off of a slighty better paying job.

[CarolinaNCSU]

I've got a history degree and the master's program is a transition for teachers to get a master's in education. It's supposed to be a fluid program, and can be, but State screws it up.

Luckily, my school is taken care of and I've never had to worry about student loans.

[OnlyPantherFaninMaine]

I am currently in graduate school and did not take any time off after graduating from college. Essentially this is my 5th year of college in a row and next year will be the 6th. I have to admit, it has tired me out some but I am just focussed on getting this degree as fast as possible so I can start looking for the jobs I have in mind.

If you know exactly what you want to do, where you want to go, and what you want to study...I would not take any time off because you may find it hard to get back into the academic lifestyle or may not even want to go back to school at all once you take a semester off. I was fortunate enough to know exactly what I want for a career and a master's degree is quite important to getting where I want to be because the degree can replace years of experience required that I do not have for government jobs.

If I were you I would start graduate school in the fall right after the summer and not look back. Get in and out as fast as you can because at least for me, I am worn down already and pretty sick of school at this point. If I want a second master's degree at some point I will go back to school when my government agency pays for it.

[toldozer]

I've got a history degree and the master's program is a transition for teachers to get a master's in education. It's supposed to be a fluid program, and can be, but State screws it up.

Luckily, my school is taken care of and I've never had to worry about student loans.

Then i say take the semester off

[PhillyB]

idk, but ignore anyone telling you not to do it at all.

do you intend to eventually pursue a doctorate?

[thefuzz]

Honestly, I would make sure that you need it.

Not saying not to do it, but try to make sure it's a good investment of $$$ and time.

[CarolinaNCSU]

idk, but ignore anyone telling you not to do it at all.

do you intend to eventually pursue a doctorate?

It's something I've thought about and may eventually do, especially if I want to become a professor.

Honestly, as weird as it is, I just feel like this screw up and finding out I can still finish at the same time is a sign for me to take a semester off and make sure of the path I want to go down. I've thought about teaching/coaching in high school mostly, but also thought about an administration route, and even have a family business I've considered going into at times. Like most 22 year old kids, I'm obviously confused about my path, second guessing some things, etc. and feel like this semester off may help to refocus my efforts all into one area.

Thanks for responses so far guys

[CarolinaNCSU]

Honestly, I would make sure that you need it.

Not saying not to do it, but try to make sure it's a good investment of $$$ and time.

I don't "need it" per se, but to teach off of my history degree I would essentially go the lateral entry route, where I still would have to register with a university and take classes there to become certified at the same time that I'm teaching.

I also don't feel at 22, without much education/teaching experience, that I'm near ready to teach a classroom of teenagers just a few years younger than me. And getting a lateral entry job, being my age, would be tough.

As for the money, getting the master's bumps your starting pay and pay throughout your career by 10% in most cases right off the bat.

[thefuzz]

It's something I've thought about and may eventually do, especially if I want to become a professor.

Honestly, as weird as it is, I just feel like this screw up and finding out I can still finish at the same time is a sign for me to take a semester off and make sure of the path I want to go down. I've thought about teaching/coaching in high school mostly, but also thought about an administration route, and even have a family business I've considered going into at times. Like most 22 year old kids, I'm obviously confused about my path, second guessing some things, etc. and feel like this semester off may help to refocus my efforts all into one area.

Thanks for responses so far guys

That jumped out. Take a little time off and jump into the biz. See if you could see yourself doing it for the next 40 years.

[thefuzz]

I don't "need it" per se, but to teach off of my history degree I would essentially go the lateral entry route, where I still would have to register with a university and take classes there to become certified at the same time that I'm teaching.

I also don't feel at 22, without much education/teaching experience, that I'm near ready to teach a classroom of teenagers just a few years younger than me. And getting a lateral entry job, being my age, would be tough.

As for the money, getting the master's bumps your starting pay and pay throughout your career by 10% in most cases right off the bat.

Honestly, if you don't have a passion for teaching (you don't really sound like you do) I would probably not get into it.

[CarolinaNCSU]

I do have a passion for it, I just also have a lot of the worries that many teachers have. Their hands being tied as far as what they can/can't teach, the pay, the problems with the education system in general, etc. Many of my own former teachers/people I still have contact with have essentially told me I'm an idiot for wanting to teach public school.

All of that is part of the reason I'd ultimately want to be a professor.

[PhillyB]

I don't "need it" per se, but to teach off of my history degree I would essentially go the lateral entry route, where I still would have to register with a university and take classes there to become certified at the same time that I'm teaching.

I also don't feel at 22, without much education/teaching experience, that I'm near ready to teach a classroom of teenagers just a few years younger than me. And getting a lateral entry job, being my age, would be tough.

As for the money, getting the master's bumps your starting pay and pay throughout your career by 10% in most cases right off the bat.

i probably beat this drum a little too loudly on here at times, but don't be afraid to take time off and get out in the real world and do some traveling, especially with your interests. i was in the middle of a history program at UNCG and dropped out in the middle of it when i lost motivation and ran into a bunch of existential crises and ended up spending a couple of months backpacking around the world... which really expanded the way i thought about things, motivated me to study them further, and when i got back home i eventually got back into school and finished my BA in history, and now i'm doing anthropology and archaeology and heading off to a masters program next year.

you're 22 dude, don't feel there's a need to finish up all your formal education right off the bat. often your education will shape how you see the world, and that can be a good thing, but sometimes direct experience in the world can give birth to new questions you desire to explore through the next phase of your education.

what specifically are you focusing on studying in HIS? do you have a goal for your MA, or any preliminary focus on the general course of your disseration?

[CarolinaNCSU]

That's where all this gets tricky. The way this program works (the MAT), I get my BA in history, and then transition into the education school to get a master's in teaching. The way I understand it, no more history courses are required of me, meaning all of my grad school work/courses will be centered on teaching and education as well as my thesis/dissertation.