Should I Consider Applying to Grad School?
Hello everyone!
As most of you already know, I’m a senior this year and currently in the process of looking for jobs and interviewing companies. Because I grew up in a big city and enjoy the social interactions and the unlimited options of such an environment, I was focusing my job search around hubs like NYC, Chicago and Boston. However, once I chatted with friends who are recent alumni and now experiencing the ups and downs of working life, I started thinking maybe that’s a bad idea. My friends made me realize that it’s a much better idea to live in a smaller town and save up some money for a couple years so that one can pay off debt and have enough money for investments during the later years. This shift of mindset led me into thinking “What if I go to grad school at WPI and find a job in the area at the same time?” Not that I’m in love with Worcester, but I’m used to being in this town and the combination of getting work experience + going to grad school + saving up money sounds perfect!
Now that going to grad school seems to be a good option, I need to come up with an action plan. I know the resources available to me on campus, so it should be no problem. First of all, it would be a great idea to schedule a career counseling appointment at CDC. This kind of appointment will allow me to discuss and narrow down my career options and determine where grad school should be placed in the picture. Another option would be attending a CDC workshop about applying to grad schools, so I should check the CDC schedule on wpi.edu/+CDC or simply the weekly emails sent out to see if there is such an event coming up. The other thing I can do is to check out the resources on my JobFinder account. Most of the workshops presented by CDC are recorded as podcasts and added to the resources section on JobFinder, so I can learn more about applying to grad schools just by watching a video on my laptop. Talking to my faculty advisor or the head of the graduate programs for my department would probably be another good idea to learn about the specific programs and the admission process. I hope this helps all of you who are thinking about applying to grad school. Just check out the resources and give it a shot, believe me it’s easier than you think!
😉 Evy
