For some, going back to school after graduating college sounds like a nightmare. For others, it sounds like a necessary step for pursuing your dreams.

How do you discern whether attending graduate school is right for you? Even if you know it’s something you want to do, a major factor of the decision is timing.

While I don’t have all the answers, I have my own personal experience of deciding to go back to school and change careers. While I’ve written as a contract writer for WayUp, I am a full-time student at the University of Illinois at Chicago gaining my masters of social work to become a licensed therapist.

Additionally, I interviewed college graduates and wrote a book about navigating the changes in post-grad in order to understand more about the pivotal life transition. In Coming of Age: Our Journey into Adulthood, I share anecdotes from hundreds of survey respondents about their own experiences to bring to light a major transition that isn’t often talked about in society at large.

For this article, I wanted to share insights about going back to school, whether it’s a step immediately after college or many years down the road. Regardless of when you choose to go back to school, it’s an important life decision and one that will shape your future.

Pursuing the Path Immediately After College

In certain careers, additional training or higher education may be required in order to practice or continue in that field. If you enter graduate school immediately following your undergraduate graduation, you delay the transition from student to professional as you maintain the identity of a student. You also have a clear path ahead of you, which helps to answer the dreaded question of, “So what are you doing after graduation?”

There are many benefits for continuing in higher education. You already know the rhythms of school and what’s expected of you as a student. You may need a graduate degree in order to practice or work, so you don’t want to delay your career further without it. You may have certain goals or ambitions that are accomplished only through gaining another degree or additional certification.

Many describe this decision as one they knew they had to do immediately after undergrad because they otherwise could not imagine going back to school. Once you step away from being a student, especially after that’s all you’ve known for your life at that point, it can be difficult to go back.

Whether it’s law school, medical school, a program related to humanities, or another field, the material becomes much more specialized compared to an undergraduate education. While meaningful, the workload often becomes more difficult too. In my book, some respondents described graduate school as the hardest they have ever worked in their life. Others openly shared about imposter syndrome, especially if they went to a prestigious university or entered a program in a different or competitive field of study.

Another mentioned the academics as the most challenging part, but also highlighted the value of the decision itself as it related to their goals:

“I was thankful to meet the most amazing and supportive people in my program who have made the challenging coursework more manageable. Although it was stressful, it is rewarding to know that I am one step closer to becoming a nurse practitioner.”

Coming of Age, p. 120

With specific career goals in mind, graduate school is a vital and necessary part of a career journey. The sense of accomplishment and professional confidence that grows from stepping more fully into your desired path cannot be overstated.

That said, there is no one right way or time to go about pursuing higher education and your specific career goals. Others wait many years before going back to school.

Taking Time Off or Rerouting Plans

It can be invaluable to take time off after graduating from college before jumping headfirst into another program. Graduate school has additional costs, intensity of work, and implications for your career. It is no small decision. Taking time off from being a full-time student for a season could help you become a better and more focused student in the future.

“I wish I had known that taking off that year between undergrad and grad school was actually really, really good for me. I was apprehensive about it, but it was so restful, it allowed me to hit med school with a running start and fresh mind.”

Coming of Age, p. 120

Taking time off from academics could be the best decision before starting a program, especially if you know it will be your reality for several years. We have to remember life (and our careers) is a marathon – not a sprint. You cannot expect everything out of yourself those first few years.

While the application process for graduate school is different from trying to find entry-level jobs, applicants deal with rejection just the same. You may be open to moving for the program or you may be tied to a specific location. Depending on how many schools you apply to, you may have several options of programs. While you may not get acceptances everywhere, most don’t expect to receive a rejection from all schools.

For one respondent in my book, her plan was to go to grad school but she was waitlisted at the two schools she applied to and didn’t know what to do from there. She waited a year and applied again, so she ended up taking a year off without intending to do so. Again, timing is a major aspect of decision-making in the real world.

Another respondent dealt with rejection and it resulted in a change of plans that he had not anticipated.

“I applied in two separate years, so to be rejected twice was really difficult. That had been an end goal for me as I thought about my early career, so it took a lot to reorient my career goals and what I wanted out of life.”

Coming of Age, p. 121

Life doesn’t always unfold in the ways we want it to, and that’s a bitter reality of the real world. Rejections can help to evaluate options through a different lens, which then can help determine a new path moving forward. It is trials like these that build resilience and character as people forge their own lives.

Pursuing a Career Change by Going Back to School

For those that choose to go back to school after several years, it is often a byproduct of wanting to change careers or enhance their professional experience. Going to graduate school can be a great way to pivot, whether slightly or into a completely new career.

Many choose to wait to pursue higher education so they can gain work experience, making them a more valuable candidate for the program. It may become more difficult to leave a salaried job to become a student again, but there are benefits to going back to school later in life too. For some professions, gaining life experience only benefits you in the profession.

For me personally, I worked in marketing for eight years before going back to school to get my master’s of social work. My interest was first piqued during a counseling course I took in college, but I wasn’t sure if I wanted to pursue it as a career, so I chose to put it in the back of my mind. I also considered how life experience would benefit me as a therapist, so I knew I could always become a counselor later in my life.

After college, I began and continued my career in marketing. Working remotely during the pandemic helped kickstart the desire for me to work more directly with people in my day-to-day life. As to not feel as overwhelmed by the potential decision to change careers, I attended information sessions out of curiosity. I talked to old professors and friends who had made similar career changes to seek counsel. I eventually decided to apply to a few programs, knowing that didn’t force my decision itself.

Through my own process of discernment and data collection, I became more assured in my decision and felt ready to commit to a career change. I could not pursue the new field without attending graduate school, so I made the decision to become a student again in my early thirties.

While I had major adjustments in going back to school, I also felt such excitement to be in class again and listen to lectures about topics I cared about. While it took some time getting used to weekly reading assignments and writing papers again, I felt as though I gained a greater perspective and appreciation for my education itself.

While it was a difficult decision to change careers, I look back and see how quickly time passes. If I had let fear stop me, I would not be in a field of work that feels more aligned with my own goals and values. In a span of two years, I will have changed from a marketing professional into a social worker and it wouldn’t be possible without graduate school.

If you aren’t sure whether grad school is something for you to explore, I recommend talking to mentors, college professors, and contacts within the field itself. If you are considering it as a next step for your post-grad journey, you can review some additional resources on WayUp’s website here.

You never know how grad school may shape your career. Even if it means becoming a student again.

The post Graduate School: Post-Grad Plans or a Career Change Later in Life? appeared first on Job and Internship Advice, Companies to Work for and More | WayUp Blog.

Brooklyn Law School, located in New York, has announced a new program that will offer a 15 percent tuition refund to those students who don’t find a job within the first nine months of graduation, according to this article on Mashable. The program, titled “Bridge-to-Success,” will take effect on those students entering the law school in 2015.

The post Brooklyn Law School Announces Tuition Refund appeared first on Job and Internship Advice, Companies to Work for and More | WayUp Blog.

Is getting an advanced degree from graduate school one of your educational goals? It’s true that those who have Ph.D.s earn a higher income, but there are some people who might not be cut out for the trials and tribulations that go along with earning that degree. In a BloombergView article, author Noah Smith breaks down the opportunity costs, the social environment, and the job market for those with Ph.D.s.

The post Considering Getting a Ph.D.? appeared first on Job and Internship Advice, Companies to Work for and More | WayUp Blog.

Getting into graduate school is a great achievement, in and of itself. After months of slaving over your personal statement, sending out transcripts and waiting anxiously to hear back from your school of choice, you finally get that glorious acceptance letter you’ve been anticipating!

From the moment you open that letter, the worry drains from your mind and is replaced by thoughts of all the opportunities that have officially opened up to you.  Published articles, conferences, prestigious colleagues, oh my!

At least, that was my experience.  After doing my happy dance and squealing like a little girl for approximately fifteen minutes, the acceptance letter I received to UCLA’s graduate program in Political Science left me in a state of excited disbelief, and I’ll admit, I was overwhelmed by the fact that I was now truly able to become a PhD student.  I immediately started asking anyone I knew who had been to graduate school about their experiences, the setbacks they and their colleagues may have experienced and most importantly, any advice they would give to a new graduate student.

After receiving advice from quite a few people – from those with Masters in Public Health to those with Doctorates in Physics – I’ve found three pieces of advice for the new graduate student that everyone seems to agree on, so with new graduate students like me in mind, I present to you the best advice I’ve received so far!

Keep an Open Mind

When I was accepted into the Political Science graduate program at UCLA, I was sorted into a particular subfield of the program, Comparative Politics, as that was the closest match to my current interests.  Once I began speaking about the placement with some of my future professors, all were very quick to tell me that the placement was a formality in order to help give us some direction and a foundation with which to start the program.  What they really encouraged, however, was exploration and a true willingness to learn.

So many people come into their program of choice already set on the specific area they want to study and the specific questions they want answered, which is a great foundation to have going in!  However, the point of graduate school is not only to hone your own specific interests but to broaden your horizons as well.  Especially depending on the length of your program (mine is roughly five to six years), you will have numerous opportunities to expose yourself to new subjects and new experiences, which may lead you to focus on something else entirely – but only if you so choose.

You can narrow your sights on one particular subfield, buckle down and convince yourself that tunnel vision is your best strategy for getting through the program, but everyone I’ve spoken with has said that if you want to really take in everything your program has to offer you, you have to take the chance to explore your field as the vibrant, diverse collection of intellectual thought that it is.

Treat Your Program Like a Job

Being a graduate student comes with its own particular set of trials; being intellectually rigorous, the expectations placed on a graduate student’s shoulders can be both mentally and emotionally draining.  One noted effect common enough to be designated with its own title is the ‘Imposter Syndrome,’ or the inability to internalize one’s own successes. There is also a general increase in the prevalence of common mental health illnesses, like depression, in academia.

Because of the strain that often accompanies such an intense learning environment necessarily, many of the professors and graduated Masters’ students I’ve spoken with have told me that one of the best ways to combat such mental fatigue is to treat your graduate program as more than just a continuation of your undergraduate school.  The best way to get through your program is to treat it like a job.

Think about it this way, if you treat your studies as a job that you have been invited to pursue because of your previous qualifications, then you are less likely to second guess your worthiness of being in the program. You are more likely to be able to pull through an intellectual funk than someone who considers themselves to simply be a fledgling student standing in the shadows of giants.

Get a Hobby

This bit of advice kind of trails from the previous one – to treat your program as a job.  As with any line of work, there should be time made to pull away from work and focus on other areas of one’s life.  Many of the current PhD students I ran into while visiting UCLA emphasized these words of wisdom: Get a hobby.

Find something that you are serious about, something that you enjoy and that energizes and motivates you.  For me, that hobby will most likely be singing once I start my program or some other musical endeavor.  It relaxes me and makes me feel as though I am still working on something worthwhile.

Most importantly, I know from my experience as an undergraduate that singing in a choir takes my focus away from the more pressing work that I have to do; when I am ready to return to my academic work, I am more rejuvenated and less stressed than if I didn’t have that outlet.

Either that or I might take up Kung Fu.

The post 3 Pieces of Advice for the New Graduate Student appeared first on Job and Internship Advice, Companies to Work for and More | WayUp Blog.

This is a guest post by Elissa Redmiles for Student Stories. 

If you’re considering applying to graduate school, you will soon be writing the dreaded “personal statement.” Sometimes called the “statement of purpose”, your grad school essay is one of the few things you can change about your application materials at this point.

While your grades, test scores and internships are set in stone, you have the opportunity to use your personal statement to weave together an otherwise disjoint set of college experiences (or a slightly blemished academic record) into a compelling story that garner an admission to your dream school.

Read on for three tips on writing a compelling personal statement, and examine before and after samples from real essays showcasing What To Do and What Not To Do (all three students whose essays are shown below were admitted to their program of choice).

P.S. Cover letters are quite similar to personal statements, so these tips apply to cover letters, too!

Tip #1: Ask, “Why Do I Care?” after every sentence or section of your essay that you write.

Everything you write in your essay should showcase a skill or experience that will make you successful in your graduate program of choice. You should also illustrate why you will later be an illustrious alumnus who is an honorable ambassador of the program. Remember, most graduate programs are hoping for you to a) become an illustrious alumnus who represents the program well and b) eventually give back to the program in some way.

(The essay referenced below was written as part of a “background statement” for admission to a top 10 M.S. in computer science program; the student was admitted.)

What Not To Do:  

“I have written automated tests to ensure that every edge case has been handled and corrected. When developing a new feature, I have researched protocols like IMAP, SMTP, and FTP, to ensure my code complies with the various relevant RFCs.”

Why Not: Why do we care that this person has researched (which, since they didn’t specify well assume means googl-ed) a specific set of jargon?  We don’t know why doing this research is impressive. Similarly, we don’t have any context to understand why handling edge cases is impressive. This is a classic case of “so what.” It should be instantly apparent to the reader why something you did was impressive or represents a useful graduate school skill. Additionally, this essay section is loaded with acronyms. While this may be appropriate for a Ph.D. research statement, the acronyms make for challenging reading in a background essay for a more broad masters program.

What To Do:

“I spend my days researching network protocols in order to design and develop novel algorithms that analyze security flaws and improve the speed and efficiency of the existing code base. Simultaneously, I peer review co-worker’s patches and open source contributions, strengthen my soft skills by undertaking training and documentation tasks, and regularly present my features to coworkers and supervisors.”

Why: This essay is written for a broad audience and an admissions committee member who did not have a computer science background would be able to read the essay. Further, we now understand why the author’s research is important: they are developing new algorithms (that sounds pretty cool). Additionally we learn that the author is not only contributing to their field of interest (computer science) they are engaging in team work (important for graduate school), and working on their “soft skills” of writing and teaching, which are important for elements of graduate school (such as teaching assistantships and writing papers to be published in journals).

Tip #2: Reference specific aspects of the program to which you are applying and/or reference faculty members by name.

This should be reasonably self evident, but be sure to thoroughly read the website of the program to which you are applying! If you can, try to use similar language to what they have on their website when expressing yourself in your essay. If you are applying to a Masters or terminal degree program (law, medicine, PT, nursing, etc.), talk about two to three courses you are interested in taking or mention a cool program that the school offers (e.g. a specific clinical rotation program or a special internship). If you are applying to a Ph.D. program, be sure to mention specific faculty members and their research in depth and show how your interests align with theirs (you can certainly do this for masters or terminal programs as well).

(The essay referenced below was written as part of a “personal statement” for admission to a top 15 Masters in Public Policy program; the student was admitted. Full essay sample available here.)

What Not To Do:

“I am very interested in working on issues of defense policy. I believe that the courses I will take while at XX University and the Masters in Public Policy that I will obtain will provide me with a good foundation in order to pursue a career in defense policy.”

Why Not: What we learned from this section of the essay is that the student wants to work in “defense policy.” This is a vague statement: we don’t even know in what area of defense policy the student is interested. Further, the applicant hasn’t taken the time to mention specific defense policy courses. Why does the applicant believe that the courses in the M.P.P. program help the student pursue a career in defense policy? What if the school doesn’t even have defense policy courses or what if the school has a very cool program in defense policy? It isn’t apparent to the admissions committee that the applicant has researched this school and program at all. The applicant should be calling out specific courses and programs in defense policy if they are available at this school, or the applicant should state how the courses offered at the school would help them reach their goal, if courses in defense policy are not available.

What To Do:

“In order to be successful, defense policies must provide the governmental agencies involved in protecting United States citizens as much flexibility as possible while still being able to hold them accountable for their actions.  Courses such as Intelligence Policy and U.S. Defense Policy and Planning would provide me a better grasp of what goes into the decision making process when policies are being created that affect the safety and security of the nation.”

Another Option:

“Coursework such as Quantitative Aspects of Public Policy, Public Management & Leadership, and Finance would provide me with skills and information needed to understand the connections between terrorist organizations. Specifically, coursework in Quantitative Aspects of Public Policy is essential to understanding how to analyze large sets of data about terrorist organizations and their activities. Statistical methodology is vital in both evaluating policy options and decision-making in an uncertain environment. Defense policy decisions are sometimes made when not all the facts are available, requiring the statistical methodology used to make a decision to be accurate.”

Why: In both of these cases, the applicant not only calls out specific courses, but also provides the reader with context about why these courses are important to the applicant and how the applicant is going to utilize this coursework in their future career.

Tip #3: Be clear about your future and how this program will help you get there (or convincingly describe where you’re headed, if you haven’t quite narrowed it down yet).

If you are applying for graduate school, you are usually doing so in order to achieve a specific career path or goal such as becoming a principal, a professor, or physical therapist. Similarly, graduate schools are looking for driven candidates who know what they want and know how this program will help them get there. Be sure to clearly state in your essay what you want to become in the future, and illustrate how this program will lead you to your goal (see Tip #2).

What if you’re future is a bit murkier? Succinctly explain what combination of skills you hope to develop in the program, and what skills you already have, in the context of your broader goals.

(The essay referenced below was written as part of a “personal statement” for admission to a Harvard Masters in Education program; the student was admitted.)

Example (What To Do):

“Throughout my own education, my passion for helping others learn has been the common thread. My goal is to work in education using the software engineering skills I gained as a computer science major and the research skills I developed as a research assistant for multiple projects. I seek to design innovative curriculum and educational technology solutions that make learning more accessible for students. An Ed.M. from the Harvard Graduate School of Education focusing on Technology, Innovation, and Education will help me reach this goal.”

(As an exercise, can you see why the version of the essay above is better than the one below?)

“Through this myriad of experiences, an interest in education has been the common thread. In my future career, I hope to engage students in learning by designing, introducing and assessing technological tools and engaging curriculum that make learning more comfortable and more accessible for students. Thus, I seek to further my education in education with a Masters in Education focusing on Technology, Innovation, and Education.”

About the Author: 

Elissa Redmiles graduated with a B.S. in Computer Science, Cum Laude from the University of Maryland (UMD). Elissa has written admissions essays for, and has been admitted to M.B.A., M.Ed., M.A.T, and multiple M.S. programs. In addition, she runs a resume and personal statement editing business and has edited over 100 resumes, cover letters and essays for her clients. This July, Elissa will be joining IBM as a Market Manager.

The post Convincing Harvard You’re “The One”: 3 Tips appeared first on Job and Internship Advice, Companies to Work for and More | WayUp Blog.

Guest post by Joe Hanson, blogging intern for the free hiring platform SmartRecruiters

Don’t panic! You’ve graduated, you’re job hunting, and you don’t know what you want to do with your life. Or you’ve been in a job you don’t enjoy for the past couple months, and you’re looking for a major career change, but you have no idea what that career change is. These are scary thoughts, but many young adults ask themselves the question, “What should I do with my life?”

Some of you might be thinking, “I’ll just go to grad school,” or “I’ll go back and get my MBA until I figure things out,” when you feel like you lack the passions to drive you in the right direction. I grew to despise a job I held for 6 months before having these thoughts. I began going to information sessions for graduate programs and teaching credentials, rushing into the thought that I needed more school to find out what I wanted to do. But if you’re going to go to graduate school, be sure that you already know what you want to do.

Instead of going to graduate school, I decided to find an internship at a small startup. Graduate school not only required a major time commitment, but also a major financial commitment. If you don’t know what you want to do in life, an internship is a cost effective way to learn what you want to do. Here are 3 reasons why I decided to do an internship instead of going back to school.

1. Wear Many Hats

As a graduate student, there’s a good chance that you will–for years–only learn about whatever your degree is in. Which begs the question, what if you don’t know what you want to do yet? You’ll be committing thousands of dollars and a couple years towards a master’s degree, so be sure you’ve picked the correct one for you. On the other hand, with an internship, you have the opportunity to wear many hats, gaining access to several different departments and employees. Even more importantly, you get to try new things, finding out what you enjoy doing and what your strengths are. The opportunity to take on different roles and responsibilities may help direct you in a career path that you otherwise wouldn’t have known existed. Graduate programs can be very tunnel-visioned, depending on what program you pick, so there may not be an opportunity to expand your horizons.

2. Learn By Doing

My alma mater, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, has the motto “Learn By Doing,” and the hands-on approach of an internship gives you just that. As an intern, I’ve learned more than I learned in the classroom, developing and improving my skills in a number of different areas. The hands-on experience you can get out of an internship is extremely valuable in developing yourself early in your work career. I like to say, to learn to swim, you have to get in the water. In disrupting the recruiting industry with SmartRecruiters, I’ve learned things as diverse as how to promote and cover an event, how to optimize a blog post, and how to write a kickass email. Depending on your graduate program, you may not have to opportunity to try the career you are working towards, knowing if you actually like it or not.

3. Build Your Professional Portfolio

Whether you’re a business development, accounting, or design intern, you can build a portfolio of your work. At an internship, you’ll work on several projects, all that can be used when job hunting and interviewing in the future. Your portfolio doesn’t just have to be tangible works, but can also be achievements that you accomplished as an intern. No matter what your project or work was, if it has quality, it can show a future employer that you would be a valuable asset to their company. Many graduate programs have you work towards one large project which is beneficial to your area of study. But say you go to graduate school for English, only to find out that you really want to do graphic design. That concentrated project may not help you in the short term.

So before you rush into graduate school simply because you don’t have a career direction, consider taking on an internship. If you are still undecided about what you want to do with your life, the tunnel vision approach of a graduate program might not help you find your passion. And remember that grad school is not cheap, so if you’re not sure about it, think about what you’ll get out of it. You may find that hands-on learning and work experience brings out an unknown passion and sets you on the right career path (which may or may not include graduate school).

The post Should Young Professionals Go to Grad School? appeared first on Job and Internship Advice, Companies to Work for and More | WayUp Blog.

We’re excited to help the Economist promote Which MBA?. On September 5-6th prospective MBA applicants will have the chance to participate in an online fair and chat with admission counselors from schools like the University of Massachusetts (Amherst), University of Virginia, Virginia Tech and many more.

In addition to chatting with admission representatives from MBA programs all over the world, prospective applicants will have the opportunity to:

– Join informational webinars

– Browse photo galleries and watch videos

– Find out why an MBA or EMBA is right for you

Registration is free, but space is limited so click here to learn more and reserve your spot today!

The post Join the Economist for ‘Which MBA?’ appeared first on Job and Internship Advice, Companies to Work for and More | WayUp Blog.