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Deciding on an Advanced Degree

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Take A Reality Check

  • How motivated are you?
    Be honest. Is this something you really want to do? And why? Because you love the field you are in, or because you think you should? What is your motivation for completing an advanced degree? Financially, it will take a few years of work before you will see any concrete returns on this investment.

  • How supportive are others in your life?
    If you have a spouse, how do they feel about your time and energy being focused elsewhere for a couple of years? Do you have small children? Or do you still live at home or with roommates? How do you handle stress? If your family, or those in your immediate surroundings, are not supportive of this endeavor, it will put enormous stress on you. Make sure you communicate expectations and that any family members, room mates, and loved ones are supportive of what you will be doing before hand.

  • Have you talked with other students?
    The best reality check is to talk with current students that are just finishing their advanced degrees. Ask them how they managed personal, professional and school responsibilities. Ask what issues came up that they had not anticipated. How did they deal with them? How helpful did they find their university resources to be? Or did they find outside resources helpful?

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