I am a junior in college. Recently I got offered the opportunity to do an Accelerated MBA program. Meaning I would start taking grad-level classes my senior year and I would be done with my Masters Degree by year 5. (I don't know the exact details of the program but this is my debate.)
Sounds like a great opportunity! But...I just cannot wait to get out into the world and start working.
Here I listed some personal Pros and Cons of going to Grad School:
Cons:
1. Another year in school...Plain and simple, I am tired of constant anxiety about making sure my homework is done, that my projects are on the right track, making sure I participate enough in class the list goes on.
2. Another $40,000 loan. I go to a private university and tuition is a bit much. Also, the scholarships and certain FAFSA money doesn't apply in grad school. Almost doubling my loan doesn't seem like a great idea.
3. Doing a lot of work for free...I know..."it will pay off one day" "you're getting paid in knowledge" but spending every night studying for 6 classes for a possible A...(because for some professors it is never enough) is a bit much. I would love working as hard as I do now and getting a beautiful check at the end of the week for all the work I put in.
4. When will I use it. I am an Accounting major so obviously my area of study in grad school would be in that field. However, right out of college I will most likely get the lowest position in a company, so when will my degree actually come in handy.
5. Someone else can pay for it eventually. What I mean by this is, since I will not use this degree for a while I won't need it. However, one day when my position in a company will change and the MBA will be required a company may cover partial costs of graduate school.
Pros:
1. It opens doors. As we know few years ago high school education was enough to get a good job, then it became some sort of two year degree now it is a bachelor's. So hypothetically speaking...I expect that in the near future even that degree won't be enough and mainly master's will get the best spots.
2. Another year of enjoying the college life. Instead of starting my first 9-5 job, I will have one more year of pulling all-nighters and going out on Thursday nights and spring break and all that other great college stuff.
3. Full filling my old dreams/goals. When I was in high school I knew that I wanted to be a very educated person. I always panned that I will go to school for as long as I can. I wanted to continue my education for as long as it would be socially acceptable. I do love learning, but I don't enjoy the idea of a structured courses.
4. Being able to get my MBA in 5 years as opposed to 6. Taking advantage of such a great opportunity. Eventually I will need this degree, and today I would be able to get it done in 1 additional year. However, if I choose to wait it may take me about two years additional years of course work to get this degree.
5. Balancing work and school in the future. As I mentioned in the previous point, if I do decide to wait I will ave a full time job by then and I will have to balance my job, my family, my hobbies and then school.
6. I am already in the habit of going to school. I am aware that there are exceptions however if someone takes a "break" between high school and college or undergrad and grad most likely they will not go back. I am already on the roll, and it may be hard to go back to school in the future. Especially with all of the other things going on in my life as mentioned in the previous point.
7. More time to gain experience and knowledge. This is pretty self explanatory. I will have more time to discover what I want to do and get better at it.
Do you see my struggle!?
The choice will be made soon, and I will make sure to let you guys know what I decided on!
Thanks for reading!
With love,
Maja
