For all those who think undergraduate fees at UCLA are
expensive, be reminded that graduate school costs around three
times as much. But benefits reaped and doors opened through
graduate school may be worth far more.
Like choosing a major, college or occupation, attending graduate
school is a hard decision to make. There are no easy guidelines
when deciding to continue school.
“Graduate school is an enormous financial and emotional
burden,” said Carol Johansen of the UCLA Career Center.
So how do students choose between four more years of school or
jumping into the real world after graduation?
Self-assessment is very important in deciding whether to pursue
graduate studies for four or more years. College graduates should
ask themselves what their career goals are before even thinking
about which graduate schools to apply for or which entrance exams
to take.
Unlike undergraduate study, graduate school does not allow
students to dabble and explore interests; instead, it focuses on
one area of study that students must either enjoy or need for their
career goals.
Students and graduates who are unsure of their future
occupations should consider working for a few years. In the
workplace, these students are exposed to other potential
careers.
Another important step for students contemplating further
studies is researching to see if a graduate degree is required or
even helpful for a certain industry.
If graduate school is a prerequisite, then students should look
into finding the graduate program best fit for them.
But if further study is only considered a bonus to employers in
the field, work programs might be able to give the experience
required by future employers.
Still, going to graduate school does have its benefits.
Jonathan Delshad, a second-year student at the UCLA School of
Law, said graduate school is definitely worth it because it gives
more opportunities.
“The people who (recently) graduated (with undergraduate
degrees) don’t really understand the value of graduate school
and its different type of learning,” Delshad adds.
For students looking into careers in medicine, management or
law, grad school is almost always a prerequisite.
After self-assessment and research, college students should
think about how and if they can finance graduate school, either
with or without loans.
Graduate students are in a lot of debt because they need to
borrow large amounts of money, Johansen said.
According to U.S. News and World Report, average debt ““
including undergraduate loans ““ is around $29,000 for
students pursuing a master’s degree and $80,000 for a
professional degree.
Graduate fees at UCLA are about three times more expensive than
undergraduate fees. For example, the fees UCLA School of Law for a
California resident amount to around $17,000, compared to the UCLA
undergraduate registration and education fees of $6,000.
On top of the hefty cost of graduate school, potential graduate
students should be sure to account for loss of income.
Conversely, going through graduate school usually guarantees a
higher starting salary. According to the UCLA School of Law, the
class of 2003 had an average starting salary of around $90,000.
Ultimately, graduate school is worth going through if it is a
logical and required step toward a career goal. Graduate school is
not the place for discovering ambitions ““ the workplace is a
much better place for that. It enables students to do this
exploring and earn money at the same time.
A bit of research, some financial budgeting and a lot of
self-assessment are much easier to talk about than do. But it all
definitely needs to be done to ensure that your next four years are
spent in the best way possible.
E-mail Chen at echen@media.ucla.edu. Financially Speaking
runs every other week.