Although graduate school’s cost, time commitment and overall perceived value may deter undergraduate students from continuing onto higher education, members of the National Association of Graduate-Professional Students said there is still value in a graduate degree.
“Getting my Ph.D. was the cornerstone achievement in my life and has basically defined who I am,” said Kevin McComber via email.
McComber, an advisory board member of the NAGPS who received his doctorate from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2011, currently works in engineering for Intel Corporation near Phoenix.
McComber said his experience in graduate school provided the environment for him to grow and expand not only his academic knowledge but skills that would later help him in real-life job interviews.
Dr. Adam Fagen, an NAGPS advisory board member and public affairs director for the American Society of Plant Biologists, said in an email that having a Ph.D. by his name opened doors for him.
Although Fagen said he had not been sure at the offset of his graduate education, he ultimately “found it very helpful” in content knowledge and other skills, such as project management, communications, time management and teaching.
“Doctoral education in particular can be very isolating and difficult, and it helps to know why you’re there,” Fagen said.
It can be about setting up a career or exploring a passion, he said, but it is important to know why.
Dr. Julia Mortyakova, an NAGPS advisory board chair and an assistant professor of music at Alcorn State University, said a graduate degree helps one develop as an artist.
One of the requirements of “making it” in music is finding one’s own niche, which is what happens in a graduate program, she said.
“I think versatility is the key to finding employment in this day and age,” Mortyakova said.
Boston University senior Dan Salgarolo is a film major in the College of Communication who said he has no immediate plans for attending grad school.
“For me, it’s never ever crossed my mind to go to grad school immediately after college, it just doesn’t make sense to me,” Salgorolo said. “I’m already in debt, why would I put myself more already in debt when I could already start making money?”
College of Arts and Sciences freshmen Margarite Zighami and Emily Korman said they have different views.
Zighami said going to graduate school is something that everybody around her wants to do.
“My friends all intend on going to grad school,” Zighami said. “I intend on doing that too.”
Korman, who is thinking of concentrating in environmental science, grew up in a household where both of her parents had the “highest degree possible in their fields.”
But her desire to attend graduate school, she said, is not a result of her parents’ influence.
“My parents don’t pressure me, but I want to,” Korman said. “They’re my role models, essentially, of what I should do.”
Another CAS student, Ezinne Mong, is in a different position – she is a senior preparing to graduate.
Her motivation for going to graduate school is that advanced education is the way to become leader in the biology and research industry, she said.
“If you don’t have a Ph.D. [working in a pharmaceutical or research company], usually you’re not a leader, you’re not in charge of a group,” Mong said.
McComber said he had encouraging advice for those considering graduate school.
“I think this part is overlooked in a lot of discussion about grad school – that you will have matured enough to be able to focus on gaining meaningful, applicable experiences outside your schoolwork,” he said, “and I strongly encourage anyone going for an advanced degree to pick up a challenging and meaningful extracurricular to build their experience bank.”
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