I am a current grad student...
Would I do this again knowing the things I know now? - well, in my particular case...
HELL NO!
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Why? - Here's a short list of things that I didn't think about before going to grad school or otherwise things I didn't find out until I was in it:
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1) INTENSITY: Grad school (at least at my school) is my life. Things are getting better now, but for the first two years I'd be lucky if I could find the time to socialize once a month for a couple of hours. I would work through the week and weekends with such ferocity that I would always loose track of what day it was. It also caused me to neglect my physical and mental health. Those first two years went by so fast - too fast. If I hadn't been in a relationship before entering grad school there would be no way I would have found a partner. My relationship has also been tested in many ways.
My best friend took a different route and entered med school. I wouldn't say that he is any more intelligent than myself. He still finds the time to go out partying with friends at least once a week or every other week. I find it ironic that a facutly member, when questioned by a student regarding the intensity of the program, said "we'll you should be thankful you're not in med school." Indeed.
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2) TIME: I was so happy to get into grad school that I didn't really think through how long this venture was. Two years for a Masters, another four for a PhD - that's six years on paper. Once I arrived at my University, I had been informed by current students that the last time a student had completed the program in the outlined 6 years was about fifteen years ago. In actuality, most students take seven or eight years to complete the program (including their internship). This is a painfully long time for any degree.
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3) FINANCIAL BURDEN: I did not come from a wealthy family. I was independant since age 17. I paid my way through my undergrad with student loans and by working part time. Most of my income during this time went towards rent and groceries. I graduated with no savings.
My grad school accepted me with a small financial bursary (8K) - barely enough to pay tuition. Moving and living expenses have been paid for by student loans. Our school lacks funding - plain and simple. Most students pay out of pocket, although many get external funding for at least a couple of years. Internships rarely pay students in this area. Some students need to take a year off so that they can save enough to continue.
It's funny as an undergrad you just have this idea that the more education you get, the better off you will be - all these years of going further in debt, with lost earnings while in school... I don't think it will be worth it in the end. I've done the calculations just in terms of the number of years in the program and the lost income - it doesn't make sense financially.
My friend will graduate with his MD in almost half the time and will be making twice as much money as myself.
We'll I've made my bed and now it looks like I need to sleep in it - but I hope someone will learn from this.
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