To Go or Not to Go: Graduate School is the Question

By: Tara McDonald

ALBANY, New York, December 5 – With her last year of undergraduate school only a semester away, Larissa Babbie has decided that it’s time to sit down and think about her future. Along with thousands of others in the Capital Region, she is debating whether or not graduate school is the right path for her to follow. She is double majoring in psychology and communications at the University at Albany. While a master’s degree is not something that is required for this field, some argue that having one may make a more marketable individual. But the question remains, does it always benefit a person to go?

“Finishing your undergraduate studies today seems almost like finishing high school, everybody does it. But, not everybody goes to graduate school,” said Babbie, a junior at the University. She is interested in getting her master’s degree in industrial organizational psychology for a number of different reasons. First, it’s recommended that she have an advanced degree in her field. Because of the amount of different psychology fields there are, a special concentration might be beneficial to set her apart in the working world. And second, she has the desire to learn more. Her undergraduate courses thus far have given her a broad view of what she is studying and graduate school can give her a far more in depth look at the field she wants to become an expert in. Having the desire to learn more and the will to put in considerable time and effort is essential to being successful as a graduate student.

“Graduate courses demand a high level of commitment for students and professors alike, and they tend to be more collaborative than undergraduate courses in that everyone involved shares similar learning desires,” said Gary Mc Louth, a Saint Rose Public Communications professor.

“ I can say that without my graduate school experience I wouldn’t be qualified to teach in a graduate school program and that has to do with knowledge, skill and a kind of organic connection with the enterprise,” McLouth said.

But how to go about starting the research process seems to be the most difficult part for some.

“The best time to start thinking about going to graduate school is probably at the end of your junior year. Then during your senior year, you should probably come in for an advisement session,” said Kate Bresonis, Assistant Director of Graduate Admissions at Saint Rose. She also recommended surfing the net to find out more on what different graduate schools around the Albany area offer. About 90 percent of potential graduate students start their research online. Students can look to Graduate Admissions for advisement on what programs might be best suited for them. Not only do Admissions help students with their decision making process, the Career Centers located at both the University at Albany and Saint Rose are useful tools as well. The Career Centers at both institutes offer regular individual career counseling as well as a series of workshops on the subject for students to attend.

“We held a ‘Planning for Graduate School’ workshop in which I described a time-line to guide planning for grad school followed up by a panel of six young professors discussing and giving students tips about the graduate school process,” said Joseph P. Aini, Assistant at the University Career Center. An annual graduate school fair is also held on the campus, which brings local graduate programs together in a job-fair like setting.

The Albany Kaplan Center also comes to the University campus at least once a semester to sponsor paper-based Graduate Record Examinations and provide feedback on areas that need improvement. These practice exams measure verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning, critical thinking and writing skills. The GRE tests are subject based and often required for admission into a master's degree program.

But, before going through admission visits and testing, people want to know if getting their M.B.A really does actually have long term financial and professional rewards.

“I’m getting my master’s degree in Communications Disorders, specifically speech therapy, and in order to get certified by the state as a speech-language pathologist, getting my master’s is a requirement,” said Melissa Beatrice, a Saint Rose graduate student. “I know it will have a long term reward because without it, I wouldn’t be able to pursue this career and do what I love.”

Most studies show that people with advanced degrees earn more on average than people with only a bachelor's degrees. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 1998 the average worker with a bachelor's degree earned $40,478 a year, while a worker with a master's degree earned $51,183.

While there is clear evidence that having a higher degree may provide a higher paying job, Laura Cassidy, Albany-Colonie Regional Chamber of Commerce Director of Membership said, “If there is vast experience in the field the applicant is pursuing, that could prove to be more valuable than the degree.” More experience could land a job for someone faster than someone with a higher degree. Only four of the 21 chamber members Cassidy works with have advanced degrees.

After talking with professionals, student Babbie knows what her goal is but she is still unsure about whether graduate school will be profitable in the end.

“I ask my professors if graduate school is something that will benefit me, and I get mixed responses. There really is no yes or no answer. There’s just a maybe. You have to decide what’s right for you,” Babbie said.