This week’s submission: “Trying to decide if I want to go to graduate school. I stay awake every night trying to figure it out.”

Hey friend. I am sure you are one of hundreds on our campus that tussle with this confliction. I think it is entirely normal and healthy. It certainly seems to me to be positive that you are concerned about your future and considering ways to progress. Good for you for being self-aware enough to consider the pros and cons of this decision based on your own individual factors.

With that being said, maybe it could benefit you to think differently about the situation. If you pause or stop or education after completing your undergraduate degree will you be able to achieve your career/life goals with that level of education? Ultimately, that is the question it boils down to. If you were to continue your education toward a graduate degree would it benefit you in the capacity you need? This question is one that is only fair to be answered based on your own needs and wants. While discussing your options with someone you trust could benefit your cause, I don’t think the decision should be swayed by someone else’s perspective. Collect insight, but make your life decisions for yourself, even if it takes time. You are in charge of your future and what ever decision you choose is going to be the best for your life as long as you are the one to choose it. 

For my first two years at Marshall I studied in a degree that I absolutely hated and found no place for myself in. My family pushed for me to pursue a degree in the medical field because it would forever guarantee a prosperous future financially. But finally, after drowning in my science courses for four and a half semesters, I realized I was allowing others to decide my future. I changed my major to Public Relations and began to find my fire in journalism. My passion for writing never would have been discovered and my career would not have begun to blossom had I not taken the liberty of choosing myself over expectations. Whether or not you decide to attend graduate school is YOUR decision but know that it does not determine your success or happiness, you do. 

-Meg

Meg Keller can be contacted at [email protected]