TEM #026: How to determine your priorities for graduate school.
January 19, 2024
Happy Friday!
Right now I’m channeling the pure joy of every college and graduate student who had a snow day this week.
With winter being a quiet, more reflective season, this week we’re covering how to determine your priorities in a graduate program… before you start researching options.
This week’s highlights:
Your education affirmation
How to determine your priorities for graduate school
The opposite of paranoia 😱
What I’m working on next
Education affirmation.
“May your choices reflect your hopes, not your fears.” – Nelson Mandela
How to determine your priorities for graduate school.
When deciding to go back to school, you likely have an idea of what you want to study (ex. business, education, engineering, healthcare).
But once you start Googling, it’s easy to get overwhelmed with how many program options pop up to meet your career goals.
Even if you have your eyes set on a specific program, knowing your priorities will help you determine if that option is even the best for you.
Here are your big 4 priorities to consider:
Cost - Time - Location - Program
Cost.
Is cost a deciding factor for when or whether you go back to graduate school?
Keep in mind: the “sticker price” online could be just that, when in actuality there are lots of funding opportunities available through the university or external scholarships.
Time.
Are you trying to graduate as quickly as possible? Or are you ok taking your time due to other priorities in life?
Knowing this will help you choose between going back to school full-time or pursuing a part-time program.
Location.
Are you willing and able to move for a graduate program? Do you need to stay in a certain geographic area due to family or a relationship? (This was the case for me, yay Ohio).
Also, would you prefer an in-person, hybrid, or fully online program? This could be a result of your preferred method of learning or need for flexibility in class times while working.
Program.
Depending on your career goals, you may find there are a select few programs who specialize in your area of interest.
Or maybe your priority is a program that provides a certain structure (ex. cohort-based) or has a notable alumni network or campus resources that will help you reach your career goals (ex. a career services office or strong alumni base).
Action step.
Before jumping head first into that Google rabbit hole, take a quiet hour with yourself.
Write Cost - Time - Location - Program in different columns and list what aspects of each are most important to you.
After that, go through and put numbers next to each point to rank it for yourself.
Armed with this information, then you can start searching for programs that meet your needs.
Bonus life lesson.
A mentor shared this advice in my early 20s, it served me well and may help as you’re determining graduate program priorities:
There are three main areas of life:
Friends, family and social
School and work
Location
If you’re happy with 2 out of 3, you can make the third work for a little while.
Examples:
If you love a graduate program and the location, you can manage being away from friends and family for a bit
If you’re super connected with friends and family and live somewhere you love, you can handle a graduate program that may not be your favorite but will get you the degree you need
If you’re in a graduate program you love, plus have the support you need from family and friends, you can handle living in a mehh location until graduation
Fun fact.
Did you know there’s a polar opposite of paranoia?
(I didn’t either!)
It’s called pronoia.
Instead of anxiously looking around waiting for something bad to occur, people who experience pronoia expect the best will happen to them.
What I’m working on next.
The past few months have been full of building the scaffolding of my business, it’s been a lot of learning and a ton of fun.
In 2023 I:
Guested on my first podcast
Supported future graduate students 1:1
Hosted workshops for AmeriCorps members
Created an online presence with a blog, website, LinkedIn, Medium, Pinterest and The Education Mindset newsletter (I recently hit issue #25!)
In early 2024, I’m focused on:
Launching an online shop with DIY resources for applicants
Launching a quiz to help people determine if they should go back to graduate school + give them individualized resources
Launching 1:1 Graduate School Strategy Sessions to help professionals kickstart their back to school plan
Collaborating with organizations to provide professional development for their employees and members who are considering graduate school (these conversations have been amazing so far - fingers crossed for a conference proposal that was submitted this week!)
As part of The Education Mindset community, you will be the first to hear what’s next.
Thank you for being here every week, it means the world to me.
Make it a great weekend!
Dr. Jena
Related Posts
Hi! I’m Dr. Jena. I help working professionals confidently apply to graduate school and advanced degree programs so they can achieve their career goals.
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