You’ve finally done it. You’ve graduated undergrad, and now you’re looking to further your studies. Maybe you’re applying to study more in your undergrad field, or maybe you’re broadening your horizons to totally new areas. Whatever the case, you might be wondering how grad school differs from undergrad. In some areas, the differences are huge. But in others, you might be surprised by how normal the college experience feels.
Financial Aid
Some of the same financial aid options are available for grad students as for undergrads. For example, you’ll still fill out the FAFSA to apply for scholarships and federal aid. Every grad student is considered independent, which means you can get larger amounts of funding in aid than as a dependent student. However, you might not have the same number of opportunities available. Grad school funding tends to be a little more niche. You might struggle to find grants and scholarships that apply to your situation. If you’re finding that you still have financial needs after maximizing your federal benefits, you can take out graduate student loans from a private lender. Once you’re in grad school, you probably have some credit built up. You can use that credit score to negotiate ideal terms with the lender of your choice.
Course Specifics
During your early years of undergrad, you probably participated in a variety of general education courses. These core components are key to the vast majority of four-year degrees. You’d be taking classes with students in every major your school offered, and what you learned would be relatively generic. Once you get to grad school, your studies become much more specialized. Not only are you focusing solely on your field of study, but your goal is to become a forerunning expert. To that end, not only will you be studying the subject, but you’ll also be contributing to it as well. Those doing master’s programs often find that their professors are more easily available. Your studies in general are also tailored to your specific interests. If you found yourself bored and frustrated in gen ed courses, this can be a huge benefit.
Lack of Flexibility
There’s a potential drawback with how highly specialized your graduate studies are. It’s hard to switch to a different field of study if you decide you’re no longer interested in pursuing your current one. When you’re in undergrad, you have plenty of time to change majors. It’s also easy to switch schools, assuming your new school also provides classes in your field of study. But since you’re studying specialized fields in graduate school, it’s much harder to transfer that knowledge to a new area. For this reason, it’s best to go to grad school when you feel like you’re totally committed to your life plan. Since the ages of those in grad school skew older, you don’t have to worry about taking time off. It’s better to come back to school with a solid sense of self than to throw yourself into a field of study that isn’t sustainable.
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