Many students apply for graduate school right after finishing college. However, there are a lot of advantages in waiting a few years before applying.
You get more life experience. Life experience is very important because you can achieve interpersonal skill, personal maturity and the right attitude that will eventually help you thrive in graduate school. Remember, depending on the program you are applying to, getting a masters degree may just take 2 years. Or it could be a protracted experience that can result in a PhD. If you are applying for the latter, it would probably be a good idea to get your college angst, anxiety and immaturity out of your system first. Working in the real world for a few years can help you with just that. Alternatively, you can go traveling. The time spent between graduating from college and applying for graduate school can be used to gain some level of maturity and get your head together for the rigors of graduate school. This is serious business. People in the program tend to be fairly sober, focused individuals.
If you feel that you are still immature or you need a few more years, try to gain some experience first. This downtime can be really helpful in developing abilities to focus, meet deadlines, handle disappointments and interact with different types of people. You will be navigating through academic bureaucracy in graduate school so these abilities are extremely essential.
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There are certain situations wherein going straight to graduate school is preferred. Some programs traditionally require graduates fresh from college. However, a large number of programs still prefer more emotionally stable and seasoned individuals.
There really is no right or wrong answer. It depends on the program you are applying to. Most importantly, it totally depends on you. Even if you are applying for a graduate program that traditionally prefers older applicants, you can still do well. Moreover, even if you are already older, you might not have reached the maturity needed to do well in school. What’s important is to stop looking at age as a number and more of a personal quality. This is the real answer to whether you are of the “right age” for an academically-demanding program and regimen as graduate school.
There may be certain myths regarding the right age to enter the graduate school program. At the end of the day, it is really about you, if you want to succeed or not. How you deal with stress, pressure and people is ultimately in your control. Don’t be intimated by the “age barrier”. Don’t let it get in the way of your capabilities.
This post was brought to you courtesy of model sample essay writer Chris Walker of http://www.sampleadmissionessay.com
