For many young adults in the United States today, completing a bachelor's degree is the goal in mind from high school all the way through to college. However for some, their four years of higher education spent as an undergrad is just a stepping stone to take them even further into their field. For those people, there exists Master's program and Doctorates. Master's programs usually take 34-56 credits, around 1-2 years, to complete, and Doctorates can take, on average, 8.2 years. Obviously, just with the amount of time required to receive one's Master's or Ph.D, these advanced programs are not for everyone, hence why not every undergrad has his or her eyes set on them. Personally, I plan on applying for a MFA (Master of Fine Arts) in Creative Writing and have decided to share some advice for people who are also preparing to take that next step after a graduation.

Start early. I did not decide to go for my MFA until the spring semester of my Junior year in college. Up until then, I had done very little to beef up my resume. I lacked extracurriculars and internships; I hadn't put my work anywhere noticeable, and my grades weren't phenomenal. Creative writing MFA programs can be very forgiving since the quality of my writing is what takes precedence over most everything else, but that doesn't mean that those other things don't matter. I started writing for this website and have been looking for an internship. I also founded a club on campus, and though it has almost nothing to do with writing, it shows initiative. Had I done these things earlier in my college career, it would've been much better. Even if you don't know for sure if an advanced degree is for you, you should still take the initiative in your education. Employers like to see that you worked hard and set goals. They don't want people who just slid by.

Be careful in how you choose programs. Don't just trust online reviews of the program. Visit the school(s). Find out how generous they are with their money. Master's and Doctorates are expensive, and if you don't want to drown in debt before you get a chance to put your fancy new degrees to work, you should make sure that the school is willing to pay for you. I have narrowed down my potential programs to ones that offer either half or full tuition remission. Also, pay attention to the faculty. Who is teaching your program matters just as much as where it is being taught. You could get accepted to Harvard, but if the faculty is not the group of mentors you wanted, then you should move on. Who especially matters with writers. One should work under authors whose styles they admire and have tried to emulate or analyze. It doesn't matter if the school is Columbia or Bay Path, the faculty counts.

Befriend your professors.This one should be self-explanatory. Your professors are the ones who will one day, hopefully, consent to writing you a letter of recommendation. You will need them to respect your abilities or genuinely like you enough to be willing to do so for you, so, please, don't disrespect them. I know too many students who do not respect their professors, who are rude and self-important, as if the professor is solely responsible for if they sink or swim in a course, and when the time comes for them to request letters of recommendation, they probably won't get any. One of the keys to fostering a good relationship with you professors is to realize that they have succeeded at what you want to do, otherwise they wouldn't be teaching you how to do it. On that merit alone, you should listen to what they say and work hard. This is especially true for writers. Why shouldn't you respect your professor who is a published author. Do you really think he/she don't know what they are doing when giving you critiques?

On top of all of that, your professors can help you weed out programs that aren't for you and steer you towards internships, etc, etc. Working closely with the professors in your major can only benefit you, even if you don't aspire towards an advanced degree.

Deciding to go for a Master's degree can be an rewarding choice, yet it's not always clear where one should start. There are tons of resources out there for individuals looking for programs in their field, as well as resources that can help resumes and CVs. What is most important though, is that you stay clear headed and understand what you want. Even if you are in the same boat as me and made your decision late in the game, don't worry. Do what you can and work hard.