If You're Thinking About Grad School, Consider These Pros And Cons To Help You Decide
Grad school is a great way to achieve higher education. But is it worth the cost?
If you're a college student, you may be considering getting a masters or Ph.D. from a grad school. However, the decision should not be made lightly. Below I will list the pros and cons of attending graduate schools.
Pros:
1. You will automatically become more marketable.
Attaining a master's or Ph.D. will undoubtedly make you more marketable when it comes to attaining a job. While a bachelor's is sometimes sufficient, a master's gives a person even higher credibility and valuable skill sets.
2. You are furthering your education.
More education is never truly a bad thing. Especially if you really love your area of study, furthering your knowledge of what you are passionate about is a great thing.
3. You will receive a higher income.
While this doesn't always apply, attaining a master's degree can sometimes lead to higher income.
4. It will advance your career.
If you're studying something like psychology, chances are you need to get a masters in order to advance your career. Students seeking to become a psychologist or psychiatrist are required to gain at least a master's, as are other fields of academia.
5. You get to delay joining the workforce.
While grad school is undoubtedly stressful, it's still not the real world. Graduate school may be ideal for students who aren't quite yet ready to join the workforce or who aren't quite sure what they want to do with their lives yet. It can provide a much-needed buffer between real work experience and undergrad.
Cons:
1. It's expensive.Not surprisingly, grad school is hella expensive. Most grad programs cost anywhere from $30-60 thousand per year, depending on where you are. Especially for out of state students, tuition can be exorbitant. Prospective grad students will have to weigh the cost/benefit of attempting to get a master's.
2. It's competitive.
Grad school applications are more competitive than undergrad applications. This is because you are competing with the cream of the crop, the best of the best. Especially if you're attempting to do something in a competitive field, applying can be a very difficult and stressful. Almost all grad programs require a GPA of at least 3.0 to even be considered.
3. It takes longer to complete.
A master's will take two extra years to complete, while a Ph.D will take four. Doing the math, grad students will be 24 when they get their master's, and 26 by the time they complete their Ph.D. For some, the time it takes to complete these will be worth it, but for others, they may see it as a waste of time when they could've been making money.
4. It's easier to fall into debt.
While college debt and loans is nothing new or surprising, graduate school just adds another layer of stress on those trying to pay for their higher education. Coming out of grad school thousands of dollars in debt is not uncommon. It'll ultimately be up to the individual if they decide their higher degree is worth the financial risk.
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Hopefully, I laid out clearly the pros and cons of graduate school. While potentially good, ti comes with repercussions and consequences that students will have to face.
In 2018, When A Celeb Goes Crazy, They Only Become More Popular
Kanye has built an identity which refuses to fade and won't, no matter what controversial comment he decides to make.
Let's face it. We live in Kanye's world. Whatever he says, does, or in recent days tweets, his millions of fans will always love and follow him, as is the case for most 21st century icons.
In 2018, being crazy is accepted, and almost even desired. Celebrities can't simply be talented or make a difference because if they weren't extra, they wouldn't be celebrities at all. The young American's mind doesn't care if you are a tone virtuoso or tear-jerking actor, they want to hear how you think the world is flat or how you think we should abolish the amendment that ended slavery.
2018's celebrities aren't idiots, Kanye's metaphorical use of social justice within his lyrics accurately portrays his musical genius, but they intelligently choose to be idiotic seeking the holy grail of American culture, clout.
Clout is what every artist, YouTuber, or Instagrammer is after. Clout defines who a celebrity is and how much they're worth, and it doesn't come easy. It can take a person years to build up their fan base, and it's a lot simpler if they aren't simple.
While Kanye's rants produce bad press, in the words of any wise man: "bad press is still press." His recent Twitter rants, vocal support of Trump, and decision to change his name to "Ye" do create controversy within his fan base, but controversy isn't disloyalty. Kanye has built an identity which refuses to fade and won't, no matter what controversial comment he decides to make.
Celebrities withstanding the criticism of their fans isn't anything new, but the scale in which it occurs in 2018 is. Similar to Kanye, Serena Williams underwent recent fan disapproval due to her poor sportsmanship in the US Open. While fans continue to criticize Williams and attack her standing as a respected professional tennis player, she will never truly lose support. To say that she took a moment of immense joy away from a fellow competitor is valid, but the post-match story presented by the media would never have represented her opponent anyway. If Williams had lost without backlash and remained cordial throughout the match, the story still would have represented her. History and the media still would have considered the match to be a loss for Serena Williams, not the first major win for a young rising star in Naomi Osaka.
History remembers icons, not the people who build them up or outshine them for a fleeting moment.
Kanye West and Serena Williams are both icons in their respective fields. They are successful, determined, omnipresent, and polarizing. 2018 had created the idyllic situation for someone not of the cookie-cutter mold, idols who are not only engaging but marketable.
The children of 2018 no longer want to be actors, singers, and rappers, they want to be YouTubers and Instagrammers whose social media reach extends far beyond talent. To be internet famous is perhaps the greatest achievement a member of Generation Z can have, and children recognize that. They look up to us and see new, more creative fields across social media platforms and they recognize what idols such as our President and Kanye West say and realize that while for those on a traditional route media comments last forever, for the lucky few who become icons, words can never tear down their fame.