Graduate School

By Kelly Bridgewater

All through my high school career, high school counselors and teachers pushed college.

Must earn a Bachelor’s degree in order to have a high paying job.

Without this degree, you will not be able to afford anything.

So I went to school and earn my Bachelor’s Degree in English.

Masters and Ph.D. degrees were for the honor students who succeed and graduated with honors while working on the undergraduate degree.

I graduated with a 3.83 for my Bachelor’s Degree, so I thought I would work toward my Master’s in Writing.

Completed that.

Now I should be even more desirable for hiring and make even more money than the students who just have earned a Bachelor’s Degree.

Graduate school was for the “smart” kids.

BUT . . .

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Working in the University (my current position only needed a high school diploma), I don’t believe that anymore.

Graduate schools allow anyone into their program.

Even though it is listed on their website that the student has to have a cumulative GPA of a 3.0 or higher to enter the Master’s Degree program, that is not the case anymore.

I have seen students enter the Master’s Degree program with a 2.10 GPA.

What?

That does not make sense.

They have a D average, and the schools are accepting the students into their Master’s program. Ph.D.’ are accepting students who have earned a 2.85 GPA.

These classes are a lot more work and a lot tougher than undergraduate classes, which they should be.

It was nothing to compose three to four 25 page essays in a semester, depending on your course load. Plus, if the students are like me, I taught Freshman writing at the same time and raised three little boys at home.

My Master’s Thesis was 132 pages long.

Ph.D. dissertations have to be at least 300, if not more pages.

Plus, both degrees have you defending your paper in front of a committee.

Now, the schools allow students to take on more debt since you are not eligible for anything but loans, in order to work on these degrees.

Many students have to appeal their grades, because they do not make the grades, but they want those loans.

Even once the degree is awarded, Master’s degree students, even the smart ones, are working for less than the living wage.

No competitive jobs want them.

I, personally, have heard companies say with my Master’s Degree, I was too educated, and they would have to pay me more, so they would not hire me.

When applying for jobs, I removed the degrees I earned, if they were not required for the job position.

Sad.

Graduate School is honestly not worth the investment!!!

What do you think? Is graduate school worth it?