Graduate Programs
Yes. The reputation of the graduate program
you attend makes a difference. Why? Because
future employment and opportunities depend upon
other people making judgments about your skills
and abilities. They use the reputation of the
school you attended as an indicator of your
qualifications.
That may seem unfair. You may want to be
evaluated solely on your skills and abilities,
not on the professional program you attended.
Nonetheless, the reputation of the school you
attended is going to play a role, for several
reasons. First, others will assume you went to
the best school you could be admitted to. Indeed,
most persons do attend the best school they are
admitted to--why would they choose a lesser
program if something better was available?
Second, it's hard to evaluate someone's
qualifications and we tend to rely on past
judgments made by others. Admission to a graduate
or professional program is an explicit evaluation
of your abilities and potential, and other
persons will rely upon past judgments made by
others when making their decisions. It's a
shortcut, but a reasonably reliable one.
This has a practical implication: you
should aim to be admitted into the very best
program you can. This requires that you do your
very best at Cal State Fullerton in all of your
classes.
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A professional graduate program can be very
expensive. Is it worthwhile or not? That depends
on several factors:
- Your likelihood of graduating and
entering the profession.
- Your potential earnings.
- How much personal satisfaction and
enjoyment you receive from your
employment.
The best approach is to conceptualize this
as an investment. Investing
$100,000 in a career in medicine, for example,
may sound like a lot of money, but it has the
potential to be both very financially and
personally rewarding. You could pay $90,000 to
finish law school, but you might conceivably earn
an annual salary well beyond this amount--not
just your first year, but for 25 to 40 years! On
the other hand, if the school does not have a
good reputation for placing people in the
profession or if you aren't really committed to
the field...it would be very foolish to spend
this kind of money for something with such a low
probability of paying off.
The bottom line is if you are competent,
capable, admitted to a good program, and
committed to your field, then it's well worth the
money. If you have doubts about the field or your
qualifications, then it's better to wait until
you're sure.
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