by Olha Romaniuk

Created on: April 08, 2009

Graduate school is not a walk in the park. There are many lasting implications that become evident when one begins to consider graduate school education as the next step in furthering his or her career. Social, emotional and financial challenges aside, graduate school takes a lot of planning, a lot of dedication and, of course, a lot of time. Even beyond the initial planning and application processes, graduate school is a demanding little beast that requires commitment. Graduate school, unlike its many undergraduate counterparts, is not about partying and drinking; it requires a more mature mindset and is definitely now for everyone. With the challenges and obstacles in full view, it may seem almost unreasonable to even consider graduate school as an option; still thousands of us take on the challenge every year.

"Ugh, I could never go back to school. Why are you doing this?" is what I heard many of my friends exclaim upon finding out that I have made the choice to enroll in graduate school. The friends with jobs and cars and apartments who go on vacations and party every weekend questioned my sanity when I told them that within several months I would be packing everything up and moving several states away to attend a graduate school, notorious for its demanding and time-consuming courses. I could understand why my friends were feeling that confusion as I, myself, was not sure of what I was getting myself into. Taking a year off between graduating from an undergraduate institution and getting a feel for the real world was almost enough to make me forget about my previous desires of getting a master's degree. Earning enough money to sustain myself and to be able to afford certain luxuries was inebriating enough for me to become enamored with a grown-up life style. Yet, in the end, I went with my gut feeling and studied for those GRE's, wrote those essays and sent in those applications, hoping to receive an acceptance letter from an institution of my choice.

Indeed it did arrive one day in a crispy white envelope. The welcoming package informed me about everything I needed to know about the program I was applying for and contained all the facts I needed to know about the school itself. It was time to say goodbye to the leisurely life style of the every day and return to books and tests. It was time to go to graduate school.

The decision I made and the motions that I was going through as I was making it are similar to the many experiences of other people who decide

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