Grad School: Why think about it?

Some of you -- if there are any of you, here -- may want to know why I have been seriously thinking about going to graduate school. I reckon now is as good a time as any to express why I've come to this conclusion (decision). Following are the several reasons why I have chosen going to grad school is my best option thus far.

Comfort and Familiarity

According to my mother, I've been in the school system since before I could walk. I was a head-start kid which means I was in school effectively since I was three. I started going to summer camp when I was nine, but the camp I went to was more of a voluntary advanced summer school than your traditional summer camp. I spent a lot of my youth in libraries, I enjoy reading research journals, I've subscribed to Scientific American and Wired magazines, and I get excited about trips to the bookstore and Staples.

Being associated with with learning or knowledge are among the things I know and love the best. I'd enjoy going to a museum a trillion times more than going to the movies. I care less about how classy a food is and more about its scientific complexity or its history. Video games that demand puzzle-solving and strategy are more appealing than mindless shoot-em-ups and racers [Disclaimer: I still enjoy Mario Kart and Bubble Shooter as much as the next person]. That's just how I am.

One of the reasons I even came to college was because I couldn't think of anything else to do but continue going to school. And frankly, I didn't want to do anything else at the time. The same reasoning applies to my feelings towards grad school. It's something I'm used to -- going to class, doing homework -- and something I don't mind doing.

Necessity

Luckily enough -- and unluckily, too -- I can't perform within my field of interest (Psychology) without going to grad school and getting at least a Masters degree anyway... It's understandable, I suppose, because I'm sure people don't want to be treated by some cocky, wet-behind-the-ears college graduate. Yes, we understand the textbook science of psychology, but as with any medical field, there are techniques vital to treatment that cannot be taught with a textbook. Also, what we learn in school is only a small part of what is the complex nature of how people are affected by psychological successes and failures.

Not wanting to feel useless or anything, I figured I should go through with grad school. That way my parents would see I'm worth something more than my accrued debt. Seeing as I can only make my major seem worthwhile by working in the field, I need to go to grad school.

Desire

It would be prudent of me to say I didn't just want to go to grad school. I think it'd be a nice experience for me and would grant me the opportunity to grow significantly as a person. That makes sense, yes? Good.

That's all,

~Kat