grad school considerations

[weary]

i still don't quite understand why 'grad school' is under the 'work' category,but i guess my topic fits here so....

i'm just wondering for those of you who have gone or are going to grad school for a field very different from your undergrad degree

A) how difficult was the transition?
B) what was your deciding factor to take the jump?
C) would you still have gone if you had to take up to 2 years of prep classes and/or possibly even a second bachelor's first?

[*D is for the older QLCers (i.e. 30+)]
D) did you have a hard time relating to significantly younger classmates/being in a college setting again after being in the work world for a while (if you went FT)?

[Orca]

I changed from Zoology to informatics after 2 years of work between BSc and Masters. Different but still sciency.

A) how difficult was the transition?

Not that bad. Actually it was more the long hours (not used to doing homework late at night any more) than the actual work itself being a problem. However, of the 20 people on my course, about half of them were coming from other backgrounds, so I didn't feel alone.

B) what was your deciding factor to take the jump?

There is no such thing as a permanent job in Zoology. They just want you to "volunteer" unpaid for the rest of your life. I couldn't live like that forever and wanted a more secure career.

C) would you still have gone if you had to take up to 2 years of prep classes and/or possibly even a second bachelor's first?

No, Probably not.

D) did you have a hard time relating to significantly younger classmates/being in a college setting again after being in the work world for a while (if you went FT)

N/A because I was 23 at the time.

[gradgirl]

Can't really answer questions A-C because I'm going in the same field that my undergrad degree is in...

But in regards to question D, I went to grad school right from undergrad, and if anything I had a lot of trouble relating to most of my classmates because they were all older and had worked for a few years before going. I guess it depends on the program you are interested in, but in my program, it seems that at least half the students are around 30 and spent a lot of years working after getting their bachelors degree.

[cheshrcarol]

I am doing a field change right now, from Communications/publishing to Human-computer Interaction. Some of the skills are the same and I think are easily adapted, but specific work functions are totally different.

A) how difficult was the transition?
It's been fine so far, I just started this semester.
B) what was your deciding factor to take the jump?
Not enough opportunity in this field, and I was tired of never making any money.
C) would you still have gone if you had to take up to 2 years of prep classes and/or possibly even a second bachelor's first?
No. You'd be in school forever at that point. I wouldn't think it's a good idea to sign yourself up for another 5 or more years of school for a master's. I might have taken a couple extra classes before-hand if they'd accepted me with that provision, but no way I'd do a whole other bachelor's.

[*D is for the older QLCers (i.e. 30+)]
D) did you have a hard time relating to significantly younger classmates/being in a college setting again after being in the work world for a while (if you went FT)?
Well, I'm only 28 but I'll answer anyways :p. I haven't had a problem so far. Mostly our "relating" is about class stuff. Occasionally other things come up, but not enough to really see too much of the age gaps. I am a full time student, but I take classes on-campus and by distance (online with group chat and web streamed video). Most of the master's students are older. Some are 20's, some are 30's or older. The youngest person I've met so far is 24 or 25. I haven't met anyone in the program yet who went to grad school right from undergrad. I have one class that's what they call "cross-listed", so it's both an undergrad (4 credits) AND grad (3 credits), so there tends to be some younger people in that class.

[yankeeyosh]

i still don't quite understand why 'grad school' is under the 'work' category,but i guess my topic fits here so....

Ummm...because grad school is work. You ain't going to toga parties when you're a g-stud (unless you're one of those super multitasking types who does anything and everything) :)

[shimma]

Dubya, you're switching from what to what?


[*D is for the older QLCers (i.e. 30+)]
D) did you have a hard time relating to significantly younger classmates/being in a college setting again after being in the work world for a while (if you went FT)?

Well.. FI started college late (age 27), and yes, he did have a hard time relating to his classmates in undergrad. He got a great education and has a good job now, but I will say he really only made a couple acquaintances (not friends, there's a difference) in college, only two of whom he still actually relates to and is friendly with after 3 years. That he chalks up to a maturity thing, and a "doubled up on credit hours and finished his undergrad in 2 yrs, thus too busy to be really social" thing. I chalk it up also to his not participating in the party scene in undergrad, his friends from undergrad still talk about how stuck up people thought he was because of that. What is really funny though, is he and I are still friendly with several of his classmates' parents.

In grad school (MBA), he was pretty much the "typical" student age and experience wise (ages 31-32). Seemed like his younger classmates wanted to work with him and the 30-somethings more because they had the experience. He's still friendly with a more of his classmates after a few months.

[winneythepooh7]

A) how difficult was the transition? Not too difficult. My professors, job and classmates, as well as family and friends were very supportive.
B) what was your deciding factor to take the jump? Advancement in my career
C) would you still have gone if you had to take up to 2 years of prep classes and/or possibly even a second bachelor's first? Probably not. But then again, my undergrad degree pretty much related to what I wanted to do for grad.

[*D is for the older QLCers (i.e. 30+)]
D) did you have a hard time relating to significantly younger classmates/being in a college setting again after being in the work world for a while (if you went FT)? I started out in a program that traditionally, students who are fresh out of undergrad go in. I was with people who never really worked before, let alone in my field, were in. Meanwhile, I had several years of working experience in my field under my belt (I think I was about 25 or 26 when I started grad). I felt out of place in a lot of my classes that year, and felt that I dominated a lot of the discussions in class. The next year, I changed to a Program for Employed Persons through my school, which was a much better fit. Not only that, but it cut down on the stress and the work-load. Before that, I had to do a seperate internship, in addition to work (which my peers that first year could not relate to). In the PEP program, I got to use my job towards my field placement credits.