In general, is it difficult to get into grad school when coming straight out of college?

Question

what is the typical age for grad students?
realistically speaking, what is expected of you when you apply (GPA, job experience, etc.)?

i'm sorry this is so vague. i'm still somewhat undecided on what kind of grad school i'm interested in applying to ... possibly media studies, economics, psychology, marketing, advertising. i'm currently majoring in psychology and economics, but i truly want to do something related to media/magazines/pop culture (not film school though). please help! thanks!

Answer 1

Most graduate schools, with the exception of business and a few others where it is felt that the students would benefit from life experience, prefer students who come straight out of undergraduate programs. However, many do require that your undergraduate degree was in the same subject matter and see grad school as a continuation of your undergraduate major. I don't think it makes much sense, though, to apply for grad school just to go to grad school. You need to know what you want to do and why, otherwise it is obvious that you are just trying to avoid the job market for another year or two, which is NOT appealing to the schools themselves.

Answer 2

Most grad students come straight from their undergrad programs, but there are plenty of exceptions. My grad classes were more diverse than my undergrad classes with respect to student age, nation origin, etc.

Most grad schools post their entrance requirements on the school website, and these vary by department. Typically, grad students are expected to maintain a 3.0 GPA, so if your undergrad GPA is much below that, expect difficulty getting in. There is usually a standardized entrance exam, such as the GRE, LSAT (for law students), GMAT (for business school), etc. These are much like the SAT or ACT, only on a higher level. Most places will trade off undergrad GPA for good test scores, just like they do with the high school GPA and the SAT scores for undergrad admission.

Switching majors between undergrad and grad school is possible but difficult. Excellent grades and test scores help a lot. For example, I've seen engineers become MDs, but they were pretty sharp, and pretty good students.

Work experience doesn't hurt, but doesn't always help as much as you might think. Working as an undergrad in your major does help...for example, an undergrad archeology major who goes with a faculty member on a dig. Many grad students end up as research assistants or TAs during their grad school career, and showing that you already have the aptitude to do that helps.

Answer 3

If you're in the sciences or some other field that's really academic, it usually makes more sense to go straight into grad school after college. You can get recommendations from your profs, and academic skills like studying and writing papers are still fresh.

But, for a field like yours, I think a few years of real-world work experience would be a valuable asset to bring to a masters degree program. At least, that's my impression (I have a BS in computer science, and have worked in industry since college).

One truth is that it can be really hard to find the motivation to go back to school once you're used to making a salary.

Answer 4

I do not believe it would be that hard to get into graduate school coming straight out of college. I graduated college with a double major in history and business admin. and had no clue what I really wanted to do for the rest of my life. I was like many people who went into college declaring a major and changing it several times in the course of my studies.

Since I had no idea what to do with myself, I found a "corporate" job and worked for almost a year thinking about what really made me happy. My favorite job was working with children and I have always loved to read, so I am now working on my master's to become a librarian. If you like magazines/media, have you thought about interning at a newspaper or a TV station? Talking to people in different fields about your interests? People love to give advice, that's why yahoo answers is so popular!

If you are not sure what you want to do in life, take some time. I am 24 and just beginning my masters. There are plenty of people older than me working on their master's. Taking a year off was great for me. Going to school literally all your life is hard. Working in the real world, paying my own bills, and just not being in school gave me a different perspective that I wouldn't have had going straight out of college. In the end, you gotta do whats best for YOU.