Should I go to grad school?

Graduate School
1

<p>I'm having some trouble deciding on whether or not to pursue graduate school. My dream/goal is to run my own start-up and work in the realm of cutting edge tech in Silicon Valley. My background is in Bioengineering, although I have done research in nanotechnology as well (AFM imaging mainly for the past two years). I also do some work with a student organization that is centered around strategy/management consulting. My GPA is >3.5 and I have not taken the GRE. If I were to go pursue a higher degree it would most likely be in the area of nanotechnology (with an MBA possible down the track). I love the collegiate atmosphere and I truly enjoy learning, are there any thoughts the forum can offer me? Or maybe some thought provoking questions to help me on my way</p>

<p>Thanks,</p>

<p>Deuces (UCLA c/o 2010)</p>

2

<p>Here’s some stuff that I’ve found helpful. </p>

<p>[Philip</a> Guo - Advice for preparing to apply and actually applying to science Ph.D. programs](<a href=“http://www.stanford.edu/~pgbovine/grad-school-app-tips.htm]Philip”>http://www.stanford.edu/~pgbovine/grad-school-app-tips.htm)</p>

<p>[The</a> Grad School Application Process](<a href=“http://www.public.asu.edu/~swirkus/gradschool2.doc]The”>www.public.asu.edu/~swirkus/gradschool2.doc)</p>

<p>[Applying</a> to Doctoral Degree Programs & the First Few Years of Graduate School in the Biological, Mathematical, and Physical Sciences and Engineering](<a href=“http://www.public.asu.edu/~swirkus/gradschool1.doc]Applying”>www.public.asu.edu/~swirkus/gradschool1.doc)</p>

<p>[So</a> You Want to go to Graduate School?](<a href=“http://swps.berkeley.edu/gradschool_guide.pdf]So”>http://swps.berkeley.edu/gradschool_guide.pdf)</p>

<p>[Applying</a> to Ph.D. Programs in Computer Science](<a href=“http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~harchol/gradschooltalk.pdf]Applying”>http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~harchol/gradschooltalk.pdf)</p>

3

<p>In my own personal experiences, I have found a bachelors to be pretty worthless in science careers. Everybody has one, so the fact that you have one doesn’t get you anything. With a higher degree, you can at least become competitive for careers in academia, management (in industry) or consulting. Since the stipend in grad school is pretty close to the salary for entry level jobs, I would strongly urge you to consider grad school.</p>

4

<p>I would offer that starting your own company is a lot easier with a graduate degree. Prospective backers want some assurance that their money will be well used, and a graduate degree from a good school showing research in the area goes a long long way.</p>

<p>There are several integrated MS/MBA programs out there that you may want to consider. If you like you can then later take it to a PhD.</p>

5

<p>where is sakky?</p>

6

<p>No you should not.</p>

7

<p>^Why?
101010</p>

8

<p>Thanks for the comments guys, I’ve been away at camp for the past weekend and I’m loving the replies. Anybody else have some 2 cents?</p>

9

<p>Well, you have the grades. You should read about how it’s like in graduate school. Will you be ready for the workload? Research and papers? You’ll need to be active as it’s not like undergraduate where you read and then take exams. Papers/presentations are exams in graduate school. If you are prepared for those then sure you should apply.</p>

10

<p>My biggest concern is focusing down into one topic, I have a love for a variety of disciplines and it might be constricting. I’m definitely at ease with presentations and I don’t mind writing, especially when it comes to topics I enjoy. I’m taking all of your advice into consideration and I still need to read some of those pieces posted above. I’m also getting very involved with the open source community, although I can’t code or program beyond understanding pseudocode (one course in C++, no practice afterwards).</p>