To graduate school! Help?

Graduate School
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<p>So I'm graduating with a degree in Communication in May. I know, haha a degree in Communication, trust me I regret it too- and that's just the point of this thread.</p>

<p>I'm a great student, 3.9 cumulative GPA and have scored competitively on the GRE...the only thing is I don't know if graduate programs outside of communication are going to accept a comm major...I've been looking into Masters of Library Science, Journalism (I love to write), and recently, Psychology. I have also looked into Masters of Communication programs but seriously, what am I going to go with a Masters of Comm? My minor is Human Resource Management, but I only took it because my parents demanded that I supplement my major with something businessy no matter what my major was to begin with. I HATE HRM and refuse to go to grad school for it. The only thing that interests me in the comm field is working in radio, but because I had to put food on the table I had to have an almost full time job and couldn't intern..so it seems that grad school (and loans this time around) is my only option.</p>

<p>So. The question is, is it possible for me to get into graduate programs other than those in communication(s)? For instance, I know if I wanted to go for computer science (what I should have done from the start but was advised against it by my mom and dad) I would have to take prerequisite coursework from a community college or something. But what if I wanted to get a Masters/Psy.D? Do they admit non Psych. majors? What are some grad. school options open to the comm majors? </p>

<p>Thanks for all of your help.</p>

<p>**Oh and I absolutely HAVE to go to grad school within a year of my graduation or else my parents wont help me foot the bill. In this economy, it is best for me to have them help me now so I don't have time to go out and work and whatnot. The military is looking more and more attractive I swear...</p>

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<p>You need to get yourself into your advisor’s office and talk about this. You also need to get yourself into the Career Center on campus and find out about getting a job. Working for a while truly is the best way to help decide on which grad program will support your long-term career goals - even if the only job you can come up with at first is washing dishes or flipping burgers or working in HR. </p>

<p>Grad school is to college as college is to middle school. Do not do it until you are absolutely, dead-on committed to the degree program. Entering a grad program without knowing specifically why you are there is a bad idea. Having a bit of financial help now from your parents (rather than later) is NOT a legitimate reason to go to grad school.</p>

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<p>It’s a terrible idea to spend two years and a bunch of money to attend graduate school if you have no idea what you want to go to graduate school for. Having a shotgun of three or five different programs is not good. Once you’re committed to that program… you’re in. And if you suddenly decide one year in that you’d rather do radio than a Masters of Library Science… well, an MLIS isn’t going to help you get a job in radio.</p>

<p>I took a year off after getting my journalism degree. In that time, I found a paid internship, turned that internship into a student-to-career opportunity and applied to graduate programs in an entirely different field. Now I’m working on an MS in recreation. I would have had no idea that I wanted to get this degree if I hadn’t taken time to look for real-world experience.</p>

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<p>First, to answer your question, it is possible to go to graduate school in a field other than the one you got your undergrad degree in. You just may have to take some courses to show that you can handle graduate level material in the area. For example, psychology is my field and although you can get in with a communication degree, likely any MS or MA program is going to require you to take around 18 hours of coursework in psychology - they’re going to want to see intro, a basic statistics course, research/experimental methods, and 2-3 courses in your field of interest (abnormal for clinical, social, developmental, cognitive, etc.) In computer science you will likely need the equivalent of a major in CS. In journalism or library science, people from all kinds of fields go into that.</p>

<p>However, I will agree with everyone else in that going to graduate school without clear plans is probably the worst possible thing you can do. You don’t go to grad school and then pick a career; it’s the other way around. You only get a graduate degree if you have a goal and you need it for something specific. If you know you want to be an academic librarian or work in a public library system, you get an MLS; if you KNOW you want to be a journalist, you get a journalism degree.</p>

<p>I’d also like to add that getting an MA in psychology is not very useful. Most people who get it either get a counseling degree that will license them as a practical counselor (LPC designation) or they get one because they are not competitive for PhD programs and want to beef up their CV. Do NOT apply to a PsyD or PhD program without some kind of clear direction or goal. Even if you do get in (which is unlikely because psychology is fiercely competitive even for the people who have clear goals), you will be miserable. Trust me. Don’t make the same mistake twice - choose carefully and wisely so you spend your time and money in the most advantageous way.</p>

<p>You should not go just because your parents will help you - if they are pushing you to go within a year of graduation, they are doing you a disservice. It would be better for you to pay for it yourself and go when you are ready than to try to select a career option. Go work for a few years.</p>

<p>I actually agree with OP that in this bad economy, ‘hiding’ in school and be more prepared /equipped for real world is a good idea especially if you don’t want to work in the field what you’ve studied (which is exactly what I’m doing right now =P).</p>

<p>No, it’s not. People <em>think</em> that this is a good idea, but it really isn’t. In a lot of fields, when choosing between two candidates - one with experience and a BA, and one with an MA and no experience - most times employers will chose the BA with experience. Not to mention that graduate school is ridiculously expensive. It can be worth if it you already know what you want to do, but it’s a waste of your time and money to just go without any clear idea about what you want.</p>