Is grad school right for me?

Anteaters
Sun, 21 Aug 2011 15:24:50 +0000

Last year, I applied to grad school for an MA in IR but only got into my safety school. Therefore, I decided to take a year off and re-apply the next year to try to get into a better school. I volunteered in my year off and it was one of the best decisions in my life. I learned so much from volunteering and enjoyed it thoroughly. I got pretty good at it and even received a certificate of recognition when I was done.

Now, I just started grad school 4 days ago and already I’m finding myself worn out before classes have even started. I’m feeling restless and homesick. I’m not sure if studying, writing papers, and doing research is something I want to go through again. I think part of the reason I wanted to get an MA was because I didn’t do particularly well in undergrad and so I thought this would be a way to redeem myself. Also, my parents have always wanted me to get an advanced degree and have pushed me towards it. The coursework in grad school will be even more demanding. I know backing out now would cost me a lot of money because of all the loans and grants that I have been given for grad school. So I don’t want to do anything hasty and regret it later.

I’m sure I’ll have to think this over very carefully but as of right now, I don’t feel like a college student anymore. I feel like stepping out into the real world and working. My program is going to take at least 2 years and that is just way too long to me after spending 5 and a half years in undergrad. What should I do?