Experiences with Masters programs in college?

[Minty_Magic]

Hey all! Hope this sort of topic is allowed here! So I finally finished my Bachelor’s program a couple months ago after poking away at it for like 5 years. I was super excited to finally be done with school and move on with my life, but I’ve been offered a spot in the Masters program now due to my grades. No application or fees required, if I accept I can start classes in the fall.

I’m really, really torn on what to do. My company will pay for my tuition, so finances aren’t a consideration for me, the only thing holding my back is my own will to work and time. I do work full time so I think my greatest fear is burning myself out from overwork. I’ve created a list of pros and cons for attending. So far I have:

Pros:
-With how competitive the job market has become, having a Masters would help make me more competitive
-My undergrad was in Sociology which may not have as much hiring power behind it as some other undergrad degrees. This Masters would be in Communication which is broad and can be applied to a huge variety of fields.
-I’m automatically accepted to the program and don’t have to worry about paying for it, a lot of the hard work is behind me because of this
-The program is designed to be finished in about 18 months. Since I don’t go full time let’s say it’ll take me a little over two years. That’s not a horrible time commitment
-The program is entirely online. I don’t have to worry about attending classes in person and I can review the material on my own time. I don’t know if it will be the same for higher level classes, but during my undergrad classes I was able to work ahead.
-I seem to get huge tax benefits by being a student. I enjoy my higher tax returns at the end of the year.

Cons:
-I imagine higher level courses require more time and critical thought than undergrad classes. I’m not sure I am a good enough student to keep up with a higher level of education
-You must maintain a 3.0 GPA to remain in the program. Even a B- grade is considered a fail. I got almost straight As in my undergrad classes, but the idea that I can’t slip below like an 80% or so in my grades is stressful.
-The capstone project. I’m not a very ambitious person, so the idea of having to do a capstone project to complete the program is intimidating. This also sounds like a big time investment.
-Reading through the course program my advisor sent me it looks like you MUST enroll in one class every spring and fall semester. If you skip a semester you are dropped. When I was doing my undergrad classes I took spring and summer classes and skipped fall. This schedule worked much better for me and made the program bearable. I also dislike that I can’t take a break for a semester or so if I start feeling burned out.
-Accepting this offer tethers me to my company for at least 2 more years. I realistically probably wouldn’t go anywhere else, but since they are paying for my tuition looking for jobs elsewhere becomes out of the question.

Have any of you gone through Masters programs in college? If so, how much does it differ from an undergraduate program? Is it something that someone working a full time job can even keep up with? I know this is a HUGE opportunity and I’m leaning towards at least enrolling in a couple classes to try it, but idk. There is a lazy part of me that just wants to be done with school for a while, but at the same time I know myself and if I don’t do this now I probably will never consider going back to school in the future ever. This is my best shot…

[BlackCurtains]

I’m not really qualified to answer since I didn’t even finish high school but I think you should at least try 🙂

You don’t need to pay anything? Then all you’ll be using is time and even if you don’t last for whatever reason, you’ll have learned something anyway.

I think, as far as future jobs go, the US is going to be in a bad way for a long time and I don’t think having a higher degree will matter much unless it’s in technology. But that’s just my opinion.

You should give it a shot and try your best 😊

[Beth3346]

I also don't have experience with grad school. but i think it sounds like something worth trying. i had a similar opportunity when i was working for my university and didn't end up doing it. and now TBH i regret it. mainly i didn't do it because i hated working there and i was planning to start doing web design/dev and there weren't really any grad programs that would have been relevant. the MBA program was most relevant but since i already had a BBA it would be somewhat of a repeat. and mostly the same professors.

so here i am about 15 years later and i wish i had tried to take a different program. maybe something history or literature? lately i've been missing school. if i could go back without having to spend a ton of money i think i would. even being over 40 now.

it seems like giving it a try would be fairly low risk. and your grades were good so the people offering you a spot think you're up for it academically.

[Pokeyonekenobie]

If someone was offering to pay for the Masters Program I want to do, I'd jump on that.  My job offers tuition assistance but only to local schools, and none of them offer the Masters that I would go after so that doesn't help me.  If you've just graduated College, I get that you'd like the break.  But the longer you wait to get any kind of upper degree, the harder it is to go back and I can guarantee it won't be cheap, especially if you end up paying for it yourself. 

It sounds like the minimun to take is 1 class, so if you feel yourself getting burnt out, sign up for 1 class instead of 2 or 3.  That way you still get a bit of a break without losing your place. And a crap schedule is doable as long as there's an end in sight.  You think it might take 2 years.  So tell yourself it's only 2 years and then you can go back to your less hectic schedule.  You spent 5 on your Bachelors.  This is less than half of that.

The capstone project can be daunting.  I work with someone who would have had her Masters before Covid, but she wouldn't work on it.  We've had other co-workers that went through the exact same Masters program offer to walk through it with her and she just wouldn't bring in her stuff for them to help her.  So if you have a problem, I'm sure there's someone out there that has gone through it and is willing to help you. You just have to be willing to also do the work on it. 

I think you should give it a go.  If it REALLY isn't working out (I mean, REALLY REALLY--after a good honest try--not working out at all), you can always drop it, right?  But you won't know for sure until you try.

 

[Minty_Magic]

Thanks you guys! After some more consideration I’ve decided to go for it! When I went to accept the offer it turns out I was able to select a later start semester all along. I’m going to start in the Spring semester of next year so I will get a nice little year break!

Now that I know I’ll have a little breather Im actually really excited to go back! I never dreamed I’d ever be in a position to get a Masters degree, so this is all very surreal. I do enjoy school as long as I can take it at my own pace, so I'm excited to see what this next batch of classes will bring!

[Beth3346]

Yay!! I"m excited for you and glad that you're able to take some time off.

[BlackCurtains]

That's great news!

[Griffin]

Glad to hear everything worked out in the end! Enjoy your studies - and the break, of course!    

[Pokeyonekenobie]

Yay!