4 Strategies to Save Money in Grad School

Don't go if you don't have money to waste. Also, don't go unless you get accepted to a top 20 school. The only benefit from most grad degrees is that they provide you with a formal credential that can help you get hired in a few situations (but only if you also have other "qualifications" to go along with the degree such as coffee-maker internships, cultural fit criteria AKA "you're a great schmoozer", etc.).

There is nothing taught in most grad courses that you can't teach yourself, so you're effectively paying a ton of money for access to a glorified test-grader (professors), a piece of paper, and an against-odds hope that it'll get you a higher paying job than you otherwise could have received. Therefore, the majority of people are better off just finding a job after their undergrad studies and moving up through the company's own pipeline while educating themselves. It'll usually be more profitable and even more academically beneficial since you'll have the freedom to focus on learning the things that actually matter to your career.

Ultimately, if you are truly an intelligent and driven individual, you probably don't need grad school to be successful.

Overqualified of TX 1:47PM April 10, 2010

In one paragraph, you write, “Many applicants with grandiose ideas about becoming professors, for example, are likely to be disappointed, because the latest round of economic troubles has not only reduced university hiring but also discouraged older professors from retiring and creating openings.” And than in the next you write, “however, that for those passionate about a career as a professor, lawyer, dentist, or other professional, a recession is a good time to buckle down to graduate school.”

So which is it? Do I go to grad school in hopes that I’ll be more marketable in 1-3 years or do I assume that in 1-3 years the positions still wont be available?

LS of IL 3:07PM March 12, 2010

Answering your request regarding poursuing your studies, you can come to U.S as a private student for one semester, get the to register in accredited University and pass the your addmission test which will match the GMAT or others and apply for the King Abdullah's scholarship and I'm sure you'll get. Just try to talk to Dr. Al Issa which is the Cultural attache in Washington D.C and you may fall in exception. I have seen it happen with other private Saudi students..

Good luck

Az

Aziza of DC 12:34PM January 06, 2010