Grad school- is it worth it?

[Emma Johnson]

Hello,

I'm a new member here. I write on personal finance topics for MSN Money, and noticed a few threads related to career and education choices. I recently wrote a story debating whether graduate school is worth the time/money investment, which I thought may be interesting to some viewers here.

Will grad school pay off? - MSN Money

Looking forward to your feedback.

Best,

Emma Johnson

[Calculusaurus]

That was an interesting article. Thank you

It would have been interesting to have more focus on the intrinsic value of grad school. The extrinsic -- financial -- value of grad school might not be worth the effort these days. But the intrinsic value -- the experience itself -- might be.

My professors used to tell me that grad school was a way for them to postpone the real world. The social environment is still young by NYC-finance-firm standards (the grad school alternative for some recent college graduates). And it's a chance to continue the learning experience in a big way.

For some, that might be worth the financial setback.

Also, do not forget that, financially, grad school varies drastically from discipline to discipline. In the US, many physical science students are paid a stipend of about $20,000/year just to be a student. Makes financial sense to me