Are you thinking about going to graduate school during a pandemic? If so, you’re not alone!
Since the coronavirus pandemic began, a jaw-dropping record number of Americans have lost their jobs, leading many to ask, “Now what”? Amidst all the financial uncertainty and fear that this can create, some intrepid goal-setters still think ahead. They’re asking, “should I go to graduate school now, still?”
No matter whether you’re a recent college graduate or if you’ve been in the workforce for years, just thinking about graduate school right now is a daunting task. Applying might be even more so, and there are many factors to consider.
When the economy crashed in 2008, 2.6 million Americans lost their jobs—and a large number of adults also headed back to graduate school. Faced with an economic downturn or a lost job, these applicants used a change in financial circumstances as a chance to try something new. The New York Times even published an article suggesting that “A Recession May Be a Time to Go Back to School.“
A pandemic is not a recession, of course, and going to school at any time in life isn’t a decision to make lightly. Now, during the Covid-19 pandemic, lives are being lost along with jobs. School semesters have been upended over and over, as campuses debate between virtual, hybrid, or in-person options. But that hasn’t stopped people from planning for their next best steps.
What to think about when you think about going back to school:
Over the past few months, I’ve worked with many clients who are planning to go back to graduate school. Some have thought about their next steps for a year or more, long before a pandemic threatened all their plans. Despite all the uncertainties, these clients are still filling out their applications and pursuing their dreams, apparently undaunted.
My recent clients include adults who have spent some after many years out of the in-person or virtual classroom. They feel certain that the pandemic has, in some way, helped crystalize their interest in a new field, an interest that may have had for years, but only recently began to seem plausible. For many, the pandemic illustrates the importance of helping others, a goal each hopes to meet in a wide variety of fields.
These clients feel eager to try out a new opportunity—but they may not not think their writing skills are up to snuff. They feel challenged by the idea of putting their life story into a thousand words or two. They’ve been working on the job, writing case notes, memos, or white papers, but haven’t tried anything so personal as a personal statement in years. They’re not sure where to start.
That’s where I come in.
In fact, “thinking about going back to school” is exactly the task an essay or statement needs to tackle. The personal statement and other application essays show what you think about why this field, why now, why this school.
It always thrills me to see such enthusiasm, drive, and skill in a dark time like this. Applying to graduate school during a pandemic shows tremendous courage. Between the pandemic, the protests against racial injustice, and the increasingly serious financial and unemployment crisis, there’s never been a more risky time to think positively about the future. And yet, thinking positively about the future is just what the graduate school admissions essay requires.
My tagline is “words with care.” I want to help you think this next step through, carefully. I’ll treat your interest in your field or school with all the care, seriousness, and well-wishes it deserves. You’ve made the decision to apply, but now you need to make that application a reality. As your graduate school admissions essay coach, I can help you think through the personal, academic, and professional reasons that you’re writing this application, right now.
Ready to get started? I know we can’t know what the future holds, but I’m here to help you reach for it.
