Decision Time








The lead-up to sending out all those applications in the fall is nothing short of crazy. Deadlines approach and threaten to pass you by. The edits of the scholarly essay and personal statement seem like they'll never end. And making sure the folks at the GRE or LSAT or MCAT or at any of the other members of the Alphabet Soup Brigade have sent out your standardized test scores to the right schools seemed, for a time, to have become a full-time job. And then, one day, it was over: Paperwork was mailed off and applications were electronically filed and then, after all that craziness, there was nothing left to do but wait. And wait. And wait.
Even waiting to hear if you'd gotten in was a passive process. Nerve-wracking, sure, but passive nonetheless. Which is why the decision process often comes as such a shock to so many students. Because after all the down-time of waiting for the envelope to arrive bearing the (hopefully) good news, it's difficult to get yourself off your proverbial laurels and into the work-mode again.
The difference this time, of course, is that the work is of a much more internal variety: This time around, this time of year, its all about deciding what to do next, regardless of whether you've received a big good-news-bearing envelope or a small rejection-filled one.
Congratulations! Now What?
There's a wonderful old movie called The Candidate in which Robert Redford plays a politically-unseasoned candidate for the United States Senate who works harder and suffers more than he ever has before in his quest for a coveted seat in that most august of American political bodies. Finally, after surviving all the proverbial slings and arrows of his outrageous political fortune, he wins the race, ostensibly accomplishing everything he's worked so hard for. The kicker is the last line of the film: Redford, sitting there away from all the hoopla of his victory celebration, uttering one of the most famous lines in American political cinema: "What do we do now?"
This, of course, is not unlike the recently-accepted graduate student: You've worked as hard as you ever have before, you've jumped through all the hoops the various admissions committees have set before you, and you've achieved your goals. So now what?
Now it's decision time. How do you want to spend the next three to eight years of your life. Maybe you've been accepted to all the programs to which you applied. Perhaps you only got into one of them. Either way, you have some choices to make, and how you make them will likely affect the direction of the rest of your life.
The key is not to let the pressure get to you. Remember, if you weren't serious about this in the first place, then you wouldn't have applied all those many months ago. Many people, in fact, look at the application process itself as a bit of a weeding-out process. If it was too easy to apply, then everyone would do it - even those who weren't sure they wanted to go to grad school in the first place. So the fact that you made it through that should set your mind at ease that you really do want to pursue your education further.
At this point, then, you need to weigh your options: If you've only been accepted to one program, then your choice is limited to only whether you do or do not want to go back to school. If you do, great: Start looking for scholarships and housing and all that other good stuff. If you don't, post your résumé on Monster.com and hope for the best.
If, however, you've been accepted by two or more programs, you'll now need to weigh the relative merits of each one. Is one more prestigious than the other? Is that prestige based on the real value of the education it provides or merely on the reputation of the school? Is the location appealing and convenient? What kind of money is the school willing to throw your way? What is the workload like for grad students? Are there many courses you'll have to teach? Is the school itself well-connected in the field in which you'd eventually like to work?
The issues you'll need to consider are endless. And the truth is that no one will be able to tell you exactly what your own personal set of determining factors should be. For unlike choosing a college, grad school comes at a time of most people's lives when they have other people to consider when making their decision: Are you married or in a long-term relationship? If you have kids, are the schools in the city or town where your potential grad school is located any good?
Just breathe. At this point in the game, the best thing you can do is to be as organized as possible. Create a list of what's important to you and carefully, methodically chart your course. This is a decision that should be based on carefully considered criteria, not emotion. The last thing you want to do, after all, is make the wrong choice because you were hasty and didn't think it all through.
Finally, trust yourself. If you're bright enough to have been accepted to a grad school in the first place, then you're certainly capable of making the right decision about which one to attend. You can do this. Just trust yourself to decide correctly and jump on in. You'll be fine.
The Little Envelope, or What Now?
What do you do if you didn't get in? After all the effort of completing the applications, it is normal to suffer a bit when the little envelopes start pouring in. But it's not the end of the world. It may feel like it, of course, but you will pull through in the end.
You basically have two choices if you're not accepted to any of the programs to which you've applied. First, you can decide to have another go at it next fall. If you truly want to go to grad school-and ostensibly you do, or you wouldn't have gone through all that effort in the first place-then you'll find a way to get in. Start studying earlier for the standardized tests required by programs in your field, rewrite your scholarly essay and personal statement, and reconsider the kind of schools you plan on applying to. Remember, you can only do it better a second time around. Consider the first round a practice run, learn from your mistakes, and do everything better next time.
Your other option, of course, is to reconsider the endeavor altogether. Because after having gone through the process and not succeeding the first time, you may genuinely choose to pursue a different angle. There is absolutely no shame in that whatsoever. Sometimes, people need to try and fail at something in order to realize that they really didn't want to do it in the first place. And grad school is far from the only means to a desired end. It is but one path. And if you truly want to pursue a goal, you will find a way to get there in the end.
But your best bet is to not make any decisions just yet. For no matter how calm you think you are, emotions are likely running high. Step back, try not to think about it for a few weeks, and then reconsider your options.
Whether you got in or didn't, you still have control of your future. Just believe in yourself, pursue your dreams either in school or not, and follow your gut and your intellect. As always, Shakespeare said it best: This above all: To thine own self be true.Trust yourself and believe in your own abilities to make the right decision. It will all work out in the end.


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