When Jeff Bernstein finished his undergraduate education, he wanted to do three things: teach political science, research political science and sing with the Oak Ridge Boys.
His musical career looking grim, he decided grad school would be the best way to achieve his goals. He is now a sixth-year political science graduate student.
While few students are forced to choose between musical fame and education, many wrestle with the decision of obtaining graduate degrees or doctorates, or taking their undergrad degrees out into the job market.
University of Michigan graduate and Stanford University psychology graduate student Jennifer Henderlong said that her graduate program differs most from her undergraduate programs in its intensity and the amount of personal attention she receives from instructors.
"From a place like Michigan which is so large, it's a lot more intimate," Henderlong said. "However, there aren't people hounding you telling you that things are due. You have to sit down and tell yourself that you have to do your research."
Chris Afendulis, who graduated from the University's Honors Program with a bachelor's degree in political science and is currently in his fifth year in Harvard University's doctoral program in government, said that graduate faculty at prestigious universities often have less time to spend with students because they are required to spend time researching.
"When I was an undergrad, the faculty was more willing to have an individual conversation with you and help mold the way you think about the subject you are studying," Afendulis said. "In grad school, it's more the nine-to-five grind."
LSA senior Shera Gittleman said she is planning on going to graduate school to study history in hopes that a graduate degree will help her get a better job.
"It's just so interesting and I enjoy learning about history, especially a specific area that I could do my own research in," Gittleman said.
Sharon Vaughters, assistant director for departmental relations for Career Planning & Placement at the University, said students choose grad school primarily because of a pure interest in gaining more information in a field they love.
Vaughters said students also attend grad school to gain the credentials needed to succeed in a profession and that grad school is a fallback option for students who aren't anxious to enter the job market.
"The graduate experience can really help them sort out if a field is for them or not," Vaughters said. "I see that in people in the Ph.D. program."
Afendulis said he was inspired by University Profs. Doug Dion and John Kingdon.
"Writing my honors thesis opened up a lot of research questions for me," Afendulis said. "There were all sorts of questions that I wanted to answer and grad school was the way to do it."
Afendulis said that the majority of students going into doctorate programs wish to teach at universities, but that some end up in other fields because the job market for prestigious university jobs is grim.
"I think a lot of people come in with really high expectations after going through the grad school recruiting process," Afendulis said. "Most people want to teach at one of the top 10 or 15 universities and once they realize that they might not be able to this, a career in academia isn't as attractive to them."
John VanderSande, assistant dean of engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, said that because many universities are hiring at a rate that is below replacement, the role of the doctorate is going to change in the next 10 years.
"We see a need to respond to post-undergraduate education, but not necessarily in the form of the Ph.D.," VanderSande said.
VanderSande said MIT has responded to this change by introducing six new "flavors" to the master's degree in the past five years.
"My dream here is to put into place a system where you're a student your entire life."
While a doctorate no longer guarantees prestigious jobs in academia, it is becoming more useful to those entering the job market outside the university.
Mike Foster, corporate manager of college recruiting for Intel Corporation, said half the people Intel has hired in the past few years have a graduate-level education. Foster said that the 20 percent of these new employees who have doctorates have brought new ways of thinking and the latest research at the university level to Intel.
"More and more, people with Ph.D.s are coming out realizing that there are better opportunities in development than research," Foster said. "They are allowing us to develop our own internal research capacities, which is critical to our ongoing success."
While many students go to grad school to increase their income, students must first cover the costs of the continued education.
At Stanford's graduate psychology program, a student's first three years of tuition are paid by grants from organizations like the National Science Foundation. Stanford picks up the fourth year of tuition and also provides students with stipends to live on.
Stanford students receive between $3,000 and $4,000 for every quarter that they serve as a research assistant or teaching assistant.
Most universities help graduate students cover the cost of their education, but Henderlong said Stanford does a better job with funding than other graduate programs.
"It's not like we're scrambling around trying to get funding, but I think it is that way at many other schools," Henderlong said.
- All graphics were taken from U.S. News and World Report's 1996 annual report, Top Graduate Schoolx.