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Is graduate school worth the time, money and effort?  

This is the question undergrad students and professionals around the world ask as they wonder if grad school is the right option for them. For some careers, a master’s degree is required. At Grand View University, graduate counselors are available to guide those interested in master’s programs.  

GVU has several master’s programs and higher education certifications available, even recently adding another program for School Counseling. Enrollment Counselor, Ginger Hermon and Director of Graduate and Adult Admissions, Rick Eftink, both help students navigate through the grad school process at GVU. They help with the application and make sure each student is putting their best foot forward.  

“You should be looking at it like an investment in yourself. Education is one of the few things you can take with you in life that won’t decrease in value,” Eftink said.  

When students commit to a program of choice, an application, reference sheet and essay must be submitted to the graduate committee. Students will hear back within a week from their application being submitted. Eftink explained the acceptance process and added some tips he provides students to increase their likeliness to be accepted, specifically touching on the essay section of the application that takes a lot of effort and attention to detail.  

“They expect a little bit higher level of writing, so spell checking and looking for errors are really important,” Eftink said.  

Eftink said that, in careers such as teaching, receiving a master’s degree allows professionals to receive promotions and salary increases. 

“It opens a lot more doors. It can increase salaries quite a bit,” Eftink said. 

Grad school students must remain committed and focused throughout the whole program. Eftink said that students who enjoy the subjects they are learning about seem to enjoy their master’s programs more because the work doesn’t feel as daunting. Students can attend part-time or full-time, which can be completed in as little as a year for some programs offered at GVU. Many students that pursue graduate programs at GVU are working outside their coursework.  

“You have to make sure that you can keep up with your studies. It does require a lot of work,” Eftink said. 

The course demands of grad school can be a lot to handle but Mu Paw, a Social Work grad school student says classmates, staff and her family have helped her through the tough times. She explained that she chose GVU for both undergrad and grad school because she enjoys the small class sizes and inclusive community GVU offers. While in grad school she enjoys connecting with her classmates and professors.  

“My classmates have been very nice, polite, and nonjudgmental. I feel like I belong,” Paw said. 

Each person that attends grad school has unique motivations as to why they decided to attend. As a refugee herself, Paw wants to become a Clinical Mental Health Counselor to help her community. Attending a graduate program is the next step after obtaining a bachelor’s degree. 

“After I graduated with my undergrad, I worked with EMBARC helping refugees. As a case manager, I saw a need for mental health services because of language barriers and no interpreters, it’s hard for the refugee community. I want to become a mental health therapist to help fill the gap,” Paw said.  

Another grad student in the athletic training master’s program, Joseph Valadez, explained he chose GVU for his master’s because he also got his undergrad in Kinesiology from GVU. He said he enjoyed the small class sizes and campus overall.  

“I applied other places in case I didn’t get in, but thank goodness I did,” Valadez said. 

There are distinct differences between undergrad courses and master’s courses. Writing, critical thinking, and soft skills are all part of master’s course curriculums. In the Athletic Training Program students must be ready for content application and be able to put what they are learning into practice.  

“With this program specifically it’s a lot more critical thinking and putting what you’re learning in class into practice in clinicals,” Valadez said. 

Whether you are looking for a job promotion, additional income, or it’s required for your career. Choosing whether or not to go to grad school can be a hard decision to make. Paw offered a word of encouragement to prospective students.  

“I will say to future students [to] be confident. Be confident in yourself, be confident in the decisions you make. There is opportunity out there and just ask for help when needed,” Paw said.