They Say

            I study Iron Age trade between Greece and Etruria. Something my younger self would never have imagined us ever saying. But it is not like I planned it. It just happened as my interests developed during my time as an undergrad. Before I knew it, or could stop to really access these decisions, I had become quite familiar with things like ancient Greek pottery, and Etruscan tastes in luxury items. As you would expect this leaves one with a very short list of things that they are qualified to do. If this is what your CV looks like at the end of your BA, a list is not exactly what I would call it.  

When contemplating grad school it is easy to be over taken by the constant stream of advice. Everyone has something to say. In fact you would probably die before you managed to read everything the Internet has to offer about whether or not you should go to grad school. Often the information is contradictory, with equal numbers for and against each issue. Where then should one begin? Is it worth it to follow your so-called “bliss” no matter the cost, or should you quit regardless of whether you are ahead, or not? I find myself in this exact position, and like so many others, despite all the advice, I am lost.

After spending a little over four years on a BA in Anthropology I find myself suited for little else besides more education. Not to mention that the careers I strive for such as, archaeologist, academic, or museum curator requires at minimum a Masters. Even fictional archaeologists have PhDs. So, like many other aspiring thinkers I applied to graduate school. But I am just one of many. Though I am smart, there are others who are smarter. I am a good student, but others are better. There is always a bigger fish, and with a sad economy applications swell, and admissions shrink.

After applying for nine programs I was accepted to three, two being in the UK, and one in the US, no funding. That last part is the kicker, because they say you should never pay for grad school. I have heard this from two people, and read it from two others. I have also heard that you do not get funding to study in the UK as an American, and that to do a degree there it is common to pay. But you are not supposed to pay. Though it has become even more common to not get funding for a Masters. But you are not supposed to pay. Also, everyone has a BA. You are not special. But do not pay for grad school.

There are many reasons, but the biggest is that it is not worth it (much like my BA). What you will end up with is a loss of time and a gain of debt. You will also not get a job, because it went to the person who was also good enough to get the funding. I even know people who got funding; sadly they are not in my field. Do you want to know what I have learned? Mostly that I have made poor decisions, also that the Greeks thought that people who drank milk were barbaric. I am, however, certain I will make more bad decisions. Because the study of history teaches us that hindsight is twenty-twenty, that a Greek politician named Themistocles saved the Greeks from the Persians by lying to get what he wanted, and that Erica Jong was right when she said, “Advice is what we ask for when we already know the answer but wish we didn’t.”

So you should not pay for grad school. Forget for a moment that we do lots of things we should not. I probably should not drink as much as a do, but good wine and craft beer are one of the things that make life worth living. Nor should I have adopted the dog rescued from the Arizona desert when sometimes I can barely take care of myself, but he also makes my life better in return for making his better.

I am letting you know that I am going to make more bad decisions. Sure, I will also make goods ones, as well as questionable ones. However, I will not be certain which ones are bad until after the fact, time is funny that way. Just as I do not know, neither do you, and neither do they. I promise that I have heeded your warning, and in turn I shall leave you with the words of John Augustus Shedd, “A ship in the harbor is safe, but that is not what ships were built for.”