Asking Your Tough Questions Before Selecting A Master’s Program

Aug 13

This blog was written by a prospective graduate student as a guest blog.

My name is Reese, and I am a prospective US graduate student looking to further my education with a Master’s degree abroad. I am in the same boat as a lot of students who may be reading this, wondering what the next step is in obtaining a degree abroad.

I studied International Relations at a US university and discovered that there was another way to do graduate school, and bonus, it could be more cost-effective abroad while allowing me to learn in ways that I wouldn’t be able to at a US university.

To start, let’s get on the same page about why you should get your degree abroad. From my perspective, here are some benefits of pursuing a degree abroad:

Niche programs that excite your brain and heart
A pathway to work abroad!!
A chance to live and study in another country. How cool!
Graduate degrees abroad can often be more cost-effective and can be faster (1 year vs 2 years)
Flex muscles you might not be able to traditionally: independence, resilience, establishing an international community
Increase your self-awareness in a cultural context
And so much more!

There are so many benefits to completing a degree abroad, some of which will be specific to you. As soon as you think you might be interested in doing a degree abroad, I recommend you take *this class* by Affordable Degrees Abroad. Starting the research can be daunting, and at times become overwhelming. This course breaks it down into manageable pieces that will keep you satisfactorily whelmed. Once you feel ready to move forward, I want you to get curious.

Let’s get into the meat of the blog: Have you ever considered that you need to be vetting your university as much as they are assessing you? Your values will shape the type of grad program that you will thrive in. This is not some empty exercise; it is critical to finding the right fit grad school program for you.

Start by getting to know yourself: What are my values?

You need to interview yourself. Why? You will not be able to figure out if your values align with your prospective university without doing this step. In high school and undergrad you can get into a bad habit of sticking with the grind and not hitting pause. You need to reflect; give a name to your values. How have you changed over time? What do you care about? Get to know the new you after graduation so you can be ready for the next step. Stop pushing it off-- go sit under a tree with a notebook and figure out what matters to you.

Ready to move forward? Now it is time to ask your tough questions. Here’s the thing, my tough questions are unique to me and you will need to take time and see what is important to you. After you sit and reflect on your values, some things might become more salient. Listen to yourself and create some tough questions that matter to you.

As an International Studies student, I notice that I value transparency and inclusivity, so therefore I need to ensure that my university program shares those values. It might sound intense to interview your prospective school, but the answers will shape your experience in more ways than you think. Create three tough questions. Here are some questions on my list:

Where does my possible university invest?

This is a fun one. Your school will outline its values somewhere on the website, but it’s time to dive deeper. Put your investigative hat on and see what they choose to invest in at the school. What they choose to spend money on will have a huge impact on your experience at the school. You probably noticed this in undergrad…

Does my university hear the necessary voices? How does my university respond to student critique?

You might be able to find articles about this online, but social media is a good place for research. Go to Instagram and look at student clubs or even the main university account. When a student protest occurs, how does the university respond? This is important because it will show you how they listen and respond to student voices. It can get quite complicated, but it's interesting to explore. While you are at it, follow ADA on Instagram *here*.

Lastly, how does my university own its history? How have they reframed their curriculum to acknowledge their place in history?

For me, it is crucial to reframe and rethink curriculum over time in order to continue to make it more inclusive. Is your potential academic department confronting those realities? While this question is important to me (a development studies student)--it is also relevant to others---everyone from pre-med to marketing students.

This question was inspired, in part, by Jacinda Ardern’s recent Instagram post in which she apologized for New Zealand's response in the 1970s to Pacific Islanders. You can see her post *here* and read more about the issue *here*. The process of dismantling these oppressive systems takes time, and reparations are being worked on. Your school should be publicly exploring this in some way. Just as Jacinda Ardern is owning her countries’ history, your school should too!

What tough questions will you ask? Your goal is to be passionately curious and to ground your questions firmly upon your values. Dive deep, ask questions, and vet your school just as much (if not more) as they vet you.