Category:Personal Considerations

There are many factors to keep in mind when deciding whether or not to attend graduate school, and if attending, where to attend. Deciding to attend graduate school can bring up many questions, such as how to pay for school or what the admissions process consists of. However, personal considerations are some of the main aspects that can influence all the other factors. The majority of graduate students are in their twenties. This is the age when many people start to consider having their own family. Along with family comes housing and living expenses. This also leads to the locations of living and school. The purpose of this page is to emphasize the importance of personal considerations during graduate school and how to successfully balance all of these aspects.

Family Life
There are many factors to consider when starting graduate school. If and when to start a family is one of them. Most students who start graduate school are in their early-late twenties. This is the prime age when people get married and have children. A common question that graduate students ask is "Will being married have an effect on my grades?" Many assume that with another person in the picture there will be more distractions, which would cause the student to loose focus on their schooling and therefore perform at a lower level. However, studies have shown that the opposite is actually true. A study done at Cornell University showed that men who are married actually have better grades than those who are single. Likewise, married women are shown to have more publishings and finish school faster than single women. Another question that students often ask is "When is the best time to have a baby?" There is actually no BEST time. No matter when you have a child, you are going to have challenges. It's not easy regardless. The Graduate Dean at Berkeley asked this very same question in an online forum in 2006. The general consensus was that early graduate school is going to be the least conflicting time in a graduate students life to have a baby. Having a baby early on in graduate school allows for the parent/parents to take time off from school if need be without horribly interrupting their graduate studies. Whereas having a baby while you are trying to wrap up the last of your research or write your thesis is not going to be so lenient as far as taking time off goes. In addition, it would not be ideal to have a baby while you are seeking a tenure track career either. In most fields, asking for a job with tenure only to say that you will need time off in the immediate future is not reasonable. That would greatly diminish your chances at getting hired. In the end, when to get married and have a baby is ultimately up to you. Every person is different and has a different set of circumstances, so only you can decide when is the best time for you.

Location
Choosing which graduate school to go to is a very personal consideration that takes into account many factors. Some of those factors are: caring about their academic experiences, the location of the school, financial pressure, where their families live, etc. Based on the interviews of students attending graduate school at TU, they often chose to study here because of the many research opportunities and the academic experience. The people and atmosphere in Tulsa is very nice, and it's not too expensive to live here. A survey was conducted with these graduate students and prospective graduate students (mostly from ENS fields), of whom 46% were PhD students. Roughly 81% had a scholarship for attending TU. The most popular reason for attending (46%) was for TU's excellent academic experience with good teachers and many research opportunities. This is important because it is the main reason why students continue on to graduate school instead of beginning their career. The second most popular reason for attending (31%) was that they graduated from TU with a prior degree.

One example is "Student L", who has a 4.0 GPA and is a triple major. He is attending graduate school at TU next year. One reason for him continuing his education here is that he missed the application deadlines for some other schools; but also important are the facts that he has enjoyed his previous academic time here and has had a close mentoring relationship with one of his professors, with whom he has already published research papers.

This is a good example of a combination of the two most popular choices: academic experience and having graduated from TU with a previous degree. TU provides many good opportunities for undergraduate students to participate in research, such as TURC (Tulsa Undergraduate Research Challenge). "Student L" is just one typical example of students taking advantage of these opportunities for great benefits in research achievements and relationships with professors. If you want excellent academic experience in research or class, and a place where the teachers care about the students, TU is the right choice.

Housing
During graduate school, like undergraduate, students have two housing options: on campus or off campus. There are many rental houses in the immediate area of which a graduate student can choose to live in and have both benefits of on and off campus living. There are several rental homes within walking distance, therefore they wouldn't have to commute, giving the on campus appeal. However, since they are actually off campus, students can have the peace of mind of having their own space and not having to share a dorm with a roommate. This is especially appealing for the students who have already started their own families. If one doesn't mind a short commute, there are several other affordable apartment and rental home options still within a close proximity to campus.

There are three on campus housing options for graduate students: Fisher West Suites, University Apartments, and ILC (International Living Community).

For application information regarding on campus housing click HERE.

Expenses
Last but not least, two important factors of deciding to attend graduate school are the living and educational expenses. Depending on the degree that one is seeking, graduate school can take anywhere from two to six years, during which living and educational expenses could play a major role in deciding where to attend graduate school.

When it comes to living expenses, Oklahoma is known for its low costs. Within the last few years, many magazines have rated Oklahoma as one of the best states considering the cost of living, quality of life, housing markets, and high rate of pay. A recent study by Coldwell Banker states a 2,200 square-foot home costing $130,000- $135,000 in Oklahoma would cost anywhere from $159,000 to $249,000 in the cities of Kansas City, Dallas, Baltimore, Charlotte, Atlanta, and Portland. In addition, Oklahoma has one of the lowest total tax burdens in the nation. Another feature of low living expenses in Oklahoma is its low gas prices. Furthermore, Tulsa is a fairly small city. Therefore, the cost of the transportation is also low since it is a short distance to get from one location to the next compared to big cities such as Atlanta, Dallas, etc. Low costs of living can increase the standard of living for graduate students, especially those with families.

There are numerous programs offered to help students to pay for graduate school depending on their major and area of their research such as fellowships and loans, and to teaching and research assistantships.The Univesity of Tulsa offers Research and Travel Grants, Assistantships,Fellowships, and Scholarships to the graduate students, which depending on your major and your academic enrollment status (part-time or full-time) you may get qualify for.

Some of the graduate students, such as law do not have the opportunity to receive fellowships and research assistantships to help them to pay for graduate school and are forced to take out loans in order to pay for their tuition and living expenses. Therefore, lower living expenses help to ease the burden of high tuition costs.

As mentioned on the Financial Considerations page, the American Opportunity Credit, Lifetime Learning Credit, and Student Loan Interest Deduction can all help ease the financial pressure of attending graduate school. However, one form of financial assistance that most students have never heard of is tuition insurance. This would be something to consider for pregnant graduate students who will need to take time off during the semester for maternity leave.

Another form of assistance that a graduate student may be able to take advantage of is tuition reimbursementfrom their employer. There are stipulations to receiving a tuition reimbursement though. Many require a certain GPA or a high performance level on the job to receive the aid. Also, some require that you work for the company for a certain number of years after graduation or show proof that you are not training for a new career. The requirements vary by company, so you would need to research whether or not your company even offers a tuition reimbursement, and if they do, whether or not you qualify.