DeKALB | With the exception of law, medicine, and a few other programs that are required for a particular profession, I have started to ponder: what is the point of going to graduate school?

Obtaining an undergraduate education (public or private) is already expensive. The thought of adding X amount of dollars for an advanced degree seems to do more harm than good.

As I go into my sophomore year of college, I have considered earning a master’s degree. However, with the cost of graduate school tuition increasing every year and an abundance of programs that do not seem to link to a particular career, I am starting to believe graduate school is not worth the trek.

Advance degrees seem to only be an option for the wealthy. Those who can afford the skyrocketing cost of tuition are people who won’t have to work well into their mid-20s.

If you have the money and the time, graduate school might be for you. For most people who need to work and pay back student loans, enrolling in a program such as an M.F.A. in play writing is not an option.

The average debt for a college graduate, according to www.finaid.org, is $19,237. Deciding to enroll in two to three more years of school will certainly increase this amount. When a student enrolls in law or medical school, it tends to be under the assumption that the money will come back one day. What about students who opt for M.F.A. in creative writing or a M.A in sociology?

Furthermore, how useful is a M.F.A. in poetry or an M.A. in anthropology? I constantly see advertisements for different M.F.A. and M.A. degree programs such as these. Besides teaching, obscure degrees seem to have little use while looking for a job, and isn’t that the point of going to college?

One could argue college is not about the money you make afterward, but what you learn while attending. I am not one of those people.

Opting to attend graduate school is an admirable decision. However, it simply isn’t a reality for most people. Although it seems graduate students learn a lot, afterward, many students seem to fall into the trap of being overeducated and underpaid.