Throughout your undergraduate career questions have been lurking in the background, perhaps unanswered. As graduation approaches, they move to the forefront and demand that you make choices:

• Should I continue going to school after graduation or should I go work for a few years?
• I have short-term responsibilities to my relatives and a long term responsibility to my own future. Which should come first?
• Are my undergraduate grades strong enough? If not what can I do about it?
• Where should I live?
• How will my educational and career plans affect my future family?
• Do I really want to take out more student loans?

The list of questions could go on! Here are some basic guidelines that will help you to tackle these questions productively:

• Seriously look into a number of options, and research them thoroughly. For example, know about the differences between MD and DO schools. Be aware of the way Ph.D. students often get more financial assistance than students who are earning only a master's degree (but a Ph.D. takes more time). Think about how you will be different after being an EMT in NYC for a year versus what you might be like after doing lab research in Maryland for a year."Will I really be happy putting all that time into medical school and residency?" Or, "Who really has a more satisfying career? Is it the dentists, the physical therapists, the researchers, or the ER doctors?"
• Look at things from more than one point of view:
  • Time vs. Quality: "I know doing this could get me into medical school faster, but then again the medical schools I am talking about are foreign schools. Is that what I really want?
  • Waiting vs. Rushing: "Should I take a year to think more about what I really want to do or should I just go to school X now?"
  • Optimism vs. Pessimism (Realism): "I know that my characteristic X of my application is kind of weak, but wont a medical school (dental school, PA school) be able to see past that?"
• Be good to yourself: You are worth the time and money you spend working hard on your education and on your future.
• Don't let anyone push you around. You're the captain of the ship and the most important passenger on board, so choose your course carefully!
• Visit the Career Center: They have good information on Researching Graduate Programs.