Hey everyone, it’s been a while but I’m back again! It’s been three months since I returned from my trip to London (see my last article), and trust me when I say I’ve had a long three months. I’m taking yet another statistics class (very difficult, by the way), I’m constantly rushing my research and I still try to do part-time jobs on the side. In summary, I’ve been busy. But I thought it would be good to share a few thoughts about getting a Master’s degree, especially at a relatively young age. I’ll share some thoughts, insights and opinions, so if anyone is considering a postgraduate degree or even a career in academia, this article is for you!

Personal Reflections

Now, in case you weren’t aware, I’m currently a Master’s student at NUS. But my degree is a little different. See, I’m under the Concurrent Degree Program (CDP for short) — this means that I take graduate courses in year 4, and stay back one extra year to complete my Master’s thesis. In summary, I graduate in 2026 with both a Bachelor’s in Social Sciences (with Honours) and a Master’s of Social Sciences in Psychology.

This sounds like a good deal, and it is. Firstly, the degree is subsidized, which is rather unusual for a Master’s. An average Master’s degree can cost around 50k SGD (if not more), but I only pay 10k SGD annually because of the subsidy. Not a bad deal! Second, I only stay back for one more year instead of two. Third, I will get my own Master’s thesis, which can be valuable especially if you are going into research. It is also much more likely to be publishable than an Honours paper. Finally, I get to learn a lot more — for example, the statistics I learn in class is definitely more complex and advanced than what I did during my undergraduate degree, and I benefit from it.

But, having said all this, there are also downsides, especially for individuals who go directly into a Master’s (i.e. me). For example, when learning statistics, practically all of the analysis is entirely new to me, and I have never needed to do it during my undergraduate research or external internships. But my graduate statistics class has both Master’s and PhD students. Some went out to work, others have already published papers, and some have even gone through an entire Master’s degree. These are the kinds of people I am learning with and also competing against. We take the exact same exam, and I do the exact same assignments that they do.

Now, whenever I tell people my situation, they usually find it impressive. This is likely due to my age — I’m 23 this year, and I am in a class full of people who are generally 27 years of age or above. But because I’m so young and inexperienced, a lot of these statistical considerations are new to me, which means I need to put in more effort to keep up. I’m also new to research — I haven’t published a single paper yet, while the people I’m working with likely already have experience in multiple research teams, and have even published before. I’ve assisted in prior research projects and have even been the Principal Investigator, but never have I been the author, which can be challenging as there are a lot of things to learn. For example, I wasn’t aware of how big the difference was between acknowledgements and authorship on a paper until now.

Personal Insights

What I have also noticed is that the people in my graduate class are, in my opinion, a lot quicker to understand the class content and material. When I took undergraduate statistics modules, yes, there were some individuals who had a decent grasp on the material, but most of the people I came into contact with during tutorials and lectures were struggling and confused. Despite my graduate class being more complex, people seem to get a very quick grasp on the mathematics behind the concept, and it is both impressive and somewhat stressful.

But I truly do admire being in the learning environment, mainly because the graduate students seem to also be more insightful. They do not simply accept the statistics concept explained, but rather they challenge it. If there is anything they do not understand or think there is some doubt regarding the statistical explanation, they never hesitate to raise it or ask questions to clarify.

In addition, I think because many graduate students around me are older or more experienced, they have a very strong sense of purpose. They know what they signed up for and are still willing to choose this path simply because it is their passion. They may have published papers or worked in academia, and they know that it is not a high-paying job and that research can be frustrating. But at the end of the day, they willingly walk their chosen path. That is something I admire and something for me to learn from.

Oftentimes, I do things because I feel I should do them instead of wanting to do them. I am also very practical — I do not hate research, but my main reason for doing this degree was because it was a good deal. The cost was low, I will get a Master’s, and I will graduate with a publishable thesis. It can also be more marketable (depending on the job). But I don’t think I have found my passion yet. I am still searching and reflecting, and I’ve done many internships in hopes of finding the one career that I might enjoy. But I have not found it yet, and seeing and hearing from people who are so sure and passionate made me reflect on my journey and experiences.

Advice for the Reader

If you are considering graduate school, or are thinking about entering a career in academia or research, I’ve decided to list some considerations for you based on my own thoughts and insights.

The first is a relatively common consideration — should you go for a direct graduate degree or should you spend some time working? I personally think there can be advantages and disadvantages to both. I think if you enter early, you really learn a lot more about the subject, significantly more than what an undergraduate degree entails. And this means that firstly, you are still used to studying and exams and you remember all your old content, which can definitely help to some degree; and secondly, you can learn very quickly whether or not that field is for you. If you are considering academia or research in general, a graduate degree is a good introduction into the skills required, and it can definitely help you find academia-related jobs —  you will likely be more competitive than those who only have an undergraduate degree.

But of course, the disadvantage is that you are competing with individuals who are likely significantly more experienced than you. In addition, those people are there because they know what they want to do. If you go in directly (like me), you likely won’t have as much experience as them, and you might struggle a little bit when learning the concepts. Additionally, I think in general, if you enter at a younger age, you usually aren’t sure about whether you truly want to pursue a career in academia or not. You can accept the degree for practical reasons (like me), or because you think it will help you get a research-related job, or because you want to experience the research process in more depth. But I think there are generally more doubts if you enter young, and that is something to think about.

And for anyone who is wondering whether or not they can even get in in the first place, I will say: for anyone who thinks that you need to be ‘intelligent’ to enter graduate school, I don’t think it is really intelligence per se. I do think the people in my graduate class are intellectual, but I think they are only intellectual because they like to learn. The people who are in my graduate class genuinely like to learn. They are curious, they like to take time out to understand the material and verify what the professor is saying, and then come back with any questions they might have. Whether it be a challenge or a clarification, they want to know more about why something works rather than just how. And I think if you have this quality, then graduate school is definitely a possibility.

That’s all from me, see you guys next time!