Why I Went to Grad School Straight from Undergrad

When you graduate college, you've got two main options: find a job or go to graduate school. Well, you could argue that there are other options, like traveling or volunteering, but job or grad school are the two options that are usually mentioned.  
I always knew I wanted to go to graduate school someday, but I hadn't given it a ton of thought until about halfway through my junior year of college. Once I started exploring different programs and had an idea of what my options were, I had to make a decision.
Do I go to grad school straight from undergrad, or do I go to work for a few years and go back to school later?

I went to grad school straight from undergrad. It wasn't the easiest or quickest decision I've ever made; a lot of factors went into it. I had to consider time commitment, job opportunities, experience levels, location, and all sorts of other stuff. But when I really had to crack down, here are the factors that really helped me make my decision:
Location - This wasn't a huge part of the decision, but it was definitely something I thought about. I was already familiar with Elon from my undergrad search, so that took some of the edge off. Plus, my family is all originally from North Carolina, and we actually lived in a town not far from Elon when I was little. It wasn't like I'd be coming to a brand new place. 
Nature of the Program - This program is loaded with awesome material, cool people and great experiences. I really don't know where else I could have gotten all of this, let alone in one place. And plus, a Master's degree in 10 months? Can we say heck yes? It gets stressful at times--okay a lot of the time--because it's the equivalent of a two-year graduate program squeezed into 10 months, but it'll be worth it in May. After making it through seven, almost eight months, I can't imagine doing this for two whole years. 
FOMO - No lie, I went straight to grad school because I was afraid that if I didn't, I'd never go back. It's hard to pin point exactly which contributed to my decision the most, but this definitely had a lot to do with it. I'd heard that many companies will help pay for their employees' graduate educations, and that almost convinced me to wait a couple of years. The fear of missing out is so real. And really, 10 months is basically like tacking on a fifth year, right? Surely I could manage that. 
These factors will be different for everyone, and I know grad school isn't for everyone. But I hope that knowing my thought process will give some insight and guide you in thinking about grad school, too.
Want to learn more about my grad program? Check out the website, and follow along on Twitter and Facebook! 

Are you thinking about grad school? What factors play big roles in your decision to wait or go?