It's hard enough to choose what program to take for an undergraduate degree, but it sure is harder choosing one for graduate school. I remember myself as a high school student, thoroughly uncaring of what I would become in the future.

Back then, whereas I was in love with the arts and humanities, I decided to take a sciences or engineering track. Besides, I thought I could still practice the arts even without formal training and at the same time try something more challenging and practical. I ended up going for a BS in Applied Physics degree, because why not? 

As my classmates would call it: being a physicist entails a lot of fallback in terms of career. You can be a materials scientist, or maybe a theoretical scientist... There's being a professor, or a scientific writer, or even a data scientist. Heck, you can be the next Einstein.

Diving into the field

I was in love with science, but not with physics, per se. College life was a struggle: failing surprise tests, exams, and, ultimately, the courses attached to the program themselves. To survive, there was one logical thing to do: immerse in it.

Over time, I learned to walk side-by-side with physics. Learning and understanding lectures, experiencing laboratory experiments, and forgetting the hard ones after one semester. It was a cycle, and I learned to deal with it. Live with it.

What makes physics hard

What makes physics hard is the student's own outlook regarding the subject. In the university, there was a stigma on BS in Applied Physics: it was hard, and that was still an understatement of the year. Just the same, there was a stigma on its students: nerd. (Sometimes, though, there were students who would say that being physics students was what made us attractive. Winkwink.)

What makes physics hard is its complexity. There were too many things to consider and too many things to learn. Its beauty lies with how you can describe a system quantitatively, and, to be honest, that is seriously complicated. 

Physics religiously follows scientific methods. Step-by-step. One step at a time. Then goal. 

There's wanting to make a difference, or even just a single dent into this gigantic field. There's wanting to put out your name on scientific journals or local and international conferences. 

Then there's you. Just wanting to up your game.

Designed with the aim of introducing students to basic knowledge on a particular track, undergraduate studies can make or break your career. Make it, and you're presented with a bachelor's degree. Break it, and find someplace else where you'll bloom.

When you found that you're looking for a more in-depth specialization for a career, then post-graduate studies is for you. You go for it when you don't want to simply be a 'jack of all trades, but master of none.'

I am one of those people. While I am satisfied with how far I've come (from being an uncaring high school student), I still thirst for mastery. Thus, my want to attend a graduate school.

Just yesterday, @ririgi and I were already planning our options. It was hard. I've found a very helpful guide online, with regards to planning your graduate school life. It laid out questions I, as a prospective graduate student, would want answers to.

Where do I want my career to go?

I guess this is an important question to answer when choosing what kind of program I'd like to take for my post-graduate studies. 

The internet is a big help on this one: there are many reading materials available online. From time to time, I would look up possible careers I'd like to end up in. Sure, it would confuse me even more. I mean, I'd see the advantage of one, then the other. What gives?

But it's a start. By countless reading, I managed to narrow down my options. 

In essence, I evaluated my strengths and weaknesses, and what I would have loved to do in the long run.

What's next?

Lei @ririgi and I have two schools in mind. One is a state university, while the other is a private one. Both are well-known in their own rights. 

One offers a program that would offer us a fallback in the long run - an MS in Physics. Practical, too, right? Both Lei and I were BS in Applied Physics graduates, and it was only obvious that we can go that path. The National Institute of Physics is pretty well-known in its field, too. It was cheaper compared to the other university as well.

The catch: we don't think that, at the moment, physics is where our heart lies in. Cheesy, but hey, there's some truth to it.

The private university offers a program we couldn't say no to: a data science track. The catch: the school is expensive. Like, reallllyyyy expensive.

You just can't have it all. There is always something about options that is supposed to be compromised... exactly why they're options. 

While choosing a preferred school will likewise require a huge bunch of criteria, it's slowly taking us there: to one final choice. 

Tuition fees are hurdles enough to discourage potential graduate students. Need any more say on that? Regardless, if there was one thing I'm seriously thankful about, it's all on the government-initiated scholarships.

The following are scholarships in the Philippines that interested Filipino graduate students would probably like to acquire:

• ASTHRDP (Accelerated Science and Technology Human Resource Development Program)
• ERDT (Engineering Research and Development for Technology)
• Capacity building in science and mathematics education

More details are available at the Philippine's DOST-SEI website. These are just a few among many others. While I'd love to explore other scholarship options, I have somehow set a goal of acquiring one of these scholarships, come hell or high water.

In my undergraduate thesis, I wrote: 

I survived because the fire inside me burns brighter than the fire around me.

If you still have enough gas in your system, hit it! If you want something (within reason), take it! There's no way but up; as they say, reach for your dreams. 

To me, education is worthwhile, if you make it worth it. 

How about you? Are there any suggestions you can give with regards to choosing a grad school program and university?