In the ’80s, I got a graduate degree in counseling and consulting psychology from Harvard. I took two courses a semester and worked 38 hours per week. I enjoy writing papers and basically that’s all I had when I was there. I was very, very happy. I didn’t have much of a social life because my schoolwork was done on the weekends, but it was ok for 2 years. Writing papers is a strength of mine and didn’t require memorization, a skill that I am definitely not good in. Another weakness of mine was that I found it very, very difficult to take good notes.

Then in the ’90s, I went to a top rated school for Occupational Therapy. I got an entry-level masters degree. The first semester I went to school full-time, had 18 credits, and some very difficult courses, including gross anatomy requiring excellent note taking and a lot of memorization. I had to record my notes and then transcribe them, and then memorize them. I couldn’t keep up, feel way behind, had to withdraw from gross anatomy, and got suicidally depressed. It was horrible. I went part-time for the rest of the time. The whole program was extremely intense and demanding. It stressed me out incredibly and most of the time I was depressed and anxious.

So, it really depends on the program, your current skills, and how your current skills match the program’s skill requirements. Will you be taking exams? Writing papers? Both? You might want to start reading books on study skills. You may also want to ask the various professors you’ll have for a reading list. You could get some of your books in advance and start doing some reading. I did that once for Neuroanatomy and Neurophysiology. Starting to read in advance helped me immensely. I was also able to concentrate better since I didn’t feel pressured.

Good luck with whatever route you choose.

I want to gain knowledge and if I get good grades, that’s fine. My goal is not straight A’s and so far I’ve been able to balance everything I’ve needed to.

Sounds like you are pretty level-headed. I’m sure you’ll do well.

Good luck!