To grad school or not to grad school?

“What do you want to do?”

“I want to be a mix of Ryan Seacrest and Oprah … but I want to be Frances Wang.”

Frances Wang

This was my answer to anyone who asked me about my career goals. I wanted to be an entertainment journalist and television host. Ultimately, a media mogul.

My experiences have only made me more confident about wanting to get into the entertainment industry.

That is, until I met with John Ferriter earlier this summer —  a talent agent who had managed Ryan Seacrest’s career at William Morris for many years. He is also known as one of the main people behind Seacrest’s success. But rather than telling me I should jump into entertainment head first, he encouraged me to gain experience as a journalist to start.

Being at this year’s convention with the VOICES program, I’ve been thinking a lot about what Ferriter told me. I’ve loved my internships so far, most recently with E! News and E! Online. My experiences have only made me more confident about wanting to get into the entertainment industry.

But, now, I’m starting to think that I should start in hard news instead of focusing on entertainment right off the bat.

I’m about to start my senior year at the University of Southern California right after the convention. But what am I going to do after graduation? Should I start working full-time immediately? If I do that, would I begin in entertainment or in local news? Do I have enough local news experience to even get a job, or have I already branded myself with mostly entertainment experience? Would it be better for me to go to grad school first, and get my master’s in journalism? Or should I work a few years and then return to pursue an MBA instead? (I feel like I’ve already spent an eternity in school!)

These questions have been frantically running through my mind all summer.

Then there’s my mother. She has always raised me to think about going to the highest level possible, especially in education. So, graduate school has always been in the back of my mind. She believes that in the long run, a master’s degree matters, that there are more opportunities and possibilities with it.

I spoke with Columbia University journalism school admission representatives at the career fair and realized that in order to begin Fall 2014 term, I would have to apply by January 15. They told me that if I want to be a competitive candidate in time, I need to start building my hard news background … now. This was never anything I had ever planned on doing, and now I would have to make a drastic decision. And fast.

But the Columbia admission officials told me not to worry, saying that many journalism professors say that they have to “unteach” many students what they learned in undergrad. A surprising thing to hear, but good to know.

I don’t have a solid decision right now. So much weighs on senior year and so much can change. But I know that my future is bright  if I just dedicate myself to my craft and remain true to my passions.

But soon, I hope I will know: to grad school or not to grad school?