[摘要]你是否有過想要回歸校園，接受更多教育的想法?不想在另一個學位上有任何瑕疵，對嗎?實際上，這是一個很危險的想法。追求昂貴的學位資格，卻不知道自己能從中獲得什么東西真的很危險。
Do you have some vague plans to go back to school at some point, and get more education? Can't go wrong with another degree, right?
你是否有過想要回歸校園，接受更多教育的想法?不想在另一個學位上有任何瑕疵，對嗎?
Well, no. In fact, that's actually a pretty dangerous assumption.
額，不是的。實際上，這是一個很危險的想法。
Getting an expensive degree without knowing exactly what you'll be getting out of it is a quick way to rack up debt that won't necessarily help you achieve your goals. So, before you (possibly) get yourself in a lot of trouble, here are five questions to consider before applying to school, again.
追求昂貴的學位資格，卻不知道自己能從中獲得什么東西，很快你就會累積龐大債務，還不能實現夢想。所以在你(可能)讓自己陷入麻煩前，你應該考慮下面這5件事再考慮是否應該繼續報讀院校。
1.What are the requirements, and do they seem interesting to me?
1. 報讀的院校的要求是什么，我是否對它們感興趣?
First things first, are you even interested in additional studies? You never want to get a graduate degree solely because you don't like what you're doing now or because you don't know what you want to do next.
先說重要的，你對進修是否感興趣?你不會只是因為不喜歡當前的工作，或不知道自己接下來的計劃才想要獲得一個碩士文憑吧。
This means doing some serious self-reflection and figuring out what concrete evidence you have that you will like what you're learning in the programs you apply for. Take the time to look at class descriptions and syllabi. Do they excite you? Or is just looking at them making you cringe? If you can't make a compelling argument for why you would at least enjoy the next year or two, that's a pretty big red flag.
這意味著你需要謹慎地自我反思，并考慮有哪些具體的例子是自己感興趣的、足以讓自己申請的。花點時間去了解課程內容和教學大綱。這些事情是否讓你感到興奮?還是說這些事情讓你退縮了?如果你無法給出一個很肯定的答案，那么這是很危險的。
2.What exact outcome do I hope to achieve by attending this program?
2. 我希望從課程中得到些什么?
Your undergraduate years are a great time to explore your interests, as are your first few years of employment. Doing a master's degree generally is not. The program is too short, and you really need to be spending your time focusing on your goal, which you can't do if you don't know what it is.
你的本科學習是你發現興趣、也是提前體驗工作的最佳時期。然而研究生學習一般就不是這種情況。課時太短，你真切地想要花點時間在自己的目標上，并且是如果你不知道自己的目標是什么你根本完成不了的。
Maximize your chances for achieving your goal by knowing exactly what it is before you go get a graduate degree. It'll allow you to tailor the experience to your needs and use all the resources available to you to their fullest extent. This will also help you gauge which program is right for you.
在決定報考研(課程)究生之前，先明確自己的目標，把能夠實現目標的機會最大化。這能夠幫助你根據自己需求精進經驗，并充分利用所有可獲得的資源實現最佳的效果。最后你就知道最合適自己的課程是什么了。
3.What evidence do I have that these outcomes are realistic?
3. 我如何得知這些結果是現實有效的?
Look beyond marketing materials. Assuming you know what you want out of a master's degree, ask to speak with alumni, and comb through outcome surveys for the programs you're interested in. You're trying to see how likely it is for you to attain what you're being promised.
且不看營銷材料。假設你了解自己從學位中所得到的，詢問身邊的校友，并設計一些與課程相關的調查問卷。你就能從中發現，有哪些你想象中想要得到的結果。
Numbers certainly help paint a picture, but speaking with alumni is even more valuable in understanding how the program played a part in helping students reach their goals. If you speak with a few people who felt they were left fairly unsupported in terms of next steps, that should be a red flag.
數據當然可以描繪一副藍圖，而與校友的交談卻是一個更可貴的機會，去了解課程是如何幫助學生實現夢想的。如果你跟一些校友交談，而他們認為學得不怎么樣，那么你就該注意了。
4.Do I need this degree to do what I want to do?
4. 我需要這個學位去做我想做的事情嗎?
Ask yourself if you really even need another degree to do whatever it is you want to do. Is a master's in community health necessary to work at that nonprofit you admire? Do you need an MBA to launch that clean tech startup you've been dreaming about? Maybe. Maybe not.
問問自己，是不是確實需要額外的學位頭銜去做一些自己想做的事情。碩士學位對于你在公共衛生事業單位所獲得的成就很有必要嗎?工商管理碩士文憑對你在新技術公司的發展有關鍵作用嗎?也許有，也許沒有。