It seems like you can’t go to college these days without someone asking if you’re going to graduate school. For some, the answer is clear. For others, the decision is much more complex. Here are some questions to ask yourself as you decide whether grad school is right for you.

Going to college is a big deal, and every newcomer to higher education wants to grow, succeed, and graduate. An increasing number of Native American college students are no longer first generation, and organizations like AISES are committed to promoting increased access, equity, and inclusion. Completion rates for Native students still lag behind those of other students. Academic observers continue to emphasize the need to move “beyond the asterisk” — a reference to the frequent use of this symbol (*) in enrollment data to indicate that Native students were too few to be counted.

A year ago life as we knew it completely changed. Large gatherings were canceled, PPE became a familiar term, and everything went virtual. From classes to social gatherings, you had to get used to seeing everything—and everyone — on a screen. And while we may be used to it, attending college virtually isn’t easy. Here are a few ways to network and get involved during a virtual semester.

So here we are, about a year into life with COVID-19 — still doing so much online, including learning. Teachers, students, and their loved ones have been making heroic efforts to adjust, and even the toughest among us have had to fight through some degree of “Zoom Gloom” or virtual fatigue. But with vaccines in distribution and months of evidence about how resilient we can be, now is no time to give up on remote learning. Instead, let’s talk about how to take your online education to the next level.

So here we are — almost a year into a pandemic — with lives full of virtual activities we used to do in person. We’ve adjusted in countless ways to keep ourselves and our loved ones safe. Whether you’re learning online entirely or have a “blended” schedule of physical classroom and distance learning, It isn’t easy. A reality of our brave new world is “virtual burnout.”

Does any of this sound familiar? You worry about meeting expectations and you credit “luck” for your accomplishments? What about feeling that other people are overestimating you, along with a secret fear that people will find out you’re not as capable as they think? If you have thoughts and feelings like that, you may be dealing with “impostor syndrome.” Also known as impostor phenomenon, it’s a nagging inner voice whispering that you don’t deserve your achievements — that you don’t really belong.

If you are a first-generation college student — or will be soon — your world is about to expand in a number of ways. According to the Online Journal for Workforce Education and Development, approximately 50 percent of today’s college students are in proud, but uncharted, territory as the first in their family to attend a four-year college or university. Whether you’re getting ready to attend school on campus or online, it’s a big deal.

If you’re a college graduate — or soon will be — there are reasons to consider earning an advanced degree. While it’s not the path for everyone, for career-minded students who are deciding to enter postgraduate programs, certain facts are persuasive. Indeed, the number of graduate students in the United States has tripled since the 1970s. According to a CareerBuilder survey of employers, 33 percent are hiring candidates with master’s degrees for positions that had been primarily held by professionals with four-year degrees.

As a young boy, JJ Jones III loved building. He spent hours playing with Legos and k’nex and never tired of creating something new and different. What started as a young boy’s passion has become a young man’s goal. Now in his third year at Dartmouth College in Hanover, N.H., Jones, Navajo, is majoring in mechanical engineering and minoring in Native American historical studies with plans to become a mechanical engineer, helping to keep his community — and nation — safe. 

So it’s time to pack for college. It can seem like a daunting task, especially if it’s your first time living away from home. Here are some straightforward steps to help get you started.