For a lot of us as first-gen students it can be tempting to make your current institution your number one choice for a grad degree. It makes sense, you’ve spent a ton of time and energy finding out the rules of you current institution so it seems natural that this would be your choice for grad school too.
There is nothing wrong with this logic BUT, grad school applications are a numbers game. Many programs get many more applications each year than they have seats, and in those situation, even students with the most impressive GPAs and CVs are still taking a chance.
What this means for you is that you need to think about two things. The first is, what is the furthest distance you could conceivably travel to attend a grad program. That can including moving states or cities, or the distance you can commute in a day. Once you have that distance your goal should be to find every grad program within that distance that offers the degree you need and start researching that institution. For now, all of them should be possibilities.
Ultimately the more of these programs you can apply the more chances you will have at getting into a program. I know it doesn’t feel good to take a big approach like this. Most of us want to laser in on the perfect program and put all of our energy an hope into that application. However, the school you get into is not the end goal, the degree is. Whichever program can offer you a chance at that degree is the best program for you.
Remember that a grad program is temporary, a few years for most programs. But the career field that it will allow you to access is the bigger goal. The more places you can apply, the more chances you have at getting into a program, getting a degree, and getting into the career you want.
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