As the semester comes to a close, there will be MSU seniors graduating as well as others preparing for their spring commencement.

In either case, these graduates will have to make decisions concerning their futures and what direction they will be heading. Many will go straight to graduate school while others will find a spot in the professional world.

Albert Chen, the executive director of graduate programs for Kaplan Inc., said there are numerous factors in choosing which situation is best for each person.

Kaplan Inc. provides educational and career services to individuals, schools and businesses.

The organization also offers standardized test preparation and online classes, as well as many other resources for education.

And for students who know they want to go to graduate school and who know exactly what kind of career they wish to pursue, Chen said heading straight to graduate school is the best option.

“That would be the preferable choice,” he said. “But you have to make sure you know why.”

Chen said heading to graduate school without a specific direction would be “painful,” and suggested students be equipped with exceptional drive and determination.

He said another reason one would choose to go to graduate school right after earning a degree is that some professions require a graduate degree or offer extreme salary jumps and benefits for employees earning such a degree.

Education is one field where that is the case. Graduate school is required to teach at the college and university level and Chen said there are salary increases for teaching at the high school level when a candidate earns a graduate degree.

Chen recommends getting experience in the professional world first for someone who is not sure what direction they are headed in after they graduate from college.

He said that choosing to find a job right away doesn’t rule out the possibilities of eventually going to graduate school. Susan Yates, a fourth-year advertising graduate student, chose to attend graduate school right after she earned her initial degree.

She concedes it was hard to make the decision because she was already having “senioritis,” just wanting to get done with school as soon as she could. But now she’s glad she made the decision she did.

But not all are taking such a route. Packaging senior Jordan White said she is planning on getting some professional experience before she decides whether to take her education into graduate school.

“I just think it’s the right choice for me,” White said. “I also think finding a job in my field will help me determine whether or not a graduate degree is necessary for the jobs I want.”