[thejellymill]

Salaam! Disclaimer: I've searched Islamica and didn't find any similar threads so decided to make one. Please forgive if it's a repeat

I want to pursue a graduate degree in something like Journalism or Political Science. My reasons include wanting to pursue a career in writing/journalism, plus I love traveling and learning about new people and places. I think a career in either fields of journalism or political science would do that. Oh, and I want to make a decent amount of money inshallah. I have a lot of questions and was hoping someone here with experience can answer even one of my questions...

- How does the concept of a thesis program vs. nonthesis program work? If there's an option in the program I choose, which would be the wiser choice?

- How difficult is the GRE? Keep in mind I suck phenomenally at math. Is it enough to borrow/buy a GRE study guide book from the bookstore or should I look into some sort of tutoring?

- The university I'm attending for undergrad is in USNews' top 40 schools list, the one I will likely attend for grad school barely makes the top 80...does this make sense? Shouldn't I be trying to "move up"?

- As for the cost... I am looking at the option of getting a job as a TA to help cover part/all of my grad school costs. Another route I can take is to work full time with the state so I can use my income to pay for school (also, I've heard they encourage and sometimes pay for their employees' higher ed ?).