As you have grown over these past three years, many aspects of who you are have likely changed. While you may have been certain that graduate school was the goal you wished to pursue, you may not be so certain now. Early on in this document you were asked a series of five questions:

1. Am I willing and able to dedicate my life to reading, studying, memorizing and analyzing the literature of a particular research program in order to gain mastery over it?
   
2. Am I willing and able to spend years researching and writing a dissertation?
   
3. Do I seek to use research to make a meaningful contribution to a particular research program and society in general?
   
4. Am I willing and able to forego the immediate benefits, such as a high salary, that a professional degree may bring, in favor of the long-term benefits of imparting knowledge on a scholarly community, a student body and perhaps even the popular audience?
   
5. Do I wish to become part of a scholarly community that seeks to create and build a research program?
   

If you are still able to answer these questions affirmatively then you can be confident in proceeding further. However, if you are unsure, then you may want to rethink applying to graduate school. You should first reflect deeply on the issue. Then discuss the matter with your academic advisor, other faculty members with whom you have built relationships and whom you trust, and your family members and friends. These discussions should help you make a decision.

You are not a failure if you decide to postpone graduate study or if you decide not to pursue graduate work at all. The rigor of doctoral work requires that the decision to engage in it be made with due deliberation and contemplation. This final personal assessment may be the most important of all.