So, I'm a rising college senior, and I'm more than certain my next steps forward are applying for a graduate program (in public health/public policy/health policy, that general vicinity). I was just wondering if any of you guys are in grad school or know people who are, and what your advice would be for navigating both the application process and the experience itself?
I went to grad school and would be happy to offer my perspective. If you haven't already done so, I suggest you start scouting out graduate programs in your intended field. If you can visit them, that's great, but may be a problem due to COVID right now. Find out the requirements for each program, and the application deadline. Look for a program that has a good reputation in your field, AND one that will offer you an assistantship if at all possible, either for research or teaching. The school should tell you if they will give you an assistantship when they tell you that you are accepted into the program. If they do not, call and ask. Of course, the usual considerations of location and school size apply, but many grad students prioritize funding, program reputation, and advisor/research topic. the last especially if they plan to write a thesis or seek a research assistantship.
In practical terms, you may need to take the GRE exam, and fill out an application and send transcripts as you did for college. Watch deadlines carefully, and try to get a sense of when each school will notify applicants if they have been accepted. That will help if you are accepted at more than one school and need to choose.
Once in grad school, you will find you can focus more specifically on your chosen field. There are usually no distribution requirements, though you can take electives if your schedule permits. Most masters programs will require you to write a thesis, hence choice of an advisor is important. You can sometimes complete your degree by taking an exit exam instead. In that case, research won't be as important, and you may more easily get a teaching assistantship. Depending on what you want to do later, the teaching experience could be beneficial. You will generally be taking 3, perhaps 4 courses and doing research and/or teaching. You will be expected to be more independent, to drive your own learning process more than the average college student. You will probably also be living off-campus, though some schools do have grad student housing. (Still might be cheaper to live off campus.) This means you will be responsible for all your daily necessities: food, lodging, laundry, etc. This can be a big change for students who spent college living in a dorm, eating in a dining hall, and perhaps taking their laundry home on the weekend.
Grad school was some of the best years of my career. Good luck, and don't hesitate to ask if you have more specific questions.
Get someone else to pay for you and get scholarships. There are very few professions that are worth a decade of your best years and crushing debt that cannot be expunged in bankruptcy. If you will have to live on loans, just go to trade school and stay out of debt. You only get one life, don't live it as a slave.
Most master's programs take no more than 2 years and can be very helpful in many careers. Sometimes employers will pay for it. In STEM fields, one can often get a teaching or research assistantship that covers tuition and fees and pays a modest stipend. This might be available in other fields, too, but I am not familiar with them.