Career Development…to assist you on the
road to success!
Is graduate
school right for you? Only you can answer that question. Don't
take the decision lightly. Consider your interests, goals, dreams,
and abilities. Assess your skills, competencies, and weaknesses
with brutal honesty. In-depth soul-searching is unpleasant, but
vital to making a choice you can live with for the next two to
seven years.
Consider
the following questions:
Why
do I want to go to graduate school? Is it for the right reasons?
Students choose graduate school for many reasons, including intellectual
curiosity and professional advancement. Some choose grad school
because they aren't sure what to do or don't feel ready for a
job. These aren't good reasons. Graduate school requires an intense
commitment of time and money. If you're not sure that you're ready,
then it's best to wait.
What
are my career goals?
Will graduate school assist me in meeting my career goals?
Some careers, such as those in medicine, dentistry, and law, require
education beyond the bachelors degree. A job as a college professor,
researcher, or psychologist also requires an advanced degree.
What
will I specialize in? What are my interests?
Whereas an undergraduate major is a broad introduction to a given
field, graduate school is very narrow and specialized. For example,
grad school in psychology requires choosing a specialization such
as experimental, clinical, counseling, developmental, social,
or biological psychology. Decide early because your choice determines
the programs to which you'll apply. Consider your interests. What
courses did you especially like? On what topics have you written
papers? Seek advice from professors about the differences among
the various specialties in a given field. Inquire about existing
employment opportunities for each specialization.
Do
I have the motivation for another two to seven years of school?
Graduate school is different from college because it requires
a higher level of academic commitment. You must enjoy and excel
at reading, writing, and analyzing information. Speak with professors
and graduate students to get a better idea of what's involved
in graduate study. Most first-year graduate students are overwhelmed
and remark that they had no idea of what they were getting into.
Seek a first-year student's perspective for a reality check.
Do
I have the academic and personal qualities to succeed?
Generally, it is expected that students will maintain at least
a 3.0 average during graduate school. Some programs deny funding
to students with less than a 3.33 average. Can you juggle multiple
tasks, projects, and papers at once? Can you manage time effectively?
Going to graduate school affects the rest of your life. There
are both pros and cons to continuing your education. Seek information
from multiple sources including the career-counseling center,
your family, graduate students, and professors. Take your time
with it. Most importantly, trust your judgment and have faith
that you'll make the choice that's best for you.
You need to do your
research carefully to choose the school that will best suit your
needs and talents. There are more than 1,800 institutions in the
United States that offer graduate degrees; the variety is enormous.
Many are highly specialized and offer only one kind of degree.
Some may offer one or two professional master's degrees, often
in education or business administration. Some institutions offer
master's degrees only, while others offer doctorates in selected
fields. Major research universities offer master's degrees and
doctorates in a wide range of fields.
You will probably have
certain personal preferences regarding the kind of institution
you attend. Size and location are two factors that often influence
a person's decision about where to go to school. There are advantages
to both large and small institutions. Location is important if
you believe you cannot make a major move because of personal or
family concerns.
The most important
factor should be how well the graduate program of an institution
fits your particular interests, academic background, and goals.
Although a university may offer a doctorate in your field, it
may not have a program in the branch of that field that interests
you. For example, some psychology departments specialize in clinical
psychology and offer only a few courses in behavioral psychology;
in others behavioral psychology courses predominate.
One way to do research
on graduate programs is to talk to faculty members at your own
undergraduate school about where they did their graduate work
and what they know about graduate programs in their fields. Most
faculty members enjoy the chance to talk with their students about
their plans for graduate study. It is highly likely that they
can recommend faculty at other institutions with whom you should
study as well as recommend programs that might suit you. Getting
to know your faculty members in this way not only provides you
with valuable information about grad schools, but it also helps
the faculty members know you better. This will give them context
as they write letters of recommendation for you.
As you narrow your
interests in a graduate program, it is important to determine
what various programs' prerequisites are. For a professional degree,
work experience or overall academic
preparation are often
as important as specific coursework. For a research degree, however,
there almost always are areas of subject matter and certain skills
that you must have mastered at the undergraduate level. Particularly
in the sciences, the prerequisites may be very specific.
Another important factor
to determine is the selectivity of the program to which you want
to apply. How many people apply to a given department or program,
and how many are accepted? As the number of applicants grows in
comparison with the number of "seats" open in the entering
class, the selection rigor increases. It is often the case that
the higher the selection rigor, the more likely it is that only
the applications of the most highly qualified will be accepted.
In considering the implications of this information, you must
be very honest with yourself concerning your own academic background
and intellectual potential.
Assess your preparation
and your intellectual potential candidly to determine not only
how well you can compete in a rigorous application process, but
also how well you might perform after you enter a highly competitive
graduate program. In the long run, your comfort with your graduate
program will have a great effect on your satisfaction and performance.
Finally, keep in mind
that, your application is evaluated and you will be recommended
for admission by the department and its faculty members rather
than a central admissions office. You should be more than casually
familiar with the department to which you are applying. Spend
time learning about the reputation of the department and its faculty.
Evaluate their credentials. Determine how often courses listed
in the course bulletin are taught and by whom. Ask questions of
students currently in the program. Be critical about issues like
faculty turnover, accreditation, and the reputation of the department
and its faculty
Graduate schools
are interested in recruiting qualified applicants for their programs.
To assist in the process and help students locate programs that
meet their needs, the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) Board
has developed the GRE Search Service, which is offered at no charge
to prospective graduate students. Registration for it does not
require registration for GRE tests. One benefit of registering
for a search service is that you may hear from institutions you
may not have otherwise considered, thus giving you more information
about options for your graduate education. For more information,
go to gre.org.
Deciding to
go to graduate school, choosing the graduate school, completing
the admissions process and paying for graduate school are major
issues for you to consider. A wealth of information is available
on the internet to educate you on these issues.
Here is a list of a few sites to help you get started on your
research.
www.petersons.com
www.princetonreview.com/grad/
www.gradschools.com
www.gre.org
www.kaptest.com
www.cgsnet.org
www.gradschool.about.com
Graduate
School Exams
The
most widely used graduate exam is the GRE. Other specialized exams
will be required for medical school, law school and MBA programs.
The GRE and
GMAT (for business school) are computerized exams. You go to a
test center to take the exams by appointment. You can register
for the exam by calling the test center or by calling the toll-free
numbers for GRE and GMAT.
GRE: 800-472-2255; GMAT 800-462-8669
Contact information
for the test centers closest to Cedar Rapids:
University of Iowa Exam Service, 129 East Washington St. (300
Jefferson Building), Iowa City. Phone: 319-335-0355
University
of Northern Iowa Exam Service, 125 Bartlett Hall (Student Services),
Cedar Falls. Phone: 319-273-6024
Preparing
for Grad School Admissions: What to Do During Your Junior-Year
Getting
into grad school can be tough. Get started early to improve your
application and increase your chances of getting in! Here's what
you can do as a junior, or even a sophomore:
Start deciding where
you'd like to apply. This entails gathering information. Look
for programs. Browse through brochures and web sites.
Request catalogs and
applications from schools that you may be interested in.
Meet with faculty
and career counselors to discuss programs and your plans.
Determine admissions
requirements.
Take extra elective
courses that may aid your application. For example, in psychology,
extra math, science, and statistics courses are good bets.
Determine which standardized
tests to take. Take practice tests. Consider a prep course.
Take any required
standardized tests towards the end of your Junior year. This ensures
that you have time to retake them if needed.
Get involved in your
field. Assist professor with a project or do some volunteer work.
Check your transcript
for errors.
Senior-Year
Timetable for Applying to Grad School
It's
finally here! You're a senior and can't wait to graduate and move
on to graduate school. But first you need to deal with those pesky
graduate school applications. Senior year is graduate application
time. Here's how to go about it and what to do to get into the
graduate school of your dreams:
Summer/September
If you haven't
done so already, take the necessary standardized tests for admissions.
Gather graduate program
information (which you've collected over junior year and the summer
or are feverishly working now to obtain) and narrow your choices.
Consider which faculty
members to ask for letters of recommendation.
September/October
Research sources
of financial aid.
Carefully examine
each of the program applications. Note any questions of essay
topics.
Write a draft of your
statement of purpose
Ask a faculty member
or the career/grad admissions counselor at your school to read
your essays and provide feedback. Take their advice!
Ask faculty for letters
of recommendation. Provide faculty with a copy of your transcript,
each program's recommendation form, and your statement of purpose.
Ask him or her if there's anything else that you can provide to
help them.
November/December
Arrange for
your official transcript to be sent to each program to which you
apply. Request that the Registrar hold your transcript until the
Fall semester grades are in.
Finalize your essays
and statement of purpose. Don't forget to seek input from others.
Apply for fellowships
and other sources of financial aid, as applicable.
Check and record the
due date for each application.
January
Complete the
application forms for each program.
Reread your essays
and statement of purpose. Spell check!
Mail your applications
Relax and breathe!
Most schools send
a postcard upon receipt of each application. Keep track of these.
If you don't receive a postcard or letter, contact the admissions
office by email or phone to ensure that your application has been
received before the deadline.
February
Depending on
your field, start planning for the admissions interviews. What
questions will you ask? Prepare answers to common questions.
Fill out the Federal
Student Aid (FAFSA) application. You'll need your tax forms to
do this.
March/April
Visit schools
to which you've been accepted.
Discuss acceptances
and rejections with a faculty member or the career/grad admissions
counselor at your school.
Notify the program
of your acceptance.
Notify programs
that you're declining.
