Graduate Schools

mygo99 asked:


What is the proper way to inform a perspective employer that you attended Graduate School but never received a degree?

Lois

sugar asked:


Would a technical college be a graduate or undergraduate school?

Helen

Amber Smith asked:


As you consider going back to graduate school, one of the best things you can do is prepare yourself. Make sure that you are ready to deal with the challenges of school, and more than that, know that you understand how to deal with the challenges when they arise.

Get a Mentor

First things first, get a mentor. Particularly if you are going to be getting your doctorate, you need a mentor. Try to find a professor in your program or a former graduate of the program to mentor you. Not only can they encourage you through the rough times, but also they’ll have a working knowledge of the program that will be invaluable.

Learn How You Learn

Most of us have never taken any type of learning assessment, even though it is one of the most beneficial things any student can do to improve study skills and raise grades. Before classes begin, visit the career center and ask them to give you several learning assessments. Once you have taken the assessments, either you or the counselor will score it, and then you can go over the results together. The counselor can then provide you with study strategies that fit your learning style. All schools have someone who provides this service, almost always for free, and they tend to be part of the career counseling office.

Create a Calendar

When you start back to school, you will need to have a comprehensive calendar that lists all your assignments and when they’re due so that you don’t get behind or forget a project. If possible, begin playing with calendars before you start school so that you can find a calendar that will really meet your needs and help you keep up with events in all areas of your life.

Wait to Buy Your Books

Okay, this is a don’t, but it is important. Many students, particularly returning students, rush out to buy all the books they need as soon as possible. The truth, though, is that most classes either don’t use the recommended books or a specific teacher may never test from the required book. Wait until you start the class to find out what you really need, or at least talk to someone who has already taken the class first. There’s no need to waste money on books you don’t need, and if you can find them on Half.com, you’ll save a boatload.

Relax

Before starting graduate school, especially if you’re going to go full time, take a short vacation. Even if it’s only a weekend away to rest, find a way to relax and rejuvenate. Graduate school can be tough, and it may be a while before you have another chance to take some significant time for yourself to relax. Do it now, and you’ll be fully prepared for graduate school.



Lorraine

Nani asked:


Do you still have to pay while your in graduate school? Will you still be eligible for graduate student loans?

Cathy

rko7x asked:


If I had a Bachelors in Communications and I was a public relations specialist but wanted to make more money, is there a graduate school to get a higher communications degree?

Gabriel

JLee asked:


Do any of you know how selective the Villanova University graduate school is for their political science program?

Deborah

SuckMyKiss asked:


I am going to go to college to become a doctor and I know I need a bachelors degree first but what is the difference between graduate and undergraduate school? Does one come before the other? Is graduate school where I go to get my medical degree? Is undergraduate school the first four years of college until you graduate and get your bachler’s? Please someone explain in the way that you would to an idiot because I am so confused with these types of things. Also what is the difference between a college and an university? Thanks for the help.

Randy

kendal182006 asked:


I really am interested in military psychology and I have heard that the military will pay for you to attend graduate school if you commit to working for them for 3 years. I found the information the other day, but I can’t find it now. Where do I apply and commit to this?

Debbie

Kristie Lorette asked:


There are so many schools offering graduate programs, how is it possible to choose just one? There are many things that should be considered and several ways that you can go about choosing a graduate school. Here are 10 steps that you can use to help get you through the process. It may not be necessary for you personally to take each and every step. You can, however, use the steps as a guideline to help you make a final decision.

1. Think about the type of program that you are interested in studying. Whether you are looking for a structured or flexible curriculum, a practical or theoretical emphasis on study, or how much of an emphasis you would like based on research can help you to narrow down your choices.

2. Based on your preferences, what geographical areas or locations are you willing to consider? This factor alone can narrow down your graduate school options enormously. The size and type of school choices go along with the actual location of the school. Small schools, large schools, big cities, or small towns?

3. Whether you are currently enrolled as an undergraduate or have already graduated, visit your undergraduate’s college or university career center or career placement office. They keep a library of guidebooks and information on different graduate schools that offer various programs. This is a great source of information for you to get a feel for the various graduate programs offered at various schools.

4. Once you have narrowed down or chosen your area of study, talk with your professors that teach and work in that area. They will be able to recommend graduate programs to you that they think will be beneficial to your growth and development.

5. Research the faculty in the field of study you have chosen at the schools that you are considering. As a graduate student you will be working very closely with the faculty, especially if you are conducting research.

6. Find out about the reputation of the school. Talk to students that currently attend it. Research the alumni that have graduated from the same program you are interested in attending. Where are they currently working? What accomplishments have they been able to make?

7. Find out the cost for the graduate program. Just like any major investment that you make, cost is always a factor. While it shouldn’t be the only item that you consider, it is definitely one of the things that you must consider. Can you afford to pay for your graduate education at this school? How will you pay for your education? Check out the school’s financial aid services.

8. Narrow down your options for possible schools to 6 to 12 options. Then request an information and admission packet from each of these schools. Review and read this information carefully.

9. Visit the campuses of each school. How do you feel interacting with the students and walking around the campus? Do you feel comfortable there? Do you feel like you could spend the next few years of your life there?

10. Apply to a range of schools from the ones that you have narrowed down. Once you get your acceptance and/or denial letters from each school, eliminate your acceptance offers using all of the factors that you have decided are the most important to you. Eliminate your options until you have made your final decision.



Douglas

Kristie Lorette asked:


Graduate school isn’t right for everyone, but it does have its benefits. Take a look at 5 good reasons to go to graduate school and earn an MBA. See if any of them are right for your own personal, educational, and professional set of goals.

1. Show me the money: Like Cuba Gooding, Jr. said in Jerry McGuire, “Show me the money!” Typically, MBA graduates are more marketable to companies for management positions. Management positions usually pay more in salary than staff positions. And since a lot more companies today are making an MBA a condition for employment, by earning your MBA may actually mean that you will be “seeing more money!”

2. Professional growth & development: Many students enter an MBA program after they have been in the workforce for some time. This means that they have earned real-world experience after receiving their bachelor degree. Going back to grad school may simply be a personal or professional goal that you have set for yourself. By combining your real-world work experience with the advanced skills and training that graduate school can offer you, it can help you grow both personally and professionally.

3. Become a specialist: Many graduate schools allow you to choose a specialty when you are earning your MBA. This allows you to further advance your general business skills while becoming an expert in a particular field. For example, you may currently work in the marketing department of your company as a marketing assistant. You aspire, however, to become a marketing manager for one of the divisions of your company and one of the requirements for marketing managers at this particular firm is that they have to have their MBA. You can return to graduate school and earn your MBA with a special concentration in marketing. Even if it doesn’t land you a marketing management position in your current firm, it may very well land you one in another firm.

4. Opens doors of opportunity: Earning an MBA degree can open up doors of opportunity that may not have been opened without having one. Numbers don’t lie and the numbers show that MBA graduates have an increased chance of gaining access to the position that was beyond their reach before they earned their degree. You too may be able to land your dream job by going to graduate school and earning your MBA.

5. Build a network: Sometimes being successful in business and just in life in general is about who you know versus what you know. In grad school you are introduced to all different kinds of people from all different walks of life. Your peers and your professors are great resources for you in the business world. Graduate school allows you to build your own framework of a support and contact system to build strong business relationships.

While these are 5 great reasons to attend graduate school, you may have reasons of your own that are not listed here. Take out a piece of paper and make yourself a list of the reasons why you think you want to go to graduate school, and how earning your MBA may benefit you. Make an old fashioned pros and cons list and see which side has more reasons, pros or cons. The odds are that you will probably find more positive reasons to earn your MBA degree than you will find reasons not to attend grad school.



Bonnie