Graduate Schools

Amber Smith asked:


Get ready to get off to a great start in graduate school. You can prepare right now to succeed while in graduate school. There are five simple ways to begin preparing for graduate school right now. These tips and secrets will keep you headed in the right direction as you near your first day of class.

1. Find a Mentor

Getting a mentor as you may start graduate school may sound a little crazy, but it’s important, particularly if you are going to be getting your doctorate or you are a returning student. If possible, find a professor in your program or a former graduate of the program to mentor you. They can offer true encouragement through the rough times, and more importantly, they’ll have a working knowledge of the program that will be priceless during your time in graduate school.

2. Understand How You Learn

Although it’s one of the most beneficial things any student can do to improve study skills and raise grades, most of us have never taken any type of learning assessment. Before classes even begin, preferably about a month in advance, visit the career center and ask them to give you several learning assessments.

After you have taken the assessments, either score it yourself or let the counselor score it. Then you can go over the results together. The counselor should provide you with study strategies that fit your learning style. You can also search Google for more study styles and strategies. All schools have someone who provides this service, almost always for free, and they tend to be part of the career counseling office.

3. Create a Comprehensive Calendar

When you start back to school, you will need to have a comprehensive calendar. This calendar should list all your assignments and when they’re due so that you don’t get behind or forget a project - the ultimate bad day. If possible, begin trying out different 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.

4. Wait to Buy Your Books

I know, I know, this isn’t exactly the same as all my other advice, but it really is important. Many students, particularly returning students, don’t know this very important rule. Instead, they 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 your 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 www.half.com, you’ll save a lot of money.

5. Relax

I saved the best, and most important, for last. 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, particularly if you are getting your doctorate. Do it now and you’ll be fully prepared for graduate school.



Cynthia

itsallaboutobama asked:


Does anyone know what percentage of students go to graduate school?

Jacqueline

Erica S asked:


Hey everyone. Just curious, is there any way to move furniture like bed frames and computer desk from an apartment you had at your undergraduate college to a graduate school in other state? It seems like a hassle and a lot of money.

I’m just wondering because if I need to sell my furniture in a couple of years before I go off to graduate school, I might as well buy cheap, quality things now instead of investing a lot for quality furniture. Please let me know. Thanks in advance!

Renee

thecondor17 asked:


I will be graduating from college next semester, and I have already started applying to graduate schools. I have a solid college resume so far, but should I include high school awards/recognitions as well? Or are they too outdated at this point?

Martha

Catherine Zandueta asked:


Once you’ve graduated, you have to realize that a period of your life is over. Life will never be the same. Your goal in life is not to get your homework done and study for tests. You’re new role is to work for a company and handle specific duties.

The first thing to do is build a resume. Research the kind of resume that you need in your field. If you’re a writer, put together a writing resume that shows your different mediums and your writing credits. If you’re a dentist, be sure to show the school you attended and any internships or residencies that you completed.

Once you have your resume in hand, you can start searching for jobs. There are different ways to go about searching for jobs. You should utilize all the methods. Mount a full on war. Check the newspaper every day to see the new opportunities in your area. This is a good way to search for a job, but it’s not the best.

The best way to job search is by looking online. There are many different job search web sites. Check them all. You can type in keywords for specific positions that you want or browse job categories to see what you are qualified for. You can also have new job ads that match your description emailed to you every day. Searching the websites for a particular area is also helpful. If you know that you want to work in a 20 mile radius from your hometown, job web sites will allow you to search within those parameters.

Don’t get discouraged if you’re not getting calls back right away. Sometimes it takes a few days or even a couple of weeks before employers start scheduling interviews. It doesn’t hurt to be prepared for an interview before you even have one.

Get a professional wardrobe. No more jeans and sweatshirts for you. Find a good looking suit that you can use for your interviews. Get two if you have the funds. Groom yourself so that your appearance is neat and don’t forget the shoes. Shoes should be clean and conservative.

The transition from student to professional can be a difficult road. Preparing yourself while still in school can be a big help. By the time you graduate you should have already researched the careers that are out there for your degree. Maybe you even have a few companies that you want to target. It’s never too early to start preparing for your job search.

You don’t always have to get a job after school. If you loved the academic life and want to further your education in your field of study, then maybe going on to get your PhD is what you desire. Going the academic route can open up careers in teaching and research.

Whatever you decide to do, don’t forget that there are many options out there for you and your degree.



Javier

Daniel Millions asked:


If you are in graduate school, you will need to write a thesis. A thesis project is an independent study on a topic of great interest. The most common thesis is a written thesis. Writing your thesis at times may seem like a daunting task. With some practical preparation techniques: you can confidently climb this “paper mountain”. Before long, you’ll have your graduate degree and those impressive letters of M.A., M.B.A. or M.S. behind your name.

There is a popular old saying “a stitch in time saves nine” and many of us don’t even think about what this means, even though we’ve heard this repeatedly. This saying is quite true when it comes to writing your thesis. The first step to writing your thesis is to create a thesis statement. The ideal thesis statement is one that intrigues you and makes you want to research it further.

It is also quite important that your thesis statement have enough research to support it: you can come up with a fascinating thesis statement that simply does not have enough research to write a strong thesis. Begin by finding the thesis statement and then delve into your preliminary research to understand if there will be enough facts to support what you believe.

When doing preliminary research it is important to use every resource available to you. Try books, journal articles, magazines, newspapers and also the Internet. Depending on your thesis statement, you may discover unique sources available on the Internet that support your statement that you’d like to include. Many thesis programs will accept online sources as long as they are credited appropriately. Cast a wide net when looking for other sources including books to try for out-of-print books you may be able to locate through an out-of-print bookseller. This preliminary research will assist you in deciding if this thesis is the one you wish to pursue.

Your thesis adviser will either approve or disapprove of your preliminary research and your thesis statement. If you receive approval, then you are ready to enter into deeper research on your project. If you receive disapproval, then you must create a new thesis statement and begin once more with your thesis preliminary research. Keeping your thesis adviser “in the loop” about what you are doing is critical: without their approval, you cannot move forward. The entire goal is to be able to move forward to the next step.

Assuming you have approval, further research will be done at this stage. Some that write a thesis find it most useful to actually begin writing their thesis and to research at the same time. Others feel that they need to do all of the research first. Do what you feel would be the most practical. Even if you feel you are completely done with all of the research, you may discover once you begin writing that you need another source or two.

In writing your thesis, it is critical that you stick to the format that you have been given by your thesis advisor and/or committee. One of the most popular writing formats is the APA format. While learning a writing format is not difficult, if your thesis is not presented in the proper writing format it will not be accepted. Writing a one hundred to three hundred page thesis can feel simply overwhelming at times.

The little details sometimes may escape you as you work on this large project. Finding a fellow student or friend to edit your thesis is quite valuable as they can insure that you have followed the format. If your thesis is handed in and does not follow format this can delay your graduating on time. Consider hiring someone to edit your thesis if no helping hands volunteer for this task.

Writing your thesis is a task, which you should be quite proud of accomplishing. Not everyone can say that they have written a thesis. Writing a thesis is very much like taking on a “paper marathon” and often it is about simply covering the miles. This is not a task that can be done quickly; your thesis will take you months and perhaps even a year.



Sean

Pookie asked:


I am set to grauduate in the spring of ‘08 with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering. The problem is I don’t think I would really like to do this as a career. Does anyone have any suggestions for the best course of action in graduate school?

Terry

Anonymous asked:


I went to a school where graduate students and undergraduate students were very close. We’d go drinking with our professors even. I know this isn’t normal, so I’d like to know the changes you experienced at a larger, city university.

Craig

squarebear69 asked:


I probably already know this answer…but i dont understand why people at my college talk about graduate school.. What does gradate school mean? Im going to a csu and im planning to be there for four years.. after i complete my four years do i have to go to another school for graduate school? omg please answer im confused…
thanks!

Brett

bluangl2@sbcglobal.net asked:


I have to write a ‘brief’ autobiography for an application to graduate school. I have no idea what should be in said autobiography. What kind of stuff is important, what is not?

Frances