Graduate Schools

Amber Smith asked:


Most of the time, you should work before going back to graduate school. Some real world experience will make you a better candidate for school, help you determine what you really want to do, and let you know what you still need to learn.

Better Candidate

The best candidates for graduate school are those who already have some real world job experience. They are already disciplined due to their day jobs, and they are more committed to getting the degree and a pay raise after working for a few years.

True Calling

Working for a few years will help you decide what you really want to do. After being in a profession for a while, you may discover that you hate it and would prefer something else. Getting your graduate degree is the perfect way to transition into a new profession. You will come in at a higher pay rate and your resume will be more enticing if you have a higher level of education.

More to Learn

After working in your field for a few years, you will find that you still have some questions. When you return to graduate school, you will have a great forum for getting those questions answered. You’ll also have the opportunity to get the perspective of your colleagues and discover how they deal with the same issues. Knowing what you need to learn will also help you take the most appropriate classes for your needs. Although your often don’t get a lot of options in graduate school, when you can choose an elective, you’ll know which class to choose.

When You Can’t Work in Your Profession

Let’s say that you got a degree in Psychology in your undergraduate university. You can’t really work in your profession until you go to graduate school, so what do you do? Well, you can get a related job for less money, or you may just want to head directly into graduate school. Most programs where you can’t already be working in your chosen profession, give more assistantships and scholarships to help you save money while in graduate school.

Why You Should Work in the Real World First

Real world experience makes you a better candidate while the time spent working will help you decide if you want to stick with this career. Plus, there’s always more to learn. If you can’t work in your profession right away, find a job that will give you some similar experience if possible. It’s just that important.



Lydia

JHutton asked:


I am applying for Psy.D, Ph.D, and Masters programs in Psychology, and I was wondering if anyone knew how big of a role minors have in admissions decisions.
Instead of working more towards my statistics minor, I was thinking of focusing more on psychology research, which I know is important for graduate school admissions. Any advice?

Thanks in advance!

Rafael

Jason Kay asked:


Writing a graduate school personal statement can be a daunting and difficult task. In a graduate school personal statement you are selling yourself and trying to let the admissions representatives know WHY you should be chosen over other qualified applicants. This can be even more daunting when you realize that between two to five people at the School will be reviewing your statement - YOURS needs to stand out from the crowd while also addressing the criteria and questions the school has outlined.

If you are applying to several different schools using one generic statement will be easily recognized and just as easily dismissed. WHY - because you will be seen as not making an effort sell yourself to this particular school, low effort equals low interest to admissions representatives. Remember the admission committee will likely view thousands of these statements from qualified candidates and they will spot a weakness, flaw or lack of attention to the process in a heartbeat. What you don’t want to do is give this committee an easy excuse to dismiss your statement and application.

In talking to Admissions Representatives across the country, there is one aspect of a personal statement they all agree on - BE YOURSELF and let them get a feel for the type of person you really are. This includes your motivations and the ability to evaluate your personal experiences and the effect they had on you. If you can understand that 8 out of 10 personal statements fail to do this, then you are well on your way to being 1 of the 2 applicants in every 10 that stands out.

The first step in preparing your Graduate School personal statement

Take the time to research and understand the doctrine and mission of the school, this will be intrinsically reflected in your writing and prove you are addressing your statement to this particular School. However, do not parrot their own information back to them - they already know it and this leads away from helping understand YOU. Understanding the audience for your statement will help you to develop compelling content that grabs their attention.

Next ensure that you understand the requirements for your statement or essay including:

• Format

• Word limit

• Questions to be answered

If you miss any of the above, your application will already be short-changed. Word limits are fixed and if you can imagine yourself with the job of reading thousands of applications, you can understand why. Not answering any of the questions will give your application a one way ticket to the rejection pile. This will also help with the next step planning.

Planning your Personal Statement

Planning not only gives you an outline to work to, it also helps avoided the dreaded writers block. Chances are you have already had to plan and write many essays to get to this point, don’t be complacent and skip this step as it may lead to omitting either required or useful information. Planning can also ensure that you don’t give yourself room to babble or write a novel instead of a 500 word essay.

Planning Part A

Flesh out the information you can provide including your experience/motivations. Writing prompts will give you cues for the content when you hit the writing stage. Here are some questions that you could use to formulate information:

1. Who do I really think I am? Who do others think I am? (include characteristics and skills e.g. loyal, hardworking, born leader, attention to detail)

2. What has caused changes to who I am over the years? How have I grown as a person and what caused these changes or growth? How did these experiences affect me?

3. What makes me unique? This is an extremely hard question to ask ourselves without filling in cliché’s. This is a great time for honesty and self reflection to kick in. You may in reality be like a lot of other people; however, no two people experience the same thing in the same way with the same results. Here is one of the great answers I have enjoyed in the past “Yes, I am unique, just like everybody else.” add a BUT on to that and I am sure it will get you thinking. If you’re really stuck it is time to do the trusted colleagues, friends and family survey - you might be surprised with what comes up.

4. What in my past did I have to overcome to be where I am today? Can I relate these experiences to my goals for the future or my motivation?

5. Who are my influencers and role models and why? Remember these don’t have to be famous people; they could be a neighbor, sibling or your parents.

6. What are my career goals? Why do I want to continue my studies? When and why am I interested in my chosen field of study? How has this shaped me so far and what has it taught me about myself?

7. Are there weaknesses in my application? Do I have gaps or inconsistencies on my academic records that I can explain?

8. What are the strengths of my application? Do I have awards, recommendations or honors that are relevant which I should mention?

9. Field experience:

a. Internships and jobs relevant to my field of study including skills learned and experience gained

b. Has my field experience prepared me for my future career - how so?

c. What social services/volunteer programs have I been involved in? What did these teach me in general and about myself? Did these relate to my field of study?

d. What extracurricular activities have I been involved in and have they contributed to my studies or professional goals?

These seem like a lot of questions, in essence they develop the background to the information you will actually put in your statement and answers to any questions. Answering these questions keep you on track to keeping your personal statement PERSONAL. Look for common denominators in the answers you have written, this may help formulate a theme or connection you can build into your personal statement.

Planning Part B and launching into your first draft

Planning the structure of your essay and allotting your own word limits to each part give you a framework in which to develop the content. Naturally, there are three main parts introduction, body and conclusion. From the notes you have made previously along with the questions you need to answer, this is where you condense your prompts to fit each of the three sections. Relevance, power to support your application and evidence of who you are is what you are looking for.

1. Your introduction and even your first sentence are the most important part of your personal statement. This is where you can grab the attention of the admissions representative. Make your first sentence unique and compelling. It is recommended that you state in a creative way WHY you want to undertake this field of study in your first sentence. The rest of your introduction should provide a brief explanation that supports this first statement. Divide the word limit by the three parts of your personal statement by allocating your introduction around 30%.

2. The body of your personal statement is going to be hard work - you need to use around 50% of your word limit to give the admission representatives concrete evidence of why you stand out from the crowd in this application process. The body is also where you will be answering questions and giving examples of experience and affects of experience. Answers and evidence need to keep reflecting who YOU really are. If you’re struggling to keep under the word limit, allocate each question a word limit as well.

3. Now you are looking at the remaining 20% of your word limit being your conclusion. Percentages may vary if larger word limits are being offered. Ensure you state why you are interested in this field of study; state the key points from the body of your essay (e.g. accomplishments, experience and interest). Ensure that you keep it brief, to the point and leave out the clichés. Just as you started your personal statement with an attention grabber, make sure you finish your personal statement with one or two sentences that are positive and leave the reader remembering your statement while they are reading the next few.

TIP: As this is a personal statement it is acceptable to write in the first person

Reviewing your Graduate School personal statement

Skip this stage and you are heading for rejection. Very few people write perfectly the first time and if you run out of time to do this stage, then you are leaving your application short.

1. Check for grammar, punctuation and spelling. If you’re not confident about these aspects then ask someone you can trust or hire a professional to check the personal statement.

2. Review your statement and ask these questions:

a. Have I answered the questions required?

b. Have I put forward the best examples of experiences and effects that are relevant to my field of study or who I am?

c. Have I effectively answered the main question here - Why should the Graduate School accept me over my fellow applicant?

d. Does this statement reflect who I really am or do I sound like a “too good to be true” parrot?

e. Would I fall asleep if I had to read this or would it grab my attention?

f. Have I let my sense of humor get carried away? Do I sound too opinionated or extreme in my views?

g. Have I addressed any weaknesses I have e.g. low GPA or LSAT?

3. Check for logical flow and paragraph transition which make the statement strong and easily read.

4. Read the personal statement over - if you need to read any of the sentences twice, and then re-structure them. Have I left myself too short on an important area and too long in another? Cut and chop away until you know that this statement is strong, logical and captures the attention of the reader. If you step over a platitude or cliché - remove and find another way. At the same time - give yourself a limit of how many reviews you will do, otherwise you will keep chopping and changing losing the essence of what you are writing.

5. Lastly, peer review - a person or people you can trust to be brutally honest and who knows you well. Preferably someone who also understands that this personal statement is for admission to graduate school. Get several people to give you a boredom rating along with a rating of whether or not you have truly reflected who you are.

Finally, remember to do review steps 1, 2 and 3 after each revision to ensure you have not lost your way. Making your graduate school personal statement interesting and stand out from the crowd is a matter of understanding what you can really offer and who you really are. If there are weaknesses to your application at least ensure that you try to explain them as well as stating your strengths and experience.



Maurice

CrazyGal asked:


I will be applying to graduate school in a couple of months and it is required that applicants have a faculty member sponsor their applications. I have someone in mind whose research interests seem to match mine. What should I include in an e-mail to this person asking him to sponsor my application and how formal should the letter be?

Phyllis

Wade Robins asked:


While only thirty years ago a four year college degree was enough to get you into good job in your chosen profession, times have definitely changed. Now having a Bachelor’s Degree may be good for an entry level job in a field you love, but if you want to break into the upper levels of your profession, and advanced degree is almost certainly required.

And certain careers, especially those in law and medicine, have always demanded several years of graduate study. Yet the grants, and scholarships readily available to college undergraduates seem to evaporate when one is looking for a way to fund graduate school. Graduate student loans, it seems, are the best way for the financially challenged to pay for their graduate degrees.

Stafford Loans

Fortunately, the Federal government does understand the need for graduate level study, and offers the Stafford Loans program to provide a variety of graduate student loans. All you need do is complete a free application for student aid, or FAFSA loan, and then decide which loan avenue to pursue.

You may find Stafford graduate student loans administered by the graduate schools to which you are applying, but they are granted by the government. One big advantage to accepting a Stafford graduate student loan is that you will be allowed a six month grace period following your graduation before you need to start your payments.

The Federal Stafford graduate student loan program is also administered privately by banks and other commercial lending institutions. If the government accepts your application for this Stafford loan, you will be given a list of their approved lenders. Only those students who have not defaulted on any other student loans are eligible for Stafford graduate student loans, so if you have an earlier loan hanging over you, you need to clear it up if you want to fund your graduate school career with a Stafford loan.

If your income is low enough, you may have the interest on your graduate student loans subsidized by the government. What this means is that as long as you are enrolled in graduate school, you will not be responsible for the interest on your loan.

If your income level is too high, however, the interest on your graduate student loans will accumulate and be included in the principal which you need to repay. This means that both the total of your loan, and your payments, will increase. You will be able to take out Stafford graduate student loans totaling $50,000, spread out over the time you remain in graduate school.

Private Loans

If you are ineligible for a Stafford loan, you can always look for a private one, but your success will depend on your previous credit history. So you should do as much as you can to clean up your credit and raise your credit score before applying for any graduate school loans.

Funding graduate school may be hard work, but don’t let a shaky credit history stop you. If you can find a willing co-signer, your search for graduate school loans will be simplified greatly. When you see your grad school financial struggles in the light of the increased earning power an advanced degree will bring, they are greatly diminished.



Glen

Kristie Lorette asked:


Announcer: “And tonight on Grad Nite TV it’s time for the Top 10 Ten List. Tonight’s Top 10 is ‘How do I Survive Graduate School?’”

And the top 10 ways that you can survive graduate school are:

#10. Stay focused. The road is long, but by staying focused on your goal of successfully completing your program, you can make it a smooth ride instead of a bumpy one.

#9. Keep up with assigned readings, project tasks, and research. It is much easier to break your tasks, assignments, readings and research into smaller segments. This alleviates you from having to cram everything into one night or one day.

#8. If you don’t know the answer to something, then ask. There is nothing wrong with not knowing the answer to everything. If you do not know or understand something, then ask a classmate, a professor or someone else who will know the answer. Just to put your mind a little more at ease for asking questions in class, the answer to your question will not only help you, but it will also help your classmates as well. Most likely, someone in your class has the same question, but was too afraid to ask it.

#7. Make a plan and stick to it. Create a written plan that details out your goals, tasks, and deadlines. Also write a plan on the tasks that you must complete to achieve them. You may have different plans like daily, weekly, monthly and semester long plans. Just make sure that your daily plans help you achieve your weekly plans, and that your weekly plans help you achieve your monthly plans, and so on.

#6. Introduce yourself to new people. The people you meet and interact with may prove to be important contacts to you at some point during or after graduate school. By increasing the amount of people that you know you are increasing your chances of finding new and interesting opportunities.

#5. Don’t cheat! Sometimes the easy way out is not the most beneficial thing for you in the long run. With well thought out plans and task lists there won’t be a need for you to cheat because you will be organized and on task.

#4. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Everyone needs a little help sometime. Ask you professors if you don’t understand something or if you need clarification on something. That is what they are there for!

#3. Get a study buddy. By studying with a friend or classmate you can compliment each other’s strengths and weaknesses. They may have something in their notes that you don’t have and vice versa. Plus, it makes it easier to study when you have a partner to push you along and they have you to push them along.

#2. Manage your stress. There is no doubt that graduate school is stressful. It is important that you manage your stress. Eating healthy and getting enough rest, along with being focused and organized, will help to keep your stress level to a minimum.

And the #1 way to survive grad school is…

Learn work, school, and life balance. You need to learn to balance your schedule so that you have time for all aspects of your life including school, work and home. It is important that you take time to participate in leisure and relaxation activities that you enjoy. This will help you to live a more balanced life, preventing you from burning out from school overload!

In all seriousness, grad school is a big challenge. It is important that you follow these 10 survival tips to make your time there as productive and pleasurable as possible.



Tim

ajs02727 asked:


How important is your choice of undergraduate school when it comes to getting into graduate school at highly regarded universities (Ivy League and similar)? Do such schools accept students with good grades, etc. from schools that are maybe not so prestigious? Especially when you have the credentials in high school to go to higher ranked undergraduate schools but choose not to for financial reasons/scholarship oppurtunities.

Jesse

ZMcClean asked:


More specifically, if I go to UW-Madison and sustain good grades in my undergraduate would they be interested in me as a graduate student? Or is the fact that I went to UW-Madison for my undergraduate degree a detriment to me? From what I’ve been told schools don’t like to keep students in their school from undergraduate to graduate (M.S. or Ph.D.) and what I am wondering is whether or not this is true.

Kevin

Kristie Lorette asked:


There are almost an unlimited number of criteria that you can consider when choosing a graduate school. The important thing is to consider the criteria that are most important to you personally when making your choice. Listed here you will find some criteria that you should take into consideration when you are choosing your graduate school. While everything that you should consider may not be listed here, it should be enough to start you thinking.

Location: Just like when you are buying a piece of real estate or choosing your undergraduate school, location is probably one of the most prominent criteria that should be considered. When you are attending grad school, you will not only be attending classes, but you will also be living and working in that community for at least a few years. You should choose a location that you feel comfortable with. You may want to consider options that are close to your family and friends. You may want to consider a school in an area where you would like start or continue your career after graduation. Since you network and meet a lot of business contacts during grad school, it may be beneficial to attend a school where your connections may land you a job after graduation.

Job Placement: You should take some time to research the job placement or career services that the school offers. Since one of the reasons you are probably earning your degree is either for career advancement or to open up doors for new opportunities, you will want to know what type of help you can expect from your school after graduation. Many grad schools list the companies where their graduates work. This kind of information can also give you an idea of what opportunities may be available to you as a graduate of this particular institution.

Cost & Financial Aid: Cost is always a factor in purchasing something, especially major purchases like a graduate school education. You should consider how much it is going to cost you to live and attend classes at each of your school choices. You should also consider what type of financial aid assistance each school offers. If you can obtain a full scholarship at one school, but only get student loans at another one of your choices, then you may have to take this into consideration before making your final decision.

Courses of Study/Degrees: If a college or university doesn’t offer the curriculum or degree that you want to study, then that college should be immediately eliminated from your choice options. Find out which colleges offer the degree and major you are looking for and then start narrowing down your school choices, based on other criteria, from there.

Size & Type of Institution: While some colleges are small and intimate others are huge and more impersonal. Depending on what type of class size you feel is the best environment for you to learn may affect your decision on graduate school choices. Some institutions are private, some are public and some are religious or Jesuit schools. If you have preferences on class size, the size of the student population, or the type of school that you attend, then this is one of the criteria that should be considered as well.

So there are several different items that you will want to take into consideration when you are choosing a graduate school. You should narrow down the colleges that fit your criteria and then research them further until you find one where you feel the most comfortable. Campus visits and tours are great ways to find your comfort level with a particular school. If you feel like you fit there and you feel like you could live there for the next few years, then chances are you have found your graduate school.



Lee

jbd89 asked:


I am at Austin Peay State University right now in Tennessee. I’m about to transfer to East Tennessee State University I am a sophomore with a 3.6 gpa. I am a History education major right now, but am considering switching to a poly sci minor. I am thinking about Vanderbilt University for either law school or History graduate school? What are my chances?
Oh yeah i might teach social studies for a couple of years before i go on to do the graduate school thing. Would that help?

Katie