Searching grad schools
Selecting a grad school
Grad school action plan
Financial aid
Application process
Behrend Graduate Programs (M.B.A., M.Eng.)
Helpful Web sites

The Decision: Should I go?

Reasons to Go:

• A graduate degree is required for entry into a career (e.g. law, medicine, university teaching).
• You have a particularly strong interest in a subject area, either to advance in a career or for personal satisfaction.

Reasons NOT to Go:

• To please someone else.
• To avoid a tight job market.
• You don't know what you want to do.

Some Questions to Ask Yourself:

• Where do I want to be in three to five years? Do I need a graduate degree to get there?
• How long does it take to complete a typical program in this field?
• Are there other things going on in my life that would prevent me from being focused?
• What is the likelihood that I would have to relocate in order to find a program that I like? Am I willing to do that?
• What do I expect to be the result of this degree (e.g. higher paying job, more satisfying work, personal enrichment)? Am I familiar with the variety of positions held by individuals with advanced degrees in my area of interest?
• Do my achievements and academic background reflect the ability to successfully complete a graduate degree?

Selecting a Graduate School: Where Do I Go?

Create a list of possible schools: You need to do some research at this point. Hopefully, you have selected a program of study and have some career goals in mind. The next thing to do is to create a list of schools that offer the type of program that you want.

Resources to Consult:

• Peterson's Guides to Graduate School (available in the CDC Resource Room and most libraries). Their Web site is http://www.petersons.com
• Professors
• Parents and friends
• Practicing professionals
• Look at citations from professional journals; what schools are the authors from?
• The World Wide Web

Narrowing Down the Choice

You should have a fairly large list of schools that offer your program of choice. The next step is narrowing down the choice. There are several factors that should be taken into consideration when evaluating a school.

Quality of the Program

The faculty: A graduate department's reputation rests heavily on the reputation of its faculty. In some disciplines, it is more important to study under someone well-known than to study at a college or a university with a prestigious name. Familiarize yourself with publications describing current research in your discipline. Find articles in professional journals and discover where the authors teach.

The students: What kinds of students enroll in the program? What is their average undergraduate G.P.A and test scores? What are their academic abilities, achievements, skills, geographical representation, and level of professional success upon completion of the program?

Available resources: Is the institution financially stable? What kind of financial support does the program itself have? How complete are the library collections and other facilities?

Program and curriculum services: What is the purpose of the program? What are job placement and student advisement services like? What is the student/faculty ratio? Are there internships, assistantships, and other experiential education opportunities available?

University Environment

The size of the setting of the academic institution may be important to you. You can choose between a small, medium, or large institution in a rural or urban setting. Climate, scenic beauty, recreational possibilities, and opportunities to work also may be important considerations.

Financial Considerations

If you are seriously interested in graduate study, do not be discouraged by a lack of finances. You should investigate and apply for all types of aid for which you are eligible. Don't reject a school because it is expensive until you have learned what financial aid it can offer.

Every institution has its own application process, as well as its own system for allotting financial aid. Therefore, you should communicate directly with each school that interests you. Many schools use a needs-analysis document such as the Graduate and Professional School Financial Aid Service or the Free Application for Student Financial Aid (FASFA). Other schools use different needs analysis systems. Be sure you complete the correct forms. In addition, every school has a different deadline date for financial aid application. File the correct forms by the specified deadlines. Funds are widely available, but they are not unlimited.

Other Sources of Aid

Grants and Fellowships: These are outright awards that require no service in return. Grants are usually provided to those with financial need. Fellowships are prestigious awards given selectively. Financial need is not taken into consideration.

Teaching and Research Assistantships: These awards are given to recipients in exchange for service to the university. Appointments to Teaching Assistantships are based on academic qualifications and are made by department heads. Research Assistantships are rarely offered to first year graduate students.

Rank Order Your Remaining Choices

After narrowing down your list of six to twelve schools, divide the remaining schools into three categories based on your probability of being accepted: reach schools (very difficult), probably-maybe schools, and safe schools (little question that you will be accepted). If you have not done so already, write, e-mail, or call these institutions for information, including an application, a catalog, and pertinent program information.

The Application Process

Once you have narrowed down your choice of graduate programs, you are ready to begin the application process. Although each program is different, you should expect to begin the search a year to a year and a half prior to the semester that you want to enroll. Most graduate schools have an application deadline between January and March for admittance the following year. It is to your advantage to apply as early as possible, as the first applicants usually have a slight advantage over those received later in the process.

Learning Resource Center:
The Learning Resource Center provides guidance on content and editorial assistance for application essays, and has reference books that contain sample essays.  For more information, call Patty Conboy at 898-6140.  http://www.pserie.psu.edu/academic/lrc/scholarship.htm
 

Application Requirements:

• Graduate Admissions Tests
  
  Most graduate programs require that you submit scores from one or more graduate admissions exams. Often the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) or the Miller Analogies Test (MAT). Professional schools have their own tests: The Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT), for business school, the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT), and the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT). Some schools also require GRE subject tests such as psychology, biology, or chemistry. Check with the individual program to determine what tests will be required.
  
  You should plan on taking these tests at least a year prior to the year you plan to enroll. Some of these tests are only given a few times a year, and registration dates are several months in advance of the actual testing date. You may pick up registration materials in the Career Development Center Resource Room. It is a good idea to study for these exams by taking practice tests. They will familiarize you with the types of questions asked and will improve your speed and accuracy on the exam. If you do not test well, you may want to invest in a study guide available through the testing organizations or at many bookstores. You may also consider enrolling in a special course that covers the particular exam. In addition to traditional study guidebooks, there are also software packages available for your computer.

• Transcripts
  
  Admissions committees always require official transcripts as part of the application process. This can take several weeks, so plan to request transcripts early. At Penn State Behrend, you can pick up a transcript request form in the Registrar's Office.
  
  

• Application Essays
  
  Almost all programs require that you submit an essay or personal statement as part of the application process. The essay is extremely important. While grades and test scores will qualify you as a potential candidate, your essays and recommendations will get you an acceptance.
  
  Admissions committees look for essays that are unusual, thoughtful, mature, well-prepared and which demonstrate that you will succeed. They should be grammatically correct and original, and they should personalize your application. This is the time for you to communicate your goals and what you will gain from attending graduate school. Begin your essay with a strong opening line. This will ensure that you will catch the reader's attention. In the essay, substantiate your interest in the field and in that particular graduate program. You should customize your essay for each school to which you are applying. Finally, communicate that you have a vision of the future and for your career.
  
  While it is tempting to go over the allotted space or word limit, try to keep your essay within the required length. Also, do not make the print extremely tiny in order to fit more text. Be kind to the reader, who is the one evaluating your work. Finally, make sure that you have several people proofread your essays and applications before mailing them.

Recommendations

• Always pick one extra person to ensure that you have the minimum number.
• Be direct with the people you ask to write a recommendation. Ask them if they will be able to provide a strong recommendation. If not, find someone else.
• Prep them. Provide them with a copy of your resume and a transcript. Provide them with stamps and addressed envelopes.
• Give the people that you choose plenty of time; don't ask for letters of recommendation at the last minute.
• Check on the progress of your recommendation letters or forms on a regular basis to make sure that they arrive to the schools on time. Let your references know the deadlines for each school.

The Application

When filling out the application, never leave anything blank. Make sure that the application is completed neatly, accurately, and is free of errors. Your application should convey your sincere interest in the program that you are applying to, as well as your future goals and direction and your major strengths, skills, and achievements. If you have a high-quality paper or lab that is directly related to the program or will demonstrate your competency in an area, then you may want to include it as well. Always be truthful. Making something up will come back to haunt you and will most likely jeopardize your candidacy. Include any research in which you are involved, no matter how insignificant it seems to you. Use working titles to refer to your research projects in essays and on applications. Try to get published before you apply. Submit your work to student journals in your field of study, get listed on a professor's article, or submit to a major journal. It is not necessary to be published, but it can sometimes help.

Deadlines

You must have all of the required elements in by the deadline date. The sooner you turn in your application packet, however, the greater your advantage. Fifty percent of all applications will be sent in the last month. One way to be ahead of the crowd is to move all of the deadlines up by a month for yourself. For schools with rolling admissions, you will be enhancing your chances for success by responding early.

Graduate School Action Plan

Fall or Spring: Eighteen to Twenty-Four Months Prior to Beginning
a Graduate Program

• Research areas of interest, institutions, and programs.
• Talk to advisors about application requirements.
• Register and prepare for appropriate graduate admissions tests.
• Investigate national scholarships.
• Begin planning your references.

Summer: Fifteen Months Prior to Beginning a Graduate Program

• Take required graduate admissions tests.
• Write for application materials.
• If possible, visit schools of interest.
• Write your application essay.
• Check on application deadlines.
• For medical, dental, osteopathy, podiatry, or law school, you may need to register with the national application or data assembly service most programs use.

Fall: Twelve Months Prior to Beginning a Graduate Program

• Obtain letters of recommendation.
• Take graduate tests if you have not done so.
• Send in completed applications.
• Register for financial aid.

Spring: Six to Nine Months Prior to Beginning a Graduate Program

• Check with all institutions before the deadline to make sure that your file is complete.
• Visit institutions that accept you.
• Send a deposit to your school of choice.
• Notify other institutions that accepted you of your decision as soon as possible to allow for others to be offered admission.
• Send thank-you notes to all references and others that may have assisted in your process.

Links

Gradschools.com
Peterson's Educational Center
Princeton Review
GMAT
Kaplan
Association of American Medical Colleges
Graduate Record Exam (GRE)
MBA.com
American Bar Association Career Counsel
American Bar Association Career Fields within Law