Is Graduate School for you?2014 Senior week

Margaret Diddams Ph.D.Director, Center for Scholarship and

Faculty Development

Our Time Together1. Why grad school?2. Types of Grad School3. When to apply?4. How to prepare?5. Where?6. Basics of the application7. Preparing for the GRE /GMAT 8. Obtaining recommendations9. Writing your personal statements. 10. Financial Considerations

Why Are you interested in Grad School?

Types of Graduate Schools• Professional / Practitioner training– Specific skills and knowledge– Healthcare, Engineering, Management,

Education, the Arts– Mostly Masters but some doctorate degrees:

• MFA, MBA, MA, MS, MSN, MAT, MSW, Mdiv, JD, EdD, Ddiv, PsyD.

• Terminal masters

• Research/academic training– MFA, Ph.D.

• Enroute masters

Professional training

• Often one or two year programs– Geared for working adults.– 15 – 30 / 100 students accepted

each year– Certifications

• Often evening classes• Not a lot of scholarships

available.– Universities will work with you if

you need loans.

Academic Training• Doctorate training• Commonly provide full

scholarship and stipend– Usually very competitive

• Selective– Assigned to an advisor

• Classes but much more time spent in advisor’s lab or with advisor.– Much like British tutorial system.

• May feel like indentured servitude.

Where?• Talk with your advisor• What does she or he think?• Research Schools in the discipline that you are interested in.

– Gradschools.com.• Look at the Professional organization of the industry that you are interested

in– http://www.schoolcounselor.org/school-counselors-members/careers-roles – http://www.siop.org/studentdefault.aspx

• Undergraduate reputation does not necessarily reflect on the graduate program that you are interested in.– University of Nebraska to study leadership.

• Can they help you with job placement? Where are their graduates?• May not need to visit ahead of time or you you may be invited to interview.

On-line programs• Why not???• Check accreditation body

– NWCCU• On-line or blended / some

residency requirement.• Like any other program –

check graduate outcomes.– Placement and salary after

completion.

SPU for grad school??• Stay in Seattle!• Over 30 programs!– http://www.spu.edu/prospects/grad/ – Very different from UG programs

Who to talk to find out more about the program?• Professional programs:

Usually have someone to tell you about program.

• PhD: Not such a great idea for you to cold call or e-mail out of the blue professors– Your advisor may know

someone at the school.

When to apply?• Professional training

– Schools may wish to see work experience to have some sense of what you are getting yourself into.• Work – related Internships• Work in industry that you are interested in pursuing• Not uncommon to delay applying for a couple of years until after graduation.• Volunteer!!!

• Academic training– Schools may wish to see that you have research / scholarship experience.

• Work with your advisor• Summer internship incorporating research or some sort of data based project• Opportunity to present or publish scholarship with faculty member or as first

author yourself.

When to apply

• Masters – rolling admissions or in the Feb / spring.

• Some have cohort model

• PhD. – Check with program – Usually Jan or Feb date.

Obtaining Recommendations• Strong recommendations come from faculty or

other professionals with whom you have worked.

• Stay away from only asking professors who only know you from a class that you took.

• Give them plenty of time.• Full and associate professors have more clout

than newer assistant professors.• Give them your vitae, transcript and a summary

of your career goals.• Remind them as the due date draws near.

Writing Personal Statements• Make your essay stand out! Tell a vivid

narrative.• Why this field is a good fit for your goals.

– How you came to that conclusion.– What experience you have that is aligned with

what you want out of the program.– Be very experience / behaviorally oriented.

• For PhD’s -- Who you think you would want to work with.

• What do you want to do after you graduate?• Stay away from telling schools that the

reputation of the program will benefit immensely if they take you.

Financial Considerations

• MA Graduate programs are less likely to offer financial aid or have opportunities for TA / Teaching.

• Mostly designed so you can work and go to school.

• Know starting salaries / how much debt can you take on given starting salaries.

Financial Considerations– Career information and starting salaries– School counselor

• O’Net Online– http://www.onetonline.org/

• Career onestop– http://www.careeronestop.org/ – Job openings in the state -- 200– School Counselor Seattle area – lowest 10%– $19.70 or $41,000

– Debt repayment is no more than 10% to 15% of your income.• Borrow between $ 14,743.54 to $ 22,115.30 per year • http://www.finaid.org/calculators/mastersadvisor.phtm

Can you make it through Graduate School?

• Probably!• Study habits you have now will be put to the test.• How are you with humiliating feedback?• What other commitments will you have?• Who is your support group?– What are expectations of others?

• Probably headed for divorce • Probably heavily in debt• Parents have doubts

Final Thoughts• Know where you want to end up• Plan ahead. – Allow yourself plenty of time to put together stellar

applications that have been vetted by you and others.• Seek help.– Ask questions and get feedback

• Follow up. – Make sure that you submit materials on time and follow

up with others to ensure that everything has been submitted.