Thinking of going to graduate school? Check out these tips you can use to see if your ready for your program of interest.
1. Find your passion.
This may sound a bit cheesy and overused but working in a particular field that you have no interest in, that does not motivate you or challenge you in any way, will get very boring very quickly. If you are considering getting your masters, make sure it’s in a field of study that you have a serious passion for and that you’d be willing to work in for the next 30+ years.
2. Find a specialty within that field where you’d best be able to apply your particular passions and interests.
Check out what the demand is for that kind of career in the job market. Will attaining a master’s degree in that field of study make you a more competitive applicant or are you going to be labeled as “over-qualified”?
3. Attend conferences and/or forums where professionals in your field of interest will be holding panels and workshops that you can benefit from and get your questions answered.
These can be great networking opportunities and a chance to put your name out to recruiters and admissions staff from schools who may be there representing the programs. Also, you’ll be able to scope out your competition and see where you rank among the fanatics and the merely curious. Not sure how to find out about any conferences/forums for your field, speak to your professors or advisors; they more than likely have been to a few themselves and can let you know of any upcoming events.
4. Talk to other people who are going through the same process as you are and compare notes.
Whether they share a few of your major classes or are part of the same club you joined, brainstorming about which graduate program to enter and how to get in will keep this lengthy process fresh in your mind and help you stay on the right path.
5. Be sure to get involved both on-campus with clubs and organizations geared toward your area of interest, as well as off-campus in a variety of activities that don’t necessarily have to relate to your field of interest.
Many graduate schools are looking for applicants that are well rounded in their education as well as demonstrating long term volunteer service to their local community. Find a community service or mentor-mentee program that you can dedicate a few hours to each week(or every two weeks depending on your schedule) and stay with the program consistently throughout your undergraduate career.
6. Keep up with your grades.
This should be obvious but it can get difficult when you become more involved with extracurriculars or even take up a part-time job… this is where time-management and reorganizing your priorities comes into play. You may have to turn down a few party invites and put off that Game of Thrones marathon until after finals, but considering those who actually get accepted into graduate school did so by maintaining a higher than average GPA, it would be to your benefit to put studying for your classes at the top of your list.
7. Make a chart of your top 12 schools of interest.
Make a chart of your top 12 schools of interest with a breakdown of key points such as location, program length, tuition, experience requirement, minimum GPA, letters of recommendation, pre-reqs, tests needed to enter program such as GRE or MCAT, and special information per school that you may need to make note of. Use this to help narrow down your top choices as well as to keep track of application deadlines, when to submit paperwork either through snail-mail or electronically, and dates when they call applicants in for interviews.
8. Do your research! This last point cannot be stressed enough.
There are hundreds of graduate programs out there and each one is an entirely unique experience. Some programs are tailored to a very specific set of skills that leads to a narrower range of jobs, while others are broad and allow you to work in a variety of positions potentially across different disciplines. Find what’s right for you and then find out everything you can about that program and the kind of career it leads to. Be as informed as possible because at the end of the day, its two years of your life you will have to dedicate to intensive study and becoming a professional in your field.