Graduate School

Are you Thinking about Attending Graduate or Professional School?

So you’re thinking about grad school? Graduate school is a large investment of time and money, so be sure you reflect carefully on your reasons for attending. If you’re sure of the career you wish to pursue, and it requires an advanced degree, such as law, medicine, or university teaching, then graduate school is definitely for you. Or if you just love your area of study so much that you just would not forgive yourself if you didn’t delve into it deeper, then graduate school is for you.

For most college graduates, however, the decision to pursue a higher degree is not so clear-cut. Some choose to continue into graduate school as a means of putting off the job hunt because they are still unsure of their career interests. This type of student may find himself with a big challenge at the graduate level, where students are expected to have a clearly defined concept of their interests within the field and how they lead to an area of specialization. For some students, putting off graduate work for a few years may be a better choice. Gaining work experience can help define personal career interests and give students a first-hand view of what types of areas they need to specialize in to get ahead in their field. Work experience can also enhance a graduate school application. And if students research companies well, they may find that their company may even help with tuition once it comes time to go back to school.

• Need help choosing a Grad school

• Graduate school Tests

• How to's on writing effective personal statements and admissions essays

• Books to look for in the library or the bookstore

Need help choosing a Grad School?

Each of these sites allows you to search for a graduate schools, either by program or by school name, and many provide other helpful information, such as information on admissions processes, test preparation, or financial aid, as well as chat rooms to discuss questions or concerns with other students.

• Peterson’s Grad School finder   

• Graduate School Guide

• U.S. News and World Report Top Graduate Schools

• Gradschools.com

• Gradschools.com StudentProspector
  

Graduate School Tests

• GRE: Graduate Record Examination

• MCAT: Medical College Admissions Test

• GMAT: Graduate Management Admissions Test

• LSAT: Law School Admissions Test

• TOEFL: Test of English as a Foreign Language

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How to’s on writing effective personal statements and admissions essays

Need advice on what exactly to write about? And what NOT to include? See a couple samples?

• Quintessential Careers: Writing the Graduate School Application Essay

• Statement of Purpose

• Writing an effective Personal statement

• Writing the Personal Statement

• Admission Essays

• Free Sample Essays

• Still stuck on the first sentence? Here's a workbook to walk through the writing process

Books to look for in the library or the bookstore

• Graduate Admissions Essays, What Works, What Doesn’t and Why: by  Donald Asher

• How to write a winning Personal Statement for Graduate and Professional Schools: by Richard J. Stelzer

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