Did you know that 39% of Emory & Henry College recent graduates went directly into graduate school?
Are you thinking about graduate school?
If so, take some time to explore your options, get organized, and make a game plan for applying. A good way to get started is to ask yourself the following questions:
If your answer is, “I’m going to go to graduate school because I don’t know what to do with my life after I graduate from undergrad,” then consider taking a moment to reevaluate.
Graduate school is not the place for career exploration, it is the next step in your academic career and is a means to an end. In other words, there are some careers that will require a graduate degree, so know which careers you are interested in and if they require education beyond a bachelors degree.
Grad School Pro Tip: Start at the goal and work backwards by finding at least 10 job descriptions that you hope to pursue. Do the majority of the roles require or prefer candidates with Master and/or PhD credentials? If so, graduate school is likely your best next career move.
There are quite a few web sites out there designed to provide links to graduate schools/programs by academic area. We will list two sites below that we have found helpful:
GradSchools.com The #1 graduate school directory in the nation. (GradSchools.com)
Peterson’s.com Peterson’s comprehensive online college search guide helps students discover their best fit educational program. We’ve got them all—and we’ll help you sort through your options and provide advice on the often confusing college application process. (Petersons.com)
Many graduate schools require applicants to complete a graduate exam, which can be a GRE, GMAT, LSAT, or MCAT just to name a few. The exam you register for and take is dependent upon the program you apply to. For complete details on each test, visit their respective sites:
For graduate school admissions purposes, the personal statement lets the school know how you got to the point of applying to their specific school and program.
Personal statements should not be your resume in narrative format, but rather, a well written essay that explains to the reader your passion, skills, experience, and goals as it relates to this next step in your career.
Sometimes you will simply be asked to complete a general personal statement, and other times, you will be given prompts or questions to address in the personal statement.
In a nutshell, a resume is more of a snapshot document, which means it is simply going to express the basics of your experience and education as it relates to a particular job or opportunity. A CV is a more in-depth academic document and will be longer and will go into more detail not only about your experience and education but about all of your academic pursuits and interests.
If you are planning to begin graduate school immediately following the completion of your undergraduate program, then the optimal time to get started is your junior year. This would be the time to begin to narrow down your graduate school choices to handful and begin research on each school and program requirements, including application deadlines.
Some schools have rolling admission dates, which means they will accept applications for admission up until the start of classes, but other schools have very strict, and in some cases, very early application deadlines.