1. Assessment Process

Assess why you want to go to graduate and professional school.

All to often students matriculate in graduate and professional school for the wrong reasons. They are going to attend graduate and professional schools because of the perceived,"tight job market", because they have heard the familiar refrain "everybody knows that you can’t get anywhere without a graduate degree." Some students use graduate school as a maturation process and cite, "After a few more years of college I will have a clear idea of what I want to do." Some students simply like the world of academia and like to be in an academic environment for its own sake for intellectual stimulation.

Career Services can help you clarify your goals and select a course of study. Over the course of four years your academic interests and career aspirations may have changed. For alumni who have been out of school for a few years, you may want to continue in your existing career path or change careers.

After completing a baccalaureate degree, some students feel drained and a need to take some time off before starting a graduate or professional program. Students may wish to consider taking a few courses after graduation to maintain professional skill sets and defer applying/entering graduate school until they are committed to attending school.

Many employers have tuition reimbursement programs for courses deemed related to their career paths. Credit or non-credit continuing education courses preserve and maintain the academic study skills and help clarify career direction. Taking these courses also demonstrates to graduate schools that students have maintained academic preparedness.

For students with marginal grades as an undergraduate, doing well academically in post-baccalaureate coursework can enhance the probability of getting into the graduate and professional school of their choice. Taking graduate courses under non -degree status, and doing well academically is another way of proving to graduate and professional schools that you have the "right stuff" to succeed.

2. Commitment

Do a cost/benefit analysis.

The commitment of financial resources and "opportunity lost costs" in wages has to be measured against the higher salary that a graduate or professional school degree commands. The Career Services Office maintains salary surveys that will identify the starting salaries for most graduate and professional degrees.

For alumni, especially those in a scientific or technical field such as engineering, the choice is often pursuing a graduate or professional degree in their current field or getting a MBA to complement the technical undergraduate degree. Alums are often faced with this decision within 5 to 7 years after graduation because of the half-life of technical degrees is very short in some disciplines.

The personal commitment also requires analysis. The pressure of increased competition academically is greater at the graduate than undergraduate level. It is critical for students to consider these questions:

"Do you have the interest to stay motivated in an academic subject for the two to six years it takes to get the master’s or doctoral degree?" "Do you have the discipline to delay immediate gratification and work as long as it takes to get the job done?"

3. Relationship Building

Develop relationships with both internal and external constituents.

Internal

Cultivating faculty members for letters of recommendation takes tact and diplomacy. Give faculty members plenty of advance notice when you are asking them to submit a letter of recommendation. In a poignant manner, ask them sincerely if they can write a strong letter of recommendation. If you get a lukewarm response ask another faculty member.

It is always a good practice to give your references a copy of your resume, and unofficial transcript with the courses that you have taken from them highlighted in yellow. With the small classes at Saint Vincent College this may not seem necessary, but given the multiple responsibilities that faculty have this is a common courtesy. In addition, giving your professor a copy of a writing sample, letter of application, or senior thesis may be helpful in writing the letter of recommendation.

Furthermore, because of the busy schedule that faculty maintain, students may want to ask them in a courteous manner for the current status of their letter of recommendation. Finally, students should provide faculty with the stamps and envelopes and a nice thank you letter.

As we advise students in the job search process, it is imperative that you develop a good relationship with all parties involved with the graduate and professional school application process. It would be advisable to respectful and patient with everyone you may come in contact with from the secretary, graduate assistant, work-study student, dean of admissions and department chair. The influence of employees not directly involved in the admissions decision can never be discounted. For instance, be sure to thank those staff members who may have responded to your inquiries about financial aid, or graduate assistance ships or housing matters.

The organizational structure of the institution that you are applying to often dictates your admissions’ strategy. Some institutions are centralized, and have one main graduate and professional school admissions office for all programs. Other institutions are decentralized, and have separate admissions’ offices for each graduate and professional degree program.

In institutions with a centralized office the level of authority vested in their decision making capabilities varies. For instance they could be entrusted with screening applications using traditional search criteria such as GPA, test scores, class rank, and perhaps letters of application. Then they would deliver this information to the deans of the various graduate and professional schools for the authoritative decision making process.

Law schools, medical schools, and most MBA programs, have a dedicated admissions department. However, even in this arrangement the power delegated to the admissions representative varies. Thus, it takes some research to determine who has the ultimate decision making authority based upon the politics of the individual institution. Thus, treating everyone with the courtesy and respect is essential.

In some graduate and professional schools, the role of the faculty cannot be overlooked.

A good strategy for marginal students is developing a rapport with a prominent faculty member through written correspondence, phone contact, and appropriate personal contact. This is especially good practice if your academic interests match that of the professor.

Thus, in her correspondence to the professor, she cited that she read all of the professor's books, professional journal articles, and transcripts of his presentations at medical conferences. In addition, she mentioned that she also shared an academic interest in the role alternative medicine can play in traditional allopathic medicine. In her subsequent correspondence she sent the professor a copy of her senior thesis with the annotated bibliography attesting to her interest in the holistic health professor’s research.

As a result, the student received a call from the professor and they established a bond over interest in a common subject area. She developed a powerful ally; the professor intervened with the dean of admissions on her behalf and she gained entry into one of her "reach" schools. In addition, the professor ended up being her academic advisor.

4. Test Preparation

Websites

The following sites provide information for both on-line and classroom test preparation courses for standardized tests. They also have a number of good links related to the graduate and professional school application process.

http://www.kaptest.com

http://www.princetonreview.com/grad/default.asp

Test Preparation Courses

In the past, Career Services has partnered with Kaplan to provide on site test preparation courses. We usually need a minimum of a dozen students in order for a course to be offered on campus. We are willing to work with student clubs, organizations, and faculty to set up a test session to recruit the critical mass of students to have a class at Saint Vincent College.

Career Services arranges practice exams twice a year on Saturdays, which are administered by Kaplan. The practice exams cover the GRE, MCAT, LSAT, and GMAT. Students receive a critique of their test results approximately two weeks after testing.

5. General Advice

Identify 9-12 graduate programs based upon entrance requirements (QPA, test scores, class rank);1/3 -first tier (national or reach schools), 1/3 - second tier (strong or mid range regional schools), 1/3 -third tier (local or safe schools).

6. General Graduate School Web Sites

www.petersons.com/graduate

www.gradschools.com

www.jobweb.com/Resources/Library/Grad_School/default

www.gradprofiles.com/

This website features in-depth graduate and professional school profiles with information about programs of study, degree requirements, facilities, expenses, financial aid, faculty research and much more.

7. The Application Process Timeline

It is a good idea to start the application process a minimum of one year and a half prior to matriculating in a program. This will permit you to complete your application on time. Application deadlines often range with early decision programs to a year prior to matriculation. Most deadlines for entry in the fall semester range between December and March. Some institutions have rolling admissions and will accept students in the Spring semester. Saint Vincent College Career Services Office encourages you to apply early because admissions departments act upon early submissions when building a class roster.

8. Financial Aid Resources:

Grant and Research Opportunities:

www.neh.fed.us (National Endowment for the Humanities)

www.nsf.gov/home/grants.htm (National Science Foundation)

www.finaid.com

www.fastweb.com/

www.yahoo.com/education/financial_aid

www.kaploan.com/

9. Grad School Application Essay

What is a Statement of Purpose (SOP)?

• Understand what universities expect when they ask for a statement of purpose
• Use guidelines to write your own unique, winning statements of purpose and similar essays

www.statementofpurpose.com/

www.petersons.com/gradchannel/articles/personal_statement.asp

www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/grad/grhome.htm

www.allpsychologyschools.com

www.psychgrad.org/

10. Graduate and Professional School Resources

The Career Resources Center has a wide variety of information pertaining to graduate and professional schools for students. We carry the full line of Peterson's Guides and other specialized educational guides. Testing and preparation information on the GRE, LSAT, DAT, VAT, MCAT, Praxis and other tests may be obtained in the Career Services Office.

11. Interviews

With some institutions, an interview is part of the admissions process. With medical schools be prepared for individual interviews or with a group interview comprised of admissions staff, faculty, graduate assistants, and medical students. Some institutions require interviews for those students on the wait list, or those students who have taken the Test For English as a Second Language to insure a certain level of comfort with the English language.