CORC Graduate School Guide

Set up an appointment with a CORC counselor to discuss graduate or professional school as a post-baccalaureate option.

People go to graduate school for many reasons:


 * You love a certain field of study and want to continue learning more about it.
 * You need an advanced degree to work in the career that interests you, e.g. college teaching, research, medicine, law, social work.
 * Your parents/teachers expect you to go.
 * You think you will need a graduate degree to get a decent-paying job.
 * All your friends are going.

Give careful thought to what your reasons are. Are you being honest with yourself? How committed are you? Do you really need a graduate degree to do what you want to do? It is an important decision.

Consult

 * Faculty who are familiar with your academic interests and skills and may have contacts at places you're interested in.
 * Professional journals to see where noted professionals in your field teach.
 * Hampshire Alums who may have attended schools that interest you. (See the Alumni Connection resource at CORC.)
 * Graduate School infomation sessions at Hampshire and the other Five Colleges. View the CORC Calendar or the Five College Calendar to check upcoming dates.
 * The University of Massachusetts Graduate School Fair which includes 100+ graduate schools and is held each year in October.

Consider

 * Do you want to work towards a Master's degree or a Ph.D.?
 * Do you have the prerequisites for the programs that interest you or time to get them before you apply?
 * The school's reputation, size, location, cost, availability of financial aid,how competitive it is.
 * How you can visit the schools that interest you to get a sense of the environment, and talk to students and teachers.

Links to Information About Schools and Programs

 * http://www.gradschools.com is a site which is composed of post-baccalaureate educational information, including a unique directory with comprehensive program listings categorized by curriculum and subdivided by geography. Users select their desired curriculum and receive pages of thorough information through their browser software. The web site's directory contains free listings of programs and links paid for by the schools offering programs. Free listings contain basic descriptions and contact information of the offering. Paying advertisers, however, receive a more in-depth description and a link directly to their site so students may further explore the program.
 * http://www.peterson's.com/GradChannel reaches an estimated 105 million consumers annually with information about colleges and universities, career schools, graduate programs, distance learning, executive training, private secondary schools, summer opportunities, study abroad, financial aid, test preparation, and career exploration.
 * http://www.gradview.com allows you to search for a graduate program by:


 * 1) Areas of Study
 * 2) Public/Private
 * 3) Location
 * 4) Special Services
 * 5) Student Body Size
 * 6) Degree Type
 * 7) City Size

The site includes virtual tours of top graduate schools in the US and Canada, graduate school financial aid information and financial aid resources, information and articles on careers and career planning as they relate to graduate school (from articles on how to determine what career is right for you to tips on writing a resume that gets you in for an interview, how to write a cover letter that gets the reader's attention, how to shine in a job interview, and how to keep a job and advance your career); articles and information on graduate school admissions tests and electronic graduate school admissions testing, and a library of articles that can help you get the most out of graduate school and its rewards in your career and life.

The Application Process

 * Apply to several schools unless there's only one you'd consider attending. Include a back up school.
 * Begin the application process early, generally at least a year before you plan to enter. The best general advice is: submit your applications as early as you can.
 * Request transcripts from Hampshire Central Records, and any other colleges you have attended, as early as possible. There may be a waiting period of two to four weeks.
 * Make your requests for recommendation letters at least a month before the deadline. Ask professors, who know you and your work well, and job or internship supervisors, particularly if the work relates to your intended field of study.
 * Write your personal statement.
 * Proofread and photocopy everything you send to graduate schools.
 * Applications
 * Testing
 * Financial Aid

The Graduate Record Examination
The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is an admissions requirement for most schools. How important is the GRE score in determining admission? For most schools, it is an important consideration weighed equally with the other parts of your application. For some schools, it is a cut-off mechanism. Some schools are more interested in the verbal and writing scores than the math, or vice versa. And sometimes, if a graduate department really wants you, they will advocate for your admission even if you do not do well on the GRE. To learn more about the GRE or to register for the test, you must visit the official GRE website

THE GENERAL TEST
The General Test is offered as a computer-based test in the U.S., Canada, and many other countries. The test measures skills that have been developed over a long period of time and are not necessarily related to any particular field of study. There are three components:


 * Verbal Section: 30 questions - 30 minutes

This sections tests your ability to analyze and evaluate written material and synthesize information obtained from it, analyze relationships among component parts of sentences, and recognize relationships between words and concepts.


 * Quantitative Section: 28 questions - 45 minutes

This sections tests your basic mathematical skills and your understanding of elementary mathematical concepts, as well as your ability to reason and solve problems in a quantitative setting. The content areas covered are usually studied in high school.


 * Analytical Writing Section: 2 Writing Tasks - 75 minutes

This section assesses your ability to articulate and support complex ideas, analyze an argument, and sustain a focused and coherent discussion. It does not assess specific content knowledge, and there is no single best way to respond.

SUBJECT TESTS
There are some graduate school programs that require Subject Tests in addition to the General Test. Subject Tests are offered in the following areas:


 * Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology
 * Biology
 * Chemistry
 * Computer Science
 * Literature in English
 * Mathematics
 * Physics
 * Psychology

How Do I Prepare for the GRE?
It is extremely important to prepare ahead to get a sense of the type of questions, the timing and rhythm needed, and to study in any areas where you are not strong. Do not walk in cold! Resources to help you prepare:


 * Test registration booklets. Available at CORC. Details about registering for and test questions, strategies for doing well.
 * Test preparation books with CD-ROM (and the free registration booklets) are available at the CORC library for a one-day check out.
 * PC users can download free test preparation materials from the GRE Web site at www.gre.org/pracmats.html
 * Test preparation courses, like Kaplan and Princeton Review, are not absolutely essential and may be expensive. But they may be worth it if you have not done well on standardized tests in the past, want help with test-taking strategies, or feel this kind of preparation will increase your confidence. Financial aid students can apply for a reduced fee.
 * Create your own study group.
 * Start a buddy system with someone you work well with who is committed to setting up regular study times and goals for each session.

Sources of Financial Aid

 * Apply for funding from the graduate school that accepts you. This internal funding may include a combination of fellowships, scholarships, grants, assistantships, work-study, and tuition waivers.
 * Research opportunities for outside grants that match your interests and strengths.
 * Take out loans to cover some of the costs from government and private sources. Remember that you will not need to repay your undergraduate loans while you are in graduate school.

Tips

 * It is more difficult to get funding for Master's programs than for Ph.D. programs.
 * Some Ph.D. programs will not fund 1st year students, but will support students after that year with a combination of teaching or research assistantships and fellowships.

Web references
http://www.estudentloan.com http://www.salliemae.com http://www.finaid.org http://www.ed.gov/offices/OPE/directloan http://www.nasfaa.org/DoItAffordIt/publicfront.html