Preparing for Graduate School

Transcription

1 Preparing for Graduate School Career Development Joe Protopapa, Executive Director Robin Kazmarek, Director John Sheehy, Career Development Coordinator Flagler Hall, Room 102 Satellite Office: Lynn Business Center, Room

2 Is Graduate School Right for You? Will a degree help you to advance in your career or is it required to enter your profession? Are you dedicated to the number of years and energy it will take to complete a degree? Do you LOVE the field you want to go into? Are you going because you don t know what kind of job to look for? Do you have financial resources to cover graduate school? Are you burned out academically? Will getting an internship or working for a year or two help you get into schools you would like to attend? Do you have the qualities and skills that are needed to be successful in graduate school?

3 Exploring Careers & Programs FOCUS online self-assessment - Research Occupations Occupational Outlook Handbook What Can I do with a major in? Professional Associations Networking with Alumni

4 Making Choices Reputation Competition Geographic Location Recommender s Recommendations Number of Students Urban/Rural Campus Adapted from Dave Burrell s Getting In: An Applicant s Guide to Graduate School Admissions

5 Making Choices Research Interests Academic Resources Curriculum Choices Social Life Job Placement Rate of Attrition

6 Making Choices Graduate/Undergraduate Status Accreditations Well-Known Faculty For Master s Students do they offer Ph.D. too? For Doctoral Candidates Average length of time Previous dissertation topics Funding

7 More Choices Age of Professors Possibility of Funding Big Fish / Little Pond? Language Requirements Costs or Workload? Special Concerns?

8 Resources for Researching Schools The Dupont Ball Library offers excellent Grad School resrouces

9 More search resources Gourman Report

10 FACULTY are your best resource Stetson Faculty Faculty at Grad Schools Department websites Dissertation Abstracts (ask a librarian)

11 TIMELINE

12 Applying The Big 3 GSR Grades - how do you get a SEALED transcript? Scores References

13 Making Friends with Faculty Take the time to get to know faculty outside of class and, more importantly, give them an opportunity to know you. The best letters of recommendation will be from those persons who know you well, and who can write a letter that speaks specifically to your strengths and weaknesses. Dr. Karen Kaivola, Associate Dean of Arts & Sciences, Stetson English Department

14 Application Forms Where to find them? Be complete and careful

15 Tests GRE LSAT GMATwww.mba.com MCAT Millers Analogies

16 Tests Stetson's Counseling Center is a testing site for LSAT, GRE, and MCAT Stetson Office of Continuing Education offers resources for test preparation

17 Tests The Dupont Ball Library also offers test prep resources including free practice exam. Go to the Library's database page In the alphabetical list of databases (right side of page), scroll down to, then click on Testing & Education Reference Click on Graduate Search, then Get Ready to Score High! The following graduate-level exams are included: GRE, GMAT, LSAT, MCAT, and Miller Analogies (MAT)

18 Personal Statement Don t discount the importance of the personal statement or how hard it will be to write one that stands out from the crowd. Writing a good one will take multiple revisions and critical readers: your task is to write something that only you could write, given your particular combination of interests and strengths, and in language that shows something of how your mind works. Dr. Karen Kaivola, Associate Dean of Arts & Sciences, Stetson English Department

19 References Ask Early, tell them about your interests Provide samples of your work, transcript, and resume Fill out your part of the form Provide a stamped envelope Keep them updated

20 Other Requirements Resume Cover Letter Portfolio especially for fine arts students Auditions Interviews Explanation Letter for poor performance, if needed

21 Financial Aid Fellowship or Assistantship - Google Loans & Grants Tuition Reimbursement In-State vs Out of State Don t forget insurance

22 Register for College Central To learn about upcoming events, job postings, internships postings, and more go to: