Graduate school: A necessary step for your future success

Black Collegian, Oct 1999 by Rovaris, Dereck J Sr, Edwards, Brandon D

Start by asking faculty members to recommend institutions. (Be careful; they almost always will think their alma mater is the best choice for you. This may, or may not be the case.) Check to see who are the leading experts in your chosen field. Find out what schools they attended and where they are currently working. Either school would be good to have on your list. Check to see where recent graduates from your academic department have gone to graduate school. If they have had positive experiences, that institution might also be good for you.

After creating your list of choices you should contact each school. Wherever possible you should make a personal visit to the campus. Campus visits can sometimes make all the difference. In any case, you should request application materials and any other information that will help you with the admissions process. Ultimately, you want to be able to select the university that will give you your best opportunity for success.

2. Register, practice, and then take the GRE - The Graduate Records Examination. The GRE is the entrance exam most often required for graduate admission. It has assumed a greater role of importance in the admissions process than was ever intended. The GRE has assumed this role of importance primarily because most applicants will have good GPA!s, decent statements of purpose, and glowing letters of recommendation. What usually distinguishes one applicant from another is the score received on this nationally normed and standardized test. Therefore make performing well on this test of major importance. Make sure you practice using a review course or study manual. Make sure you register early (since the test is computerized you may register at your convenience at a test site near you). Make sure that you schedule your exam at least nine months, but preferably a year and a half before you start graduate school. Finally, make sure you do well on the test.

Few schools will post cutoff scores, but there seems to be some "magic" in obtaining a combined GRE score of 1,000-1,100 or better. This combined score is obtained by adding the quantitative score to the verbal reasoning score. Many schools will not only expect a minimum total score, but will have minimum scores established for these individual sections of the test. Finally, many departments will require a minimum score on a Subject Test. The Subject Tests (covering material unique to your graduate discipline) are administered separately and require preparation and practice much the same as the general test. Study material for the Subject Tests can be obtained directly from ETS.

3. Ask faculty members for letters of recommendations - Often applicants will try to impress admission committees with letters from a local politician, a high ranking university official, or even their pastor. While these people may be able to say nice things about the applicant, the admissions committee is more interested in what are the academic abilities of the applicant. This usually requires the evaluator to be someone who has taught the applicant and who can speak favorably about the applicant's ability to perform graduate level work. Faculty members from whom you have earned at least two grades of "B" or higher (preferably two or more "A"s) are ideal candidates to write strong letters of recommendation for you.