Tell me more about graduate school

Black Collegian, Oct 2001 by Rovaris, Dereck J

GRADUATE STUDY GUIDE

Why go to graduate school?

Graduate school training has become an entry-level requirement for many of the more desirable professional positions. With the dramatic shortage of African Americans with advanced degrees, the need for African-American master's degree recipients and Ph.D.'s to provide research and instruction in all academic areas is at the critical stage.

Recent doctoral recipients have commented that obtaining a Ph.D. allows for tremendous flexibility and increased opportunities in anyone's professional career path. Graduate school can open many doors and can provide meaningful opportunities. It also can help identify doors that prior to the journey were never imagined.

What does graduate school entail?

Graduate study typically refers to programs that award a master's degree and/or a doctorate. Master's degrees usually involve one to two years of coursework, a comprehensive examination over that coursework, and in some cases, a thesis. Doctoral programs can require anywhere from two to four years of coursework, comprehensive exams, and a dissertation. The comprehensive exams are much like senior comps and require a great deal of preparation. Typically a three hour written exam based upon your major coursework, comprehensives also may have an oral component covering your proposed research. The thesis or dissertation is your original research written with the guidance of a group of faculty known as your committee. Many people worry about the ability to produce a thesis, but with your committee's support and your academic training, you will find that like coursework and comprehensives, writing a dissertation also can be accomplished.

How Do I Apply?

Once you have decided to pursue a graduate degree and have figured out which specific field you will study the steps in the application process are as follows:

1. Create a list of potential schools - Consult a guidebook such as Peterson's Guides to create your list of schools. You should first consider factors like quality of the program, strength of the university, reputation of faculty in your area, availability of funding, institutional support, and commitment to minority students. Other factors that may play a part include geographic region, size of enrollment, racial make-up of student body, community in which the school is located, and campus facilities and activities. After weighing these factors, you should compile a list of 10 or more institutions.

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 where leading experts in your discipline work and where they completed graduate school. Look at rankings of graduate programs. 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 (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 GPAs, 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. 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. Doing well will usually mean a score of 1,000-1,100 or better.

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.