1. Graduate School Is it for you?

2. Reasons to attend Good Reasons –Graduate school is necessary to pursue your particular career. –Specialization in a particular field, to do research, or to broaden expertise in a certain area. –To get a better job Questionable Reasons –No job openings in your field due to overcrowding. –You aren’t ready for the real world and don’t know what else to do. –Expectations of others

3. Questions to ask yourself about attending Graduate School What do I want to accomplish in my lifetime? What are my long-range and short-range career goals? Is graduate school necessary for me to achieve these goals? Am I mentally and physically prepared to undertake such a long-term academic commitment.

4. Do I have other needs that conflict with pursuing a graduate degree. Do I have enough information about this career field to determine if I want to make a long term commitment to pursuing a graduate degree?

5. Things to think about in determining the right school for you Location Length of program Accreditation of Program Application requirements Adequacy of facilities Financial aid opportunities Cost Practicum or internship requirement

6. Graduate School Information –Find programs by subjects –Find programs by school

7. GRE The GRE measures a students ability to handle graduate school course work. Scores from the GRE are used by Graduate schools to gauge your ability and to compare you with other students. The GRE is divided into three parts: –Verbal –Writing Assessment –Quantitative

8. GRE Info

9. Junior Class Standing Timeline Junior Year, Fall and Spring ______ Research areas of interest, institutions, and programs. ______ Talk to your advisor and professors about interests and application requirements. ______ Register and prepare for appropriate graduate admission tests. Junior Year, Summer (Study/prepare for graduate admissions tests) ______ Take required graduate admission tests. ______ Write for application materials. ______ Visit institutions of interest, if possible. ______ Write your application essay. ______ Check on application deadlines and rolling admissions policies. ______ For medical, dental, osteopathy, podiatry, or law school, you may need to register for the national application or data assembly service most programs use.

10. Junior Year, Summer (Study/prepare for graduate admissions tests) ______ Take required graduate admission tests. ______ Write for application materials. ______ Visit institutions of interest, if possible. ______ Write your application essay. ______ Check on application deadlines and rolling admissions policies. ______ For medical, dental, osteopathy, podiatry, or law school, you may need to register for the national application or data assembly service most programs use.

11. Senior Fall Timeline Senior Year, Fall ______ Obtain letters of recommendation. ______ Take graduate admission tests if you haven't already. ______ Send in completed applications. ______ Register for financial aid. ______ Mail transcripts and letters of recommendations. ______ Make plans to visit select institutions during winter break.

12. Senior Year Spring __ Check with institutions before the deadline to make sure your file is complete. ______ Visit Institutions that accept you. ______ Send a deposit to your institution of choice. letters, informing them of your success. ______ Notify other colleges of your decision so they may admit others. ______ Send thank-you notes to people who wrote recommendation

13. Finances Tuition scholarships Waivers Assistantships –TAs are part-time employees of the university; they get a monthly salary and some times reduction in tuition as well. TAs teach classes or lab sections.

14. Research Assistantships –Help professors do their research, in laboratories, in libraries, in offices or in the field. They to get a monthly salary and some times a reduction in tuition. Outside support –Fellowships offered by federal agencies and foundations. Loans

15. Admission/Application Admissions Requirements 1.A baccalaureate degree 2. A minimum grade point average (3.0 or better). Your GPA in your major rather than your cumulative GPA may be used to meet this criterion. 3. Some preparation in the proposed field of study. 4. Other experience relevant to the proposed field. Application Process Typically to be considered for admission: 1. A competed application (See hints below) 2. An official transcript from the Registrar's Office 3. A personal essay/statement 4. The required tests such as the GRE, GMAT, MCAT etc. 5. The application fee (usually around $50.00) essayrequired tests

16. Salisbury University Graduate School Programs Master of Arts in English (MA) Master of Arts in History (MA) Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) Master of Business Administration (MBA) Master of Education (M.Ed.) Master of Education in Public School Administration (M.Ed.) Master of Science in Applied Health Physiology (MS) Master of Science in Nursing (MS) Master of Social Work (MSW) Master of Arts in English (MA) Master of Arts in History (MA) Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) Master of Business Administration (MBA) Master of Education (M.Ed.) Master of Education in Public School Administration (M.Ed.) Master of Science in Applied Health Physiology (MS) Master of Science in Nursing (MS) Master of Social Work (MSW)

17. Resources Graduate School In Your Plans?" Job Choices: 2001, p. 91. http://www.salisbury.edu/careerservices/st udents/GraduateStudies/Default.htmhttp://www.salisbury.edu/careerservices/st udents/GraduateStudies/Default.htm http://www.gre.org http://www.gradschools.com