Considering an Advanced Degree

1
Considering an Advanced Degree?
2
Advanced Degrees

• Masters Degree
• Doctorate Degree
• Professional Education
• Medical School
• Law School
• Dental School
• Pharmacist School
• Veterinary School

3
Why should I pursue an Advanced Degree?

• Provides more knowledge and understanding of a
  chosen discipline
• Allows more choices in the job market
• Specialized training more personal
  marketability
• More opportunities for advancement in your job
  position
• Required by your profession of choice

4
Advanced Degree Benefits
Education Pays Average salary by education level
72,824

51,194
27,280

Advanced Degree
Bachelors Degree
High School
Source U.S. Census Bureau Current Population
Survey, Annual Social Economic Supplement, 2003
5
Advanced Degree Benefits
6
How Do I Choose?

• There are a total of 4,168 degree-granting
  institutions in the United States.
• Public 1,712
• Private 2,456
• Academic vs. Professional Orientation

Source U.S. Census Bureau
7
How Do I Choose?

• Academic degrees generally focus on original
  research
• Professional degrees generally stress the
  practical application of knowledge and skills for
  a particular profession

8
How Do I Choose?

• Discuss with faculty in your area of interest
• Research
• Internet
• Public Library
• Graduate School Directories
• Contact professors doing research in your area of
  interest
• Contact and visit schools of interest
• Contact current graduate students at your schools
  of interest
• Graduate Student Associations

9
How Do I Choose?

• Things to Consider
• Quality of the faculty and their research
• Special concentrations and courses related to
  your area of interest
• Graduate certificates, tracks, specializations
• Prestige of the institution
• Size of the institution
• Educational facilities
• Cost
• Placement opportunities
• Location
• Factors of personal interest

10
When Should I Start?

• It is never too early to begin preparing for
  graduate/professional school
• Begin the application process at least one year
  before you expect to begin your graduate study
• No later than the summer before your senior year
  of college

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Timeline

• Summer
• Write a draft of essay/personal
  statement/statement of purpose
• Start browsing through guides to graduate
  programs and college catalogs
• Prepare for standardized tests
• August September
• Meet with faculty that you know to discuss your
  personal statement and their advice about
  programs
• Ask for letters of recommendation
• Begin to develop your personal timeline for the
  application process
• Register for required standardized tests

12
Timeline

• October
• Take standardized tests
• Determine the schools to which you plan to apply,
  request application materials
• Finish personal timeline based on each
  institutions deadlines (application and
  financial support)
• Complete your personal statement, adjusting it to
  meet each applications specific needs
• Request transcripts
• November
• Complete application forms do a draft if
  possible
• Provide your recommenders with all the
  information that they will need to write
  recommendations for you for each of your
  application schools (resume, community service,
  etc.)

13
Timeline

• December/January
• Submit applications even if deadlines are
  later, it is good to get your applications in
  early
• February
• Contact programs about the possibility of
  visiting, visit if possible
• Establish a personal contact with the program
• April
• If you are applying for need based financial aid
  programs, you may have to file a copy of your
  federal income tax return

14
How Can You Create A Successful Application?

• Clearly describe your educational and
  professional goals
• Submit strong letters of recommendation
• Allow ample time for editing
• Meet all deadlines
• Including Financial Support deadlines
• Dont underestimate the power of the GRE/GMAT

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Are You Prepared for Graduate/Professional School?
Criteria for determining admittance generally
includes the students

• Overall academic record
• Grade point average in a specialty area
• Usually last 60 credit hours of undergraduate
  career
• Standard examination scores
• Recommendations
• Statement of purpose/essay
• Professional experience and/or
• Personal interviews

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Standardized Tests

• Graduate Record Examinations GRE
• www.gre.org
• Graduate Management Admission Test GMAT
• www.gmat.org
• Law School Admissions Test LSAT
• www.lsat.org
• Medical College Admissions Test MCAT
• www.aamc.org
• Dental Admissions Testing DAT
• www.ada.org
• Pharmacy College Admissions Test PCAT
• www.pcatweb.info

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Financial Support

• Fellowships
• Assistantships
• Teaching
• Research
• Loans
• Private Sources
• Tuition reimbursement from employers

18
How Can I Get Financial Support?

• Apply early! Many schools have a priority
  deadline for financial support opportunities
• Take standardized tests early
• Speak to your program of interest indicating your
  interest in financial support
• Review all requirements of funding you are
  interested in
• File the FAFSA early if you are interested in
  need based funding
• Search for funding outside of the educational
  institution

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Prestigious Fellowships

• Rhodes Scholars
• www.rhodesscholar.org
• Marshall Scholars
• www.marshallscholarship.org
• Truman Scholars
• www.truman.gov
• GEM (National Consortium for Graduate Degrees for
  Minorities in Engineering and Sciences, Inc.)
• http//was.nd.edu/gem/gemwebapp/gem_00_000.htm
• National Science Foundation (NSF)
• www.nsf.gov
• McKnight Doctoral Fellowship
• www.fl-educ-fd.org

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U.S. News Rankings

• Schools are first categorized by mission and, in
  some cases, by region
• Next, data is gathered from each college for up
  to 15 indicators of academic excellence
• Each factor is assigned a weight that reflects
  U.S. Newss judgment about how much a measure
  matters
• Finally, the colleges in each category are ranked
  against their peers, based on their composite
  weighted score

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U.S. News Rankings

• Indicators used to measure academic quality
• Peer Assessment (weighted by 25 percent)
• Retention (weighted by 20 percent in national
  universities and liberal arts colleges and 25
  percent in masters and comprehensive colleges)
• Faculty Resources (weighted by 20 percent)
• Student Selectivity (weighted by 15 percent)
• Financial Resources (weighted by 10 percent)
• Graduation Rate Performance (weighted by 5
  percent only in national universities and
  liberal arts colleges)
• Alumni Giving Rate (weighted by 5 percent)
• Visit www.usnews.com for more information

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What Should You Expect From Graduate Professors?

• Professors assume that you have been trained or
  are ready
• To read large quantities of material
• To take good lecture notes
• To lead discussions
• To write major papers
• For advanced lab or clinical experience

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Career Outlook

• Speak with faculty in the field
• Speak to professionals in the field
• Utilize online resources
• www.monster.com
• www.hotjobs.com
• Americas Career InfoNet
• www.acinet.org

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Additional Resources

• Graduate School Guide
• www.graduateguide.com
• Petersons Guide
• www.petersons.com
• GraduateSchools.com
• www.graduateschools.com
• FRESCH! Free Scholarship Search
• www.freschinfo.com/index.phtml
• FastWeb Free Scholarship Search
• www.fastweb.com