Thinking About Going to Graduate School?

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Thinking About Going to Graduate School?

• Things you ought to know, but might not have
  thought to ask

Xiao Qin, Ph.D. Assistant Professor Department
of Computer Science Software Engineering Auburn
University, AL, USA
[phone] xqin_at_auburn.edu
3101 Shelby Engineering Technology Center Auburn
University, AL 36849-5347 http//www.eng.auburn.e
du/xqin

• Adapted from Graduate Admissions Essays by Donald
  Asher (Ten Speed Press)

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Where is Auburn University?
Ph.D.04, U. of Nebraska-Lincoln
04-07, New Mexico Tech
07-09, Auburn University
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Thinking About Going To Graduate School?

• Is Graduate School right for you?
• Choosing a program.
• Applying and getting in.
• Resources.

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Is Grad School Right For You?

• Should I or shouldnt I?
• Questions You Need To Answer.
• The Economic Factor.

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Should I Go?

• Reasons to Go
• You have a passionate interest in a topic or an
  unusual combination of topics.
• You enjoy research and/or creative activity.
• You seek a richer and more satisfying life.
• You have an interest that requires a graduate
  degree.
• You want to ensure continued career advancement.
• You want to earn more money.

• Reasons NOT to Go
• Youre going to grad school to please someone
  else.
• Youre clueless about what you want to study or
  what you want to do once youve earned an
  advanced degree.
• Youre secretly trying to avoid finding a real
  job.
• You only want to earn more money.

• Adapted from Graduate Admissions Essays by Donald
  Asher (Ten Speed Press)

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Average Annual Earnings by Workers 25-64 year
olds by Educational Attainment 1997-1999
Cited in CGS Communicator based on US Census
Bureau Data 1998-2000
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Preparation- Getting Started

• 1. Decide what discipline and sub-area(s)
  interest you.
• Discuss career options/interests with advisors
  and professors.
• Go online- research career opportunities and job
  market forecasts (e.g, Occupational Outlook
  Handbk)
• Decide the type of degree youll need- masters
  or doctoral

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CHOOSING A PROGRAMThe People

• Things to consider
• Does the expertise of the faculty provide a
  well-balanced representation of relevant sub
  disciplines ?
• Does the faculty have professional experience
  outside the academic community?
• Are the faculty well-known? What have they
  published recently?
• What is the faculty/student ratio, and are the
  faculty accessible to the students?
• Talk to advisors, use web and suggested resources
  on handout research faculty (look up
  publications, vitae. etc.)

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CHOOSING A PROGRAM The Program

• Things to consider
• Look at the required and elective courses. Will
  they suit your educational and professional
  goals?
• Is a thesis or final exam required? Is there
  some sort of practical experience or internship
  included?
• How long is the program, and how many credits are
  required? The same program can vary in credit
  hours from one school to another
• What is the reputation of the school in general
  and what is the reputation of the program within
  the field?
• Is the program accredited and if so, by whom?
• What kinds of jobs do graduates obtain?
• Look at information provided by programs, discuss
  with advisors, talk with graduate students in the
  program.

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CHOOSING A PROGRAMThe Place

• Things to consider
• Do you want to attend a large or small school?
  Do you prefer a large or small program?
• In what geographic area would you like to attend
  school? Would you like the school to be located
  in an urban or rural setting?
• What activities does the community offer?
• Is graduate housing available? How difficult is
  it to find off-campus housing? What public
  transportation is available?

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CHOOSING A PROGRAMThe Price

• Things to consider
• What is the cost of the program? What are the
  hidden costs?
• How much financial assistance is available in the
  form of assistantships, loans, and fellowships?

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Applying to Graduate School- Rolling the
Dice

• Absolute, surefire rules for getting admitted
  into the program of your choice.

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Applying to Graduate School- Rolling
the Dice

• Reality check
• There are no absolute, surefire rules that will
  assure your admittance to your program of choice
  but you can increase your odds of success if you
  are aware of a few things that are almost always
  weighed in making admission decisions

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Applying to Graduate School- Rolling
the Dice

• What factors are almost always considered in
  admission?
• Your GPA
• GRE/TOEFL Scores
• Recommendations.
• Personal statement.
• Research, relevant professional experience.
• Funding, fit, available space.

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Applying to Graduate School-
Rolling the Dice

• What is a good GPA?
• There is no GPA so good that it will assure you
  of admittance.
• GPA requirements vary. Overall GPA, GPA in your
  last 60 hours, GPA in courses in your major and
  courses in supporting areas may be considered
  separately.
• A very rough idea of minimum GPAs that will keep
  your application in the pool
• Very competitive programs about 3.5
• Competitive programs at least 3.0

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Applying to Graduate School- Rolling
the Dice

• What is a good GRE or GMAT score?
• There are no test scores so good as to assure you
  admittance.
• Minimum score requirements vary greatly-
• Sciences and Engineering tend to emphasize math
  
• Liberal Arts emphasize language skills
• Business- composite scores considered involving
  
• scores from math, verbal, written
  sections of the
• GMAT

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Preparing your GPA and getting ready for the GRE
and GMAT

• GPA
• Make sure your GPA reflects grades courses that
  are relevant to your intended career.
• Do as well as you can in courses in your major
  and in courses that programs indicate they want
  you to have in your background.
• If necessary, be prepared to discuss your
  weaknesses in GPA in your personal statement.
  Emphasize improvement and other evidence of your
  depth of learning, but do not grovel or dismiss.
• GRE/GMAT or any other standardized admission test
• DO NOT TAKE THESE TESTS COLD!!! ALLOW AMPLE TIME
  FOR REVIEW.
• GRE/GMAT emphasize basic skills that you are most
  likely to have acquired in high school and your
  first two years in college.

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Letters of Recommendation

• You will have to ask people to write you letters
  of recommendation.
• Ask for letters from people with whom youve had
  more than casual contact.
• Good sources
• Research and project faculty advisors.
• Faculty members that you asked for advice on
  graduate school.
• Poor sources
• Graduate students, friends, relatives, employer
  (usually), and others who have no direct
  experience in graduate education.
• .

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Applying to Graduate School- Rolling
the Dice

• Letters of Recommendation
• Youll need at least 3 letters at least one
  should be strong if you seek admission to
  competitive programs.
• Characteristics of strong (influential)
  recommendations
• Author knows you and your work well.
• Author likes and respects you.
• Author has relevant academic or professional
  credentials.
• Author is known in the discipline that you seek
  to enter.
• Author knows people in the program/university you
  seek to enter.

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Letters of Recommendation(What to take to your
meeting with the professor)

• Your transcript.
• A paper or lab project showing your best work.
• A resume should include activities and
  leadership positions.
• Copies of correspondence with targeted graduate
  programs.

• Copy of latest draft of statement of purpose
• List of other professors who will serve as a
  reference.
• All stamps, envelopes and forms your professor
  might need, all filled out and ready to go.

• Adapted from Graduate Admissions Essays by Donald
  Asher (Ten Speed Press)

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Letters of Recommendation(Follow-up)

• Check-in with your professor regularly to see if
  the letter is done. Be nice about it, but dont
  let it fall off the radar screen.
• Be sure to thank each letter writer after the
  letter has been submitted on your behalf.
• Adapted from Graduate Admissions Essays by Donald
  Asher (Ten Speed Press)

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Applying to Graduate School- Rolling
the Dice

• The Personal Statement Wide variation in how
  programs weigh your personal statement. Play it
  safe and write a good one.
• Tailor your statement to the program you are
  applying to
• 1. Why are you applying to it?
• 2. What are your short and longer-term
• professional goals?
• 3. What attracts you to the program?
• 4. What will you be able to offer the
  program?
• 5. Mention specific faculty of interest
  to you.

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Writing Your Personal Statement

• Some Dos
• Write clearly, concisely.
• Make the essay about 2-3 pages long.
• Use concrete examples.
• Use the vocabulary of your intended discipline.
• Ask someone to critique your statement of
  purpose.
• Proofread the statement by reading it aloud or
  having someone read it to you.
• Make sure you have time for multiple revisions.

• Some Donts
• Dont write an autobiography.
• Dont try to impress your reader with your
  vocabulary.
• Dont provide a collection of generic statements
  and platitudes.
• Dont rely exclusively on your computer to check
  your spelling.
• Dont make up things!
• Dont make lame excuses for weak GPA or test
  scores.

• Adapted from www.accepted.com

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Applying to Graduate School Timetable

• Spring Junior Year
• Assess your interests, area of study, degree.
• Start taking to Faculty about your career plans
  and possible programs and sources of funding.
• Make sure you get involved in research,
  independent study in relevant areas.

• Summer before Senior Yr
• Use internet and printed resources to develop
  rough list of programs and possible funding
  sources.
• Start writing your personal statement.
• Begin studying for GRE, GMAT, etc.

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Applying to Graduate School
Timetable

• Fall Senior year
• Use internet, write programs for admission
  information and degree requirements.
• Consult with faculty and develop final list of
  programs youll apply to.
• Continue test prep.
• Take tests before end of October.
• Contact possible reference writers before end of
  November.

• Late Fall and early Spring
• Complete and send applications well before
  deadlines.
• Consider visiting program.
• Cross your fingers.

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Applying

• Why you need to apply early?
• Your application package.

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Why Apply Early(stuff happens)

• A student was not considered for admission
  because her application package was incomplete. A
  50 cent library fine resulted in a hold on her
  transcripts and her undergraduate institution
  never sent them.
• A student applying for a Ph.D. in philosophy
  received a letter from a major university
  rejecting his application for a Ph.D. in Germanic
  languages.
• A student was rejected by an internationally
  acclaimed architecture program after his
  portfolio was reviewed by Prof. X. When he
  called to inquire about the status of his
  application, Prof. Y picked up his portfolio,
  glanced through it while the student was on hold,
  and reversed the decision of Prof X. Thus was he
  admitted.
• One professor forgot to mail a wonderful letter
  of recommendation he had written for his favorite
  advisee, and she was rejected.

• Adapted from Graduate Admissions Essays by Donald
  Asher (Ten Speed Press)

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Requesting Application Materials

• Approximately 1 year before you plan to start
  your program, request application materials from
  each program of interest.
• Be prepared for application fees!
• Application fees generally run 40-150.
• Dont make your decision based on the fee. Some
  schools will waive the fee based on a letter from
  your undergraduate financial aid officer.
• Set up an Activity Log and Timeline Sheet.

• Adapted from Graduate Admissions Essays by Donald
  Asher (Ten Speed Press)

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Activity Log and Timeline
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Application Materials

• Your application package will include
• The Application fill out correctly and
  completely.
• Official Transcripts You need an official
  transcript from each college/university attended.
  Allow 2 to 3 months for your request to be
  processed!
• Recommendation letters
• Personal statement
• Standardized Test Scores You will have to
  arrange to have scores sent to your intended
  programs.

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Opportunities at Auburn http//www.grad.auburn.ed
u/
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RESOURCES

• Finding programs
• http//www.gradschools.com
• http//gradsource.com
• Graduate Professional Programs - An Overview -
  by Robert E. Clark and John Palattela
• How to Get Into The Right Medical School by Carla
  S. Rogers
• How to Get Into The Right Law School by Paul
  Lermack
• The Official Guide to U.S. Law - Law School
  Admission School Council and Services
• The Official Guide to Financing Your MBA -
  Graduate Management Admission Council
• The Official Guide to MBA Programs - Graduate
  Management Admission Council
• The Directory of MBAs Edition XII - Second
  Edition

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RESOURCES

• Rankings
• GRADSCHOOLS.com
• Petersons Guides to Graduate Programs
  www.petersons.com
• Graduate Programs in Biological Sciences
• Business, Education, Health, Law, Social Work
  Information Studies
• Engineering Applied Sciences
• Humanities, Arts Social Sciences
• Physical Sciences, Mathematics Agricultural
  Sciences
• www.usnews.com
• Directory of Graduate Programs- Educational
  Testing Service.
• The GOURMAN Report-Graduate Programs - Princeton
  Review. career.csusb.edu/Book20List.doc

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RESOURCES

• Graduate Admissions Exams
• GRE www.gre.org
• LSAT www.lsat.org or
• GMAT www.mba.com
• MCAT www.aamc.org
• DAT http//www.ada.org/index.asp (dentistry)
• OCAT telephone [phone] (optometry)
• PCAT http//www.pcatweb.info1-800-622-3231(pharm
  acy)
• VCAT 1-800-622-3231 (veterinary school)

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http//www.auburn.edu/xzq0001
2018/6/1
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Questions http//www.eng.auburn.edu/xqin