Welcome Prospective

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• Welcome Prospective
• Graduate Students

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Considering Graduate Schoolin your Future? Why
not Consider FAU?

• Suzette Vandeburg
• Director, Graduate Admissions
• Florida Atlantic University
• 561-297-3624
• svandebu_at_fau.edu

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Education Pays Off

• According to the U.S. Census Bureau,
• Annual earnings for workers age 25-64 increase
  substantially with more education.
• Workers with masters degrees earn an average of
  62,300 annually as compared with those with
  bachelors degrees, who earn 52,000 annually.
  Those with associates can expect to earn less
  than 40,000 annually.

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The Big Pay Off--

• Over an adults working life, high school
  graduates can expect, on average, to earn 1.2
  million those with bachelors degrees, 2.1
  million graduates with masters degrees, 2.5
  million and graduates with doctoral degrees,
  3.4 million.

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Quick Facts about FAU

• Average graduate class size 12
• Student to faculty ratio 181
• Over 1,000 full-time faculty with over 90.3
  holding doctoral or terminal degrees in their
  fields
• Over 3,337 graduate students
• Total student population 26,000
• Average age of graduate students 34

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Post Graduation Employment Plans based on
Graduate Student Exit Survey 2003-2005 (n596)
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Benefits of Graduate School

• Boost Technical Skills
• Salary Advances
• Professional Licensing
• More Opportunities
• Entry into New Field Requiring an Advanced Degree

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Steps to Take as You Consider Graduate School

• Evaluate Interests/Goals
• Research Requirements
• Consult with Faculty/Students
• Accreditation FAU is a member of SACS, Nat.
  Assoc. of State Univ. Land Grant Colleges, CGS

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Graduate School as a Research Project

• Where to Go?
• To shorten the list of potential schools,
  identify priorities and needs
• Geographic Location
• Schedule a Campus Visit
• Catalog and Program Literature
• (usually available through the web)

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Graduate School as a Research Project cont.

• When to apply? Whenever you are ready. However,
  some students--
• Start investigating graduate schools during the
  middle of their junior year (traditional
  students)
• Write for application materials in the fall of
  your senior year (traditional students)
• Most deadlines for fall admission are between Jan
  1 and April 15 of the same year. We offer
  deadlines as late as July 1 for the fall semester

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What to Investigate What field should I study?

• Curriculum
• Faculty
• Facilities
• Students
• Internships or Practical/Clinical Experiences

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Financing Graduate School at FAU

• How will I pay for my degree?
• Graduate Assistantships
• Teaching Assistantships
• Fellowships
• Work-study
• Grants
• Scholarships
• Financial Aid

Visit http//graduate.fau.edu/Awards/ for more on
funding opportunities at FAU
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Financial Aid

• Visit www.fau.edu/finaid/
• Apply for Free Application for Federal Student
  Aid (FAFSA) online. The FAU Priority deadline
  for fall 2006 is March 1, 2006.

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(No Transcript)
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The Application Processat Florida Atlantic
University

• 30 Application Fee Currently waived for former
  degree-seeking FAU students, McNair Scholars
• Application Form-complete on line to save time
• Taking Appropriate Tests (GRE, GMAT, TOEFL,
  IELTS)
• Official Transcripts for each
• school attended
• Letters of Recommendation
• Some programs set up interviews

FAUs School Code is 5229
FAUs School Code is 9LX
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The Lifecycle of a Grad School Application
At Least 3 Months in Advance Take the GRE/GMAT
and TOEFL or IELTS Exam if international
At Least One Month in Advance Line up
Recommenders for Reference Letters
Three Weeks in Advance Write Statement of Purpose
and Send for Transcripts
One Week in Advance Assemble Supplemental Forms
and Mail to Dept.
Apply on line by School Deadline vary by
program
Save time and apply online at http//graduate.fau
.edu/GradApp/
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Alleviate Test Jitters

• Prepare in advance
• Through test prep courses, online practice tests,
  and/or coaching
• Visit www.petersons.com or www.ets.org or
• www.mba.com for additional information
• Apply Simple Relaxation Exercises before the test
• Reward Yourself after the test
• Research indicates that students who adhere to a
  set schedule of self-review and those who sign up
  for longer review programs seem to achieve the
  greatest gains.

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Path of the Mailed Application

• ü      Once the application submitted, a
  postcard/e-mail confirming receipt is returned to
  the applicant
• ü      The application is processed through
  Graduate Admissions and sent to appropriate
  department for decision
• ü      Decision is received by Graduate
  Admissions
• ü      Official letter is mailed to applicant
• Note If you do not hear anything back from
  the school within one month, PLEASE contact the
  department you are applying to.

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Commando Tactics While Waiting

• Be patient, yet vigilant
• E-mail or call politely to inquire
• Dont expect a reply right away
• Send a letter to the program reinforcing your
  interest
• E-mail or call again

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How Decisions are Made

• Graduate Admission Decisions made at the
  departmental level and are based on
• Academic Record
• Test Scores
• Reference Letters
• Essay/Personal Statement

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Tips on Writing an Essay or Personal Statement

• Have a beginning, middle, and an end to your
  essay
• Consider your educational and career goals
• Reflect on your experience, skills, and interests
• Develop paragraphs purposefully-make every word
  count.
• Be succinct
• Back up claims with facts/evidence

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Tips on Writing an Essay or Personal (Continued)

• Strive for a thoughtful, honest essay that will
  give readers a sense of who you are, and why you
  want to pursue the particular program.
• Keep in mind, the reader does not know you.
• Proofread carefully!

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Various Degree Requirements

• Thesis vs. Non-thesis Requirements
• Thesis option programs require students to write
  a significant-sized research paper.
• Non-thesis programs usually require students to
  take additional course work.
• Practicums, comprehensive exams, or internships
  may be required in some fields.
• Masters programs require between 30-56 credits
  and can take on average 1-2 years to complete.
• All FAU PhD Programs require dissertations and
  usually take 4-6 years beyond the masters to
  complete.

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International Students

• May need to have international transcripts
  evaluated by an approved NACES evaluation
  service.
• Will need a minimum TOEFL score of at least
  173/500.
• Must certify a total of 35,773 for one year of
  study at FAU.

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Sample Program Deadlines
Go to http//graduate.fau.edu/Pubs/ProgramDeadline
s.htm, click on Graduate Application for complete
listing of all program deadlines
Fall
Spring Summer
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Once you are in, now what?

• Keep in mind, you have five years to complete a
  masters degree and seven to complete a doctoral
  degree. Ideally, you should try to complete it
  as quickly as possible.

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Other Benefits of Attending FAU

• Career Development Center
• On-campus housing available on Boca Campus.
• In-state residents save substantial money on
  tuition.
• Boca Campus offers a wide range of non-academic
  services, including a pharmacy, a bank,
  bookstore, health services, dental care. Other
  campuses offer similar services.

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When it comes to applying to graduate school,
doing your homework a head of time can really
save you a lot of time as you navigate through
the process.

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• Any Questions?
• Determine never to be idle...It is wonderful how
  much may be done if we are always doing. Thomas
  Jefferson
• Thank you for your time and for considering
• Florida Atlantic University.