Dr' James B' Avey

1
Graduate School Discussion

• Dr. James B. Avey
• College of Business
• Central Washington University

2
Topics

• Why Graduate School?
• Why not Graduate School?
• What course of study?
• What school?
• Logistics of Preparation
• Logistics of Graduate School
• Note on Post-Graduate school

3
Why Graduate School?

• Money (40k entry vs. 60k entry depending on
  school)
• 10/26/06 AP College graduates made an average of
  51,554 in 2004, the most recent figures
  available, compared with 28,645 for adults with
  a high school diploma. High school dropouts
  earned an average of 19,169 and those with
  advanced college degrees made an average of
  78,093.
• Access to Professions and Levels
• Promotion (caution- an advanced degree is not
  salvation)
• Personal Goals
• Respect

4
Why not Graduate School?

• Bias?
• Time commitment
• Tired of school
• Cost of Degree
• Deployed to remote area
• Not now?
• Entrance to Program (Exec MBA)
• Remember your high school friends I think Ill
  go to college later.yeah right!

5
What course of study?

• What is your profession?
• Business- MBA
• Emphasis as appropriate
• Broad emphasis may be better at graduate level
• Do not get a non-business or non-law degree if
  you will be in business/management.
• Psychologist
• Psychology
• Sociologist
• Sociology

6
What school?- The System
Input
Process
Output
7
What school?

• The best one possible, without exception.
• Investment strategy the higher caliber the
  school
• The more the payoff
• The stronger the networks
• The higher caliber the networks in terms of
  opportunities
• The one you can get in
• Do not take the road of convenience
• Schools in Washington (U.S. News and World
  Report)
• University of Washington (not satellite campus)
• Big Gap
• University of Seattle, SPU, WSU
• WWU, EWU, Gonzaga
• Big Gap
• City University, Univ. of Phoenix, Capella

8
Logistics of Preparation

• Gaining Entry
• Grades
• GMAT
• Minimum 600
• Preferred 700
• 750 or higher guarantees entrance
• Service
• Personal Contacts within the University
• Time Preparation
• Class Time
• Study Time
• Collegial Time

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Logistics of Preparation

• Family
• Married?
• Kids?
• Putting first things first or you will fail
• Cost
• Education reimbursement
• Scholarships/Grants
• Loans/Parents/Sponsors
• Paying your own way
• Geographic/living
• No house? Live Close
• House? Buy a Diesel Jetta

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Logistics of Graduate School

• From a Pike in a Puddle to a Guppy in the Pacific
• Class sizes smaller (typically)
• Depth is deeper
• Breadth is broader
• More synthesis and integration of real-time
  issues
• Expectations in syllabus no babysitting
• Homogeneity of colleagues
• Can you sluff through? Yes, but it is more
  difficult and others will know

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Note on Post-Graduate school

• Must have good reason for a Ph.D.
• Job Requirement
• Current Job
• Desired Job
• Personal Requirement
• Time commitment (MBA) vs. Brain commitment (PhD)
• Different Discussion

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Summary

• Graduate school
• Is fun
• Is hard
• Opens up opportunities
• Is an investment no one can take away

Side effects may include a know-it-all
attitude, an urge to tell others what to do,
contentment with your life, friends asking to
borrow money, extreme attraction from the
opposite sex and 22 inch rims on your ride.
13
Open up for questions

• aveyj_at_cwu.edu