Most colleges and universities perform some kind of postgraduate survey of their students to ascertain where they are employed, what additional education they have received, and what levels of salary they are enjoying. Ask to see this information either from the university you are considering applying to or from your own alma mater, especially if it has a similar graduate program. Such surveys often reveal surprises about occupational decisions, salaries, and work satisfaction. This information may affect your decision.
The value of self assessment (the process of examining and making decisions about your own hierarchy of values and goals) is especially important in this process of analyzing the desirability of possible career paths involving graduate education. Sometimes a job requiring advanced education seems to hold real promise but is disappointing in salary potential or numbers of opportunities available. Certainly, it is better to research this information before embarking on a program of graduate studies. It may not change your mind about your decision, but by becoming better informed about your choice, you become better prepared for your future.
Have You Talked with People in Your Field to Explore What You Might Be Doing After Graduate School?
In pursuing your undergraduate degree, you will have come into contact with many individuals trained in the field you are considering. You might also have the opportunity to attend professional conferences, workshops, seminars, and job fairs where you can expand your network of contacts. Talk to them all! Find out about their individual career paths, discuss your own plans and hopes, and get their feedback on the reality of your expectations, and heed their advice about your prospects. Each will have a unique tale to tell, and each will bring a different perspective on the current marketplace for the credentials you are seeking. Talking to enough people will make you an expert on what s out there.
Are You Excited by the Idea of Studying the Particular Field You Have in Mind?
This question may be the most important one of all. If you are going to spend several years in advanced study, perhaps engendering some debt or postponing some lifestyle decisions for an advanced degree, you simply ought to enjoy what you're doing. Examine your work in the discipline so far. Has it been fun? Have you found yourself exploring various paths of thought? Do you read in your area for fun? Do you enjoy talking about it, thinking about it, and sharing it with others? Advanced degrees often are the beginning of lifetime's involvement with a particular subject. Choose carefully a field that will hold your interest and your enthusiasm.
It is fairly obvious by now that we think you should give some careful thought to your decision and take some action. If nothing else, do the following:
- Talk and question (remember to listen!)
- Reality test
- Soul search by yourself or with a person you trust
There are several important factors in coming to a sound decision about the right graduate program for you. You'll want to begin by locating institutions that offer appropriate programs, examining each of these programs and their requirements, undertaking the application process by obtaining catalogs and application materials, visiting campuses if possible, arranging for letters of recommendation, writing your application statement, and finally following up on your applications.
Locate Institutions with Appropriate Programs
Once you decide on a particular advanced degree, it's important to develop list of schools offering such a degree program. Perhaps the best sources of graduate program information are Petersons Guides to Graduate Study. Use these guides to build your list. In addition, you may want to consult the College Board's Index of Majors and Graduate Degrees which will help you find graduate programs offering the degree you seek. It is indexed by academic major and then categorized by state.
Now, this may be a considerable list. You may want to narrow the choices down further by a number of criteria: tuition, availability of financial aid, public versus private institutions, U.S. versus international institutions, size of student body, size of faculty, application fee (this varies by school; most fall within the $10 to $75 range), and geographic location. This is only a partial list; you will have your own important considerations. Perhaps you are an avid scuba diver and you find it unrealistic to think you could pursue graduate study for a number of years without being able to ocean dive from time to time. Good! That's a decision and it's honest. Now, how far from the ocean is too far, and what schools meet your other needs? In any case, and according to your own criteria, begin to build reasonable list of graduate schools that you are willing to spend the time investigating. Examine the Degree Programs and Their Requirements
Once you've determined the criteria by which you want to develop a list of graduate schools, you can begin to examine the degree program requirements, faculty composition, and institutional research orientation. Again, using is source such as Peterson's Guides to Graduate Study can reveal an amazingly rich level of material by which to judge your possible selections.
Numbers graduating in each program and research orientations of departments are also included in some entries. There is information on graduate housing, student services, and library, research, and computer facilities. A contact person, phone number, and address are also standard pieces of information in these listings. In addition to the standard entries, some schools pay an additional fee to place full page, more detailed program descriptions. The location of such a display ad, if present, would be indicated at the end of the standard entry. It can be helpful to draw up a chart and enter relevant information about each school you are considering in order having a ready reference on points of information that are important to you.
