When choosing a graduate school, you should keep in mind that this is just like choosing a college or university. It’s important that you consider various factors before you make your choice. Below are some things you need to consider when choosing from different graduate schools.
* Name recognition and school reputation
Getting a graduate degree from one of the top schools in the country will surely increase your chances of getting an excellent and lucrative career. But this doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to enter one of the top schools, although you do have to choose a school that has a good reputation. You should find information regarding the school’s alumni rosters. Try to know more about their occupations, the companies they belong in, and even their salary range. You can also choose a school that has excellent programs in the field you’re interested in.
* Program offerings
One of the most important factors you have to consider when choosing graduate school is the school’s program offerings. Take note of the courses included in the program and how long it would take for you to get your degree. You should also consider whether you want to enroll in a full-time program or part-time program, or if weekend or night classes will be better for you.
* Teaching methods
It’s advisable for you to do some research on what methods teachers use to teach at the graduate schools you’re considering. Doing this will let you know whether the focus is more on research, lecture, field work, or case studies. Knowing this kind of information will help you choose a school that uses teaching methods that best suits your personality and learning style.
* Cost and location
You should also take into account the amount of money you have to spend on your education. In case the fees entailed by studying in the school of your choice are a problem, you can try applying for scholarships or looking for financial aid. It’s also important for you to consider the location of the school and whether you want to study far from home or pick a school that’s located near your community.
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Wondering how you’re going to do well in graduate school when you have a part-time job to attend to on top of that? Well, all it takes is for you to learn how to manage your time wisely. Below are some tips that will help you balance your time so that your studies or job won’t have to suffer.
Organization is key
Organize your things, set your priorities, and know your goals. When you know what you need to do and you plan these, it will be easier for you to deal with your studies and your job. Make sure that your handouts and books are always in order so that you won’t have to keep on looking for them when you need to study. Get a calendar or organizer so that you can jot down your activities, appointments, or deadlines of assignments so that you’re always going to be reminded of what you need to do and when you need to finish them.
Say no to cramming
Don’t wait for the last minute just to do your work. Start early and prepare well. Procrastination may end up pressuring you and giving you stress. So make sure that you don’t waste time and that you start your projects well in advance. Doing this will also give you more room in your schedule for other things in case they come up.
Be aware that emergencies may come up
If you work a part-time job that allows a lot of flexibility regarding working hours, take advantage of it. On days when you don’t have much to do, put in some extra hours at your job so you won’t have to panic and try to squeeze in your job when you suddenly have three important tests on the same day.
Put a limit on what you do
Time management does help, but doing too many activities can make you stressed or even make you sick. Make sure that you know which activities you can cut back on so that you don’t end up doing so much more than you can handle. Keep in mind that your health is important and you need to function at your optimum level if you want to succeed in graduate school while still doing your part-time job.
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Taking up graduate school can be quite rough on the wallet. Whether your parents pay for it or you find ways to pay for it yourself, graduate school can cost quite a bundle. Here are some tips on the different ways you can pay for your graduate studies:
Taking the bill by the horns
One of the most obvious options is to face your problem head-on and find a way to pay for your graduate school bills yourself. You can apply for a full-time or part-time job somewhere near school (or on campus) to help you earn some money, save up, and pay for your tuition. Luckily, most graduate schools give you a little breathing room by offering part-time programs and evening classes. This will help you get your schedules straight so you can succeed in both school and work.
Scholarships, grants, and loans
Another option is to seek for funds and other modes of help from other institutions. Your school probably has a scholarship program that you can apply for. Ask your guidance counselor about how the school can help you deal with your tuition. Aside from help from school, many companies, organizations, and foundations also provide financial aid to students. You may be able to get loans, grants, scholarships, or even reimbursement programs.
Tips on financial aid
* If you apply for loans of any sort, be sure that you are aware of interest rates and how much money they will amount to.
* No matter what form of financial aid you apply for, read all of the terms and conditions before signing any papers.
* Consider how you will be paying for your loans once you have finished schooling. This will also help you choose your courses, classes, and career path.
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When you apply to graduate school, you will probably be asked to send letters of recommendation along with your application package. Because these letters are usually written by other professionals, they give the admissions committee a look at who you are from a professional perspective. Here are some suggestions as to who you can go to for requesting your letters of recommendation.
Getting to know you
Basically, letters of recommendation allow admissions committees to get to know more about you. These letters contain information on how you performed in the academic or professional setting. This means that the people that you ask for letters of recommendation from should be able to honestly detail your personality, your qualities, and your traits.
Where to begin
As mentioned above, most recommendation letters will have to come from other professionals (usually in high positions). Depending on what your graduate school asks for, you may need to submit recommendation letters from past professors, instructors, or bosses. Be sure that the people you ask letters from are those that have recognized and witnessed your good qualities. If a letter of recommendation from a professor is required, you may want to ask for one from a dean or department head who has been your teacher.
Choosing the right people
Now that you have an idea of who can issue your letters of recommendation, it’s time to narrow down your list and choose the right people. Here are some considerations you should keep in mind:
* Choose someone who knows you and has witnessed you at your best
* Choose someone who can write about your good personality traits
* Choose someone who you think will write a good recommendation for you
* Most importantly, share your goals, aspirations, and plans with the people who will be writing your recommendations letters. This will help them to understand why you need the letters and how they can write more appropriate and personal letters of recommendation for you.
Besides the letters of recommendation, you may be asked to submit graduate school admission essays. Check out the web for sample graduate school essays. You can consult online resource that have sample graduate school essays, so you can use these as a guide.
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To make the paper formal while decreasing the opportunity for plagiarism, citation is important in academic writing. The way citation is inserted into the essay and used to provide the sources also show the degree of responsibility a student has. A responsible graduate student will display neatness and accuracy in his or her citations, not just in his or her essay.
Which kind of citation to use
Professors have preferred citation styles. However, some citation styles are already deeply associated with some specified purposes. If your professor does not give explicit instructions, you can always ask for advice on what citation to use. Your professor will most likely tell you that the MLA format is used for arts and the humanities. The APA, on the other hand, is associated with writings on psychology, the social sciences, and education. You can be more flexible with the all-encompassing Turabian style.
To get an idea of how the three citation styles are used, check for examples below:
Sample formats for book sources:
APA – Author 1 Last name, First name Initial., & Author 2 Last name, First name Initial. (Year of publication). Italicized book title. Place of publication (city/state): Name of publishing house.
MLA – Author 1 Last name, First name and Author 2 First name Last name. Underlined book bitle. Place of publication: Name of publishing house, Year of publication.
Turabian – Author 1 Last name, First name, and Author 2 First name Last name. Year of publication. Italicized book title. Place of publication: Name of publishing house.
Sample formats for encyclopedia sources:
APA – Author Last name, First name Initial. (Year of publication). Topic. In italicized name of encyclopedia (Vol. Number, pp. Pages). Place of publication: Name of publishing house.
MLA – Author Last name, First name. “Topic.” Underlined name of encyclopedia. Ed. Name of editor. Number of volumes. Place of publication: Name of publishing house, Year of publication.
Turabian – cited in the text and placed in parentheses (Author Name, “Topic,” in Name of Encyclopedia, Year of publication ed.)
Sample formats for Internet and magazine sources:
APA – Author Last name, First name initial. (Year of publication). Italicized title of article. Retrieved month day, year, from Title of book Website: web address
MLA – Author Last name, First name. “Article title.” Underlined title of book. Year of publication. Place of publication. Day of access month. Year <web address>.
Turabian – Author Last name, First name. Year of publication. Italicized title. Place of publication: Name of publishing house. On-line. Available from Internet, web address, accessed day month year.
For formats used to cite other sources, you can consult sites that focus on academic writing.
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