Written by Lauren Bucher
As graduation approaches, seniors’ plans for next fall become more pressing, and juniors begin to consider graduate school. While the graduate school application process may seem insurmountable, students who have a basic understanding of the application process timeline can navigate the transition with more ease than do their uninformed counterparts.”Throughout the country there seems to be an increase [in graduate school enrollment] according to several articles I’ve read,” Deb Bashaw, director of the Career Center, said. “Our numbers have been up just a bit, but not much. Generally, between 40 and 50 percent of our students report at graduation time that they are going to graduate school.”Some students are going to graduate school now, delaying their career search in an effort to dodge the job market of the recession.”The recession is definitely a driving factor,” senior Jordan Harris said. “I’m planning to go to graduate school in a year, but honestly, now I wish I’d applied for this upcoming school year. The plan was to work for a year then continue on to grad school. However, the job prospects are looking scarce.”While the requirements of each graduate school program vary, most call for a transcript, letters of recommendation, an admissions essay and a standardized test score. The majority of programs require students to take the GRE. Law school, medical school and business school graduate programs require students to take the LSAT, MCAT or the GMAT, respectively.”Grad school is required for me if I want to be a licensed therapist someday, so I don’t have too much of a choice there,” senior Amy Neill said. “The recession isn’t affecting my decision; there is little work available in psychology with only an undergraduate degree.”Typically, students interested in graduate school begin their search junior year. After students choose potential schools, they look at program deadlines. Students generally take standardized tests the spring or summer of their junior year.”I began the graduate school application process freshman year,” senior Kayla Maynard said. “I had to make sure I had all the pre-req’s appropriate for applying. But I didn’t start working on the GRE or the actual application until this past fall.”In early fall of senior year, students need to find faculty members in the discipline in which they are seeking their degree to write a letter of recommendation. Additionally, students often begin researching financial aid options during this time.In late fall of their senior year, students need to visit the registrar’s office and request that the office send a transcript to the programs the students are applying for. Students need to allot time for processing on both ends. The transcript needs to be requested early enough that the registrar’s office has time to resend the transcript if necessary. Many programs contact students when they receive their applications as confirmation.During the spring, graduate schools notify applicants of their decisions, and at this time, students decide whichschool to attend. “I recommend that the student actually visit the school and talk with professors in the program,” Bashaw said. “This is beneficial to the student in learning more about the program, but it also helps when the application is being reviewed if the committee members know you.”The Career Center hosts a graduate school fair each fall, advises students where to find program information and helps students with their admissions essays. Students can access additional resources such as a list of graduate school programs in the Career Center or books about the graduate school application process in the library.
