Applying to Graduate School

There are many factors that come into play when deciding on where you would like to pursue a graduate degree. Take into consideration the following points to help make the decision a little easier:

• What is the reputation of the faculty?
• Is the program you’re interested in of high quality?
• How much is tuition?
• What are the admission requirements?
• What is the employability of the graduates?
• If the program is not local, would you be comfortable moving?
• Are there opportunities to be involved in the campus outside of the classroom?

While not every graduate program requires test scores for admission, many do. According to Kaplan Test Prep, for the programs that require some time of testing, the scores you receive are the most important factors that a graduate school considers for admission.

• GRE – Graduate Record Exam: GRE scores are used to assess the suitability of applicants for graduate-level study across many different subject areas including verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning, and analytical reasoning.
• GMAT – Graduate Management Admissions Test: GMAT scores are used to assess a candidate’s suitability for business school, by assessing your analytical writing skills, integrated reasoning ability, quantitative reasoning, and verbal skills.
• LSAT – Law School Admission Test: the LSAT is designed to measure skills considered necessary for success at law school including reading comprehension, analytical reasoning and logical reasoning.
• MCAT – Medical College Admission Test: The MCAT exam tests examinees on the skills and knowledge that medical educators, physicians, medical students, and residents have identified as key prerequisites for success in medical school and practicing medicine. The content is divided into four sections including biological and biochemical foundations of living systems, chemical and physical foundations of biological systems, psychological, social and biological systems, and critical analysis and reasoning skills.

It’s important to become familiar with requirements for each program you intend on applying to as well as their timeline. While every program’s requests may be different, there are a few things that many require.

• Application and application fee
• Official Transcript from all colleges and universities previously attended
• Baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution
• A minimum GPA
• An essay, personal statement or letter of intent
• A cover letter
• A professional resume
• Letters of recommendation
• Test results

Still have questions? Set up an appointment with the Career Development Center today!