Graduate School 101 - Texas A&M University
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Transcript Graduate School 101 - Texas A&M University
How to apply and survive while
avoiding common pitfalls.
Why might someone want to
go to grad school?
Grad school is not for everyone.
What should you ask yourself to determine if it’s
right for you?
What type of career am I seeking?
What are the degrees required for this career in my
field?
Where do I see myself in five to ten years?
Why should someone choose
to go to grad school?
To learn more
To enhance his or her marketability
To obtain a particular job after graduation
Reasons NOT to go to Grad School
It is your default decision if you don’t find a job.
Caviat: largely depends on the state of the economy
You are burnt out on school when you graduate.
You want to put those coveted letters after your
name.
You want to be called “Dr. (your name here) ”.
Advanced Degrees:
Pros and Cons
Pros
Become more specialized
within your field more
expertise (valuable
knowledge)
Can defer undergrad loan
payments upon proof of
full-time enrollment in
graduate program
Can be paid to go to
school
Cons
Become more specialized
within your field
overqualified for some jobs
limited employment
(Potentially) accrue more
loans in lieu of pursuing
advanced degree
Can often earn much
higher salary in industry
So I think I want to be a
grad student…
Application Process: How to manage
your time and optimize your success!
Application Timeline
Application Timeline
Beginning Application
Process
Decide what type of program you want to apply to
ME: Master of Engineering, basically just take more classes
in your interest (no thesis, but maybe final project)
MS: Master of Science, take classes and do research (thesis)
PhD: Doctor of Philosophy, some classes, but lots of
research
Decide on ~4 (realistic) schools
Don’t overload yourself!
Determine requirements and make a spreadsheet of what
each school wants and when it’s due.
Standardized Tests
Most common: GRE
Verbal Reasoning (800 pts, minor trig, no calculus)
Quantitative Reasoning (800 pts, large vocab words,
written by walking dictionaries)
Analytical Writing (meh…)
Shoot for around 1300
Can take GRE once every 30 days, but not more than 5
or 6 times a year.
Others: GMAT, LSAT, MCAT
Application Materials
Transcripts (degree-granting institution and transfer
credit institutions)
Reference letters (at least 3)
Professors
Bosses
Organization faculty sponsors
Statement of Purpose
Other essays may be required, depending on school
and program applying to.
Funding
If doing research for the university, you can be considered an
employee or staff.
RA: Research Assistantship (usually given by a professor who
will fund you to work for him/her)
GA: Graduate Assistantship (could be given by a professor, but
usually involves more departmental duties, i.e. maintaining
department computer networks, being a grader for a class, etc.)
TA: Teaching Assistantship
May be given to students in ME as well as students in MS or PhD
Requires some form of teaching and grading assignments
All typically involve tuition remission as well as some form of
health insurance.
Funding (continued)
Fellowships are packages of funding, usually nationallyawarded
Some departmental or university-wide fellowships exist
as well
Advantages of fellowships
Typically larger stipend than assistantships
Independent funding
Choose your own research
Not tied to a specific professor or grant
Health insurance and sum of money to be used to travel
expenses (conferences, etc.)
Preparation Starts as
Early as Freshman Year
Objective: gain as much experience as possible to make yourself as
marketable as possible before applying to grad school
Things that selection committees like to see
Solid GPA (at least 3.0, 3.5 or above is preferable)
Various schools will post the stats (GRE and GPA) for previous
successful applicants on their website.
Involvement in student organizations (like SWE!)
Volunteerism (like Girl Scout Day, Habitat for Humanity, etc.)
Undergraduate research of some kind
Internships (especially research-based)
Study abroad
Anything that shows you are a proactive, responsible, intelligent
person!
Resources
Undergrad research opportunities
http://essap.tamu.edu/usrg/
http://www.cse.tamu.edu/reu
http://cyclotron.tamu.edu/reu/reu2011.php
Fellowships
http://www.gradschools.com/article-detail/graduate-fellowships-1676
http://graduateschool.ufl.edu/files/nsf-grfp-2012.pdf
NSF-GRFP
Statements of Purpose
http://www.statementofpurpose.com/colleges.html
http://www.graduatingengineer.com/higher-education/20021120/The-Statementof-Purpose
GRE prep
http://www.ets.org/gre/revised_general/about?WT.ac=grehome_about_b_121009
Fun games!
http://gre.tyrannosaurusprep.com/Vocabulary/Quiz-Games
http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/vocabmania.htm