Scholarly Advice for Academic Mastery
A collection of insights and advice from some of the most successful university, graduate, and professional students and scholars.
Topic: Grad Programs
For those that are interested
in retaining knowledge from their classes beyond the semester (which I
highly recommend) and those that are going to head into graduate school I
offer the end of semester review advice. At the end of every semester, after
finals are over and everything is done for a heartbeat, I sit down and go
through each of my courses one by one. I start by reviewing any notes that I
wrote, books that I read, etc and I organize all of the class materials into
a binder. Once they are organized and I have gone back through the entire
course reflecting on my experience I type up a one page synopsis of the
course to put at the beginning of the binder including major themes, big
ideas, questions left unanswered, and others so that I can go to that binder
anytime in the future and with a glance at the beginning see if it will be
helpful to my current semesters classes or projects. It is also nice to look
back over the semester and see all the work you have done as well as how you
grow throughout the class.
The last tip that I have to
offer is this: organization skills are very important! Whatever system works
for you please employ, but there must be some sort of organizational
structure to get through the educational system. There are so many forms,
offices, due dates, etc. that it is necessary to succeed (even in getting
scholarships, studying abroad, etc. this focus on
organization will pay off) and to enjoy the opportunities that college
presents. You need to be responsible for yourself and your dates. I use a
planner and highlighters where I mark (using a different color) personal
activities and dates, classes, departmental dates, thesis dates, etc. so
that by glancing at my planner I can tell by the color what areas I need to
focus or take of next week. Also, highlighting helps me to remember but
whatever system you use, I plead with you to be organized to make it
through.
Natasha Jankowski
PhD in Higher Education
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
When visiting graduate programs here are some of the best questions to ask current students:
| -What is the best quality of this program? | ||
| -What do you like least about this program? | ||
| -What do you wish you would have known before you started here? | ||
| -What do you plan on doing when you finish? | ||
| -What is there to do outside of school? Which of these things do you actually have time to do and which do you do regularly? | ||
| -Do you like the city and do you have time to enjoy it? | ||
| -If you could do it again, what would you do differently? | ||
| -Are the students competitive with each other or do you work together with your cohort? | ||
| -Can you really live on the stipend they give you or do most people take out loans? | ||
| -What changes are happening within the department right now? | ||
| -Who gets to be first author on most papers? What is the system for determining authorship in your lab? | ||
| -Does everyone have their own desk/computer in the department? Where do you do most of your work and do you ever have a problem finding space to get work done? | ||
| -What do you do in the summer? How does summer funding work? | ||
| -Do you get to make your own projects or are you assisting in someone else’s work? | ||
| -What is a typical day like? | ||
| -Housing experiences – grad school housing, budgeting, distance, commute, parking, roommates, moving | ||
| General Advice for visiting graduate programs: Ask the hard questions – like about what it’s really like, or what students don’t like about the program – in a big group. This keeps people honest. If people answer a question with a negative response and follow it with “but you’ll find that anywhere”, be very weary of believing them. The next school you visit may not have those same problems. Try to talk to the first year students about how their transition was, but even more importantly ask the 5th/6th year students about their experiences – how they think it’s changed, their hardest year, if they are having success finding a job, and in general try to get a general feel for their experiences. This will often be the most useful because they have had so many more experiences. Also, ideally, you’ll be there with a group of other admitted/interviewing students. This is a good way to judge if this school attracts the type of people you want to be around, and if you would fit in with these people. |
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Letters of recommendation are one of the most important tools when applying for a graduate degree, scholarship or other academic program. A number of steps go in obtaining a positive letter of recommendation. The first is an excellent relationship with your professors, especially those in your major field. Develop a good relationship with your professors, both in and outside of class, by working hard in class and seeking them out for one-on-one interaction.
The second step to obtaining a good letter is to ask your professors in the appropriate manner. Discuss your plans for an advanced degree or scholarship with your professors, so they can understand your goals. Provide them with the proper information to help them write the letter. This could include the address the letter should be sent to, information on the program or scholarship you are applying for and specific details on your individual successes so your professor can include them in the letter. Ensuring your professor has all this information will make the process go smoothly.
Lastly make sure to thank your professors for the extra time they took to help you. Also keep your professors updated on the programs you have applied for, so they can celebrate in your successes.
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Jessica Lynn Taylor Master of Arts in World History East Tennessee State University
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This tip is for graduate students and ambitious undergraduates. The first part of this advice is very simple and every student going to school knows it: DO THE READING. Do not fall behind with the reading, or not read it because you read it a year ago, or the myriad other reasons. At this point in your career you should be excited and into the readings so read it. If it is a book you read before, read it again because you will probably read it with new eyes and pick up things you missed last time. Also, the bibliography, work cited, reference page is your friend. If you notice that a certain author keeps being cited in the works you are reading, look in the bibliography and then go read their original work. This may blow some of your minds, but authors cite their sources for a reason one of which is if you want to question the assumptions, their reading of the author, or just find our what was said earlier - you use the bibliography. All graduate students should become friends with the bibliography and consider it part of their assigned reading. This will help prepare you for quals and your dissertation not to mention class.
Natasha Jankowski
PhD in Higher Education
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
I waited ten years to begin on my doctorate at MU and as I look back on my life, my advise to others is to avoid being scared to achieve what you want in your educational life. I was scared to death to take statistics and to write at a level of a doctoral student only to find out that I am capable of both. So as I said before, Don't be afraid of what you dream to achieve! GO FOR IT!!!
Cynthia Kaye Jorgenson
PhD, Educational Leadership
University of Missouri
If a Master's degree or Ph.D. is on the horizon for a student, then it's never too late to begin preparing for graduate school. The first step is to determine what program or graduate degree the student is interested in. With that decision made, one can begin looking into colleges that offer a corresponding graduate program. As a caution, students should be aware that graduate classes usually cost around three times the amount of undergraduate classes. In other words, simply changing majors or dropping classes can take a heavier financial toll in graduate school. Once the school has been selected, it may be necessary to take a particular graduate-level standardized test before applying. The GRE, or Graduate Record Examination, is the graduate version of the SAT that many schools require. The GRE is different in some respects, however, since it is only taken on a computer and contains an additional writing section not seen on the SAT. Other graduate tests are typically degree-specific; the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) is required for doctors, the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) is required for lawyers, and the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) is required for business-degree seekers. Test-specific preparation classes are available but usually very expensive (over $1,000). However, if the resulting increase in test scores is enough to qualify a student for a graduate scholarship, then the class can pay for itself and be seen as an "investment" rather than an "expense." Once the correct test has been taken and scores submitted, the student should formally apply to the graduate program and fulfill any other application requirements. Since this lengthy process can sometimes take months to over a year, an undergraduate student should not wait until his/her senior year to begin applying. The sooner, the better.
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Jeffrey Gibson Master of Science in Electrical Engineering University of West Florida
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When I was an
undergraduate I was susceptible to being intimidated by the intelligence of
the brilliant people who surrounded me. Now that I am in a doctoral program,
the potential for such intimidation is even higher. However, over the course
of my academic career I have learned a critical coping mechanism: planning.
Meticulous planning of my projects, my days, my weeks and my semesters has
allowed me to stay competitive in every academic (and professional)
environment in which I have worked. There are plenty of people who are
smarter than me and plenty of people who work harder; my edge is working
smarter.
As an undergraduate, I planned
out my semester as soon as I could get my hands on the syllabi of the
courses I was taking. For every semester, I scheduled every reading
assignment, every test and every paper, noting not only when these items
were due but the number of days I would work on them. So for a paper due on,
say, December 10th, I would estimate the number of planning, researching,
outlining, writing, and editing sessions I needed to complete the paper, and
I would schedule each of those sessions so that the final editing fell on
December 9th. I initially used a paper day-planner for this exercise, but am
now a devotee of Outlook task lists.
Of course, plans change. Tasks
never take exactly as long as you expect them to, especially when you try to
break them down into minute chunks. The point of beginning-of-semester
planning is not to preordain my life for the next three months, but rather
to set out a general scheme within which adjustments can be made along the
way. Many people think planning is pointless because of change, but planning
is actually the best way to deal with change.
I have been surprised to learn
that even in the much more abstract, less task-driven environment of a
doctoral program, I still manage to plan my work at the level of the day,
and I still get that work done on-time with very little stress. (In all of
high school, college or graduate school, I have never pulled an all-nighter
to finish an academic assignment.)
When people learn the details
of my "dirty little secret" of meticulous planning, they usually comment
that I am anal-retentive or crazy, or perhaps a combination of the two. The
fact is that once you get these kinds of things down to a system, they don't
take a huge amount of time. And that time is generously rewarded down the
stretch. Say a paper suddenly becomes due two weeks earlier than I expected.
While others are panicking, I am tapping into a reserve of available
"bandwidth" that I set aside at the beginning of the semester. No weekends
killed, no all-nighters pulled, no slippage of schedule.
Experts in personal
organization will tell you to find a system that works for you. In addition
to echoing that general advice, I would recommend: (1) developing a system
that costs a noticeable amount of time upfront, just so you know you're
doing enough thinking to do yourself some good, and (2) keeping at it until
any feelings of being overwhelmed by work are gone. Planning is actually one
of the most relaxing things I do. It's much cheaper than yoga classes.
Nathan Black
PhD, Political Science
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
When I first started to apply
to graduate programs my only concern was getting into a good school. It
wasn’t until years later that I understood the true complexity of selecting
the perfect program. In some disciplines, selecting the right program is
simple. In others, the reputation of the program, and its strengths and
weaknesses may not be so readily apparent. Here is some of the information
that I wish I had when I started my journey:
1) If you have the opportunity to attend an academic conference within your
discipline, you should absolutely go. You will have the chance to hear the
original research that is being conducted and it will give you an edge over
other applicants when writing your personal statements (see below for more).
You will also get a chance to meet with the faculty and interact with them
on a personal level. Many conferences have social gatherings organized by
various graduate programs specifically for the purposes of networking and
graduate student recruitment. Most importantly, you will have the chance to
see how involved the graduate students are in that particular program by
looking to see how many student papers are presented from each program, how
many panel chairs there are, how many students attend the conference, etc.
Finally, it will give you a chance to speak with the graduate students to
get the “truth” about the culture of the school, department, program, etc.
Graduate students are usually very good about answering questions that you
may not feel comfortable asking the faculty, and in some cases they can put
in a good word for you later once the faculty begin to make admissions
decisions. Many conferences also sponsor graduate student open houses that
allow prospective students to register some face time with current faculty
and graduate students.
2) Don’t overlook the importance of a social life. I felt silly and
superficial asking students much more seasoned than I was about how often
people “went out” and how much socializing took place amongst students. In
hind sight, I realize now that this is an incredibly important
consideration, and should not be overlooked. Graduate student
camaraderie can be your saving grace when it comes
to dealing with the stress of a rigorous program. Having a healthy support
system of other people going through the same thing is imperative to keeping
one’s sanity. My advice would be to allow yourself to take this into account
when making your selection. If nothing else, many disciplines require a
large amount of collaborative work, and if you don’t think you are likely to
get along with the students in a particular program, your life can become
very difficult.
3) Consider the reputation of the program over the reputation of the
University if you plan to stay in academe. A degree from a well known school
that is weak in a particular department might sound like a big deal to your
family and friends (especially if your area of study is not well known), but
it may hurt you later when you are looking for a job.
4) When applying to schools, write a separate statement of purpose for each
school. Taylor these to the research that is being conducted at a particular
school and focus on specific projects faculty are working on. You can find
this out by looking on the faculty web pages and reviewing their CVs. I
would recommend reading some of their published research and linking your
own research interests to theirs. If you can’t find anything in common, then
maybe this isn’t the right program for you, regardless of how prestigious it
may be. This is a good time to include anything you may have learned about
faculty research interests while attending a conference. Avoid the
temptation to write one generic statement of purpose to send to all of your
programs. It may take a little more time to personalize each one, but don’t
forget that the admissions committee is looking to see that you will be a
good fit for the current faculty.
5) If invited to an orientation or welcome weekend, always go. Some schools
even provide travel stipends to admitted students to come visit the program.
Don’t let anyone pressure you into making a decision too soon. Some schools
are very unethical about this. Keep in mind that it is ultimately your
decision. You should pick the school that is the best fit for you based on
your own criteria, and visiting all of the programs may provide you with
information about them that you would never have otherwise learned.
I have successfully applied to, selected, and completed a wonderful M.A.
program and am in the process of completing my Ph.D. I work a lot with
graduate students as part of my campus graduate branch of student
government, and I also actively help my department with recruitment.
Luckily, I have been provided with a forum to pass along these pieces of
information, because it’s the things that “they” never tell you that may end
up mattering the most in the end…
Alice E. Veksler
PhD, Communication Studies
Arizona State University
As a graduate student in chemistry at FSU, I have witnessed first-hand, what
is expected of, and how to succeed at being a PhD student. The first and
most important aspect of graduate student success relies on commitment.
Being a professional student brings along with it the higher expectations
than what an undergraduate student is accustomed to. Without the proper
degree of dedication, the level of success to be obtained is limited.
I have found that it is
necessary to implement a daily agenda that you as a student adhere to
closely. I have a list that I update every evening. I make sure to have more
tasks on this list than is possible for one to complete over the course of
an average day. This ensures that you always have more than enough to keep
you busy and limits the time that would normally be used for leisure
activities.
Upon receiving a doctoral
degree in any subject, the student is then considered a master of that
specific topic (inorganic chemistry in my case). In order for one to be
considered a master of their subject, it is essential that they learn to be
as independent and responsible as their mentors. This is achieved through
the student’s involvement in every aspect of their subject consistently
throughout their graduate career. It is my hope that this message reaches at
least one other person so that they can take what I have learned in my early
years as a graduate student, and build upon these values and become one of
the great students in the NSHS.
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Lawrence Keith Keniley Jr. PhD, Chemistry Florida State University
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A vocabulary/slang lesson for future
graduate students: Want the degree? Speak the language!
“Pub” – short for “publication” or the polished work of a manuscript or
paper you’ve submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal or book.
Students and faculty alike may submit manuscripts and papers for
publication.
“Authorship” – For some studies and manuscripts the work can be divided up
among a research team. Each member of the team is given as assignment/task
such as collecting data/sources, analyzing results, and writing up portions
of the paper. Order of authorship (e.g. first author, second author, third
author, etc.) is usually determined by level of responsibility and overall
contribution to the paper. The first author gets the most credit for the
overall project.
“Prof” – short for “professor” and used to quickly identify a certain person
or the profession generally.
“Comps” – short for “comprehensive exams” or the exams taken in your
graduate program that evaluate generally what you’ve learned prior to
becoming a doctoral candidate and proceeding with writing a dissertation.
“Dissertation”& “Thesis” – a dissertation and thesis are two kinds of
original work that demonstrate mastery and scholarly aptitude within an area
of expertise. The thesis comes toward the end of the Master’s degree, while
the dissertation comes at the end of the doctoral degree. Consider it your
“magnum opus” or “great work” that allows you to enter the academic world as
an equal peer who has made a contribution to the world of knowledge.
“Tenure” – a professional promotion into a position of security and
credibility for faculty members. Most new faculty are considered “junior
faculty” and on the “tenure track.” The tenure track is the period of time,
usually several years, wherein a new faculty member proves themselves
through academic research (pubs), teaching, and service that they are
valuable to the department and worth the added investment in security and
credibility. Once a prof is tenured their title is changed from “Assistant
Professor” to “Associate Professor.”
“Promotion” – usually the process of advancing from “Associate Professor” to
“Full Professor” that occurs after further years of service, teaching, and
research. Each advancement step in a professor’s career includes a high
salary, flexibility/preference, and other rewards and honors.
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Tiffany Sanford Jenson PhD, Sociology University of Oklahoma
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Hard Work
Do not be afraid of hard work, especially if you are worried about the
criticism of others as being a “brain” that never has any fun. As a
sociologist, I am very aware of the social labels that students had applied
to them in high school such as a “nerd,” “brains,” or “jock.” I am also
aware of the social stigmas that accompany these labels. Being known as
intelligent in high school may not always have been popular or flattering,
but in college, you get to enjoy it a bit more as prestige.
Realize in college that you are among friends. You are finally being
rewarded for achieving high academic goals. Do not let this prestige fool
you into thinking that you get to relax. If anything, keep in mind that
there are many other “brains” just like you in college who have equally
worked hard to achieve academic success and probably went by the same labels
you did in high school. In fact, if continue your education past your
undergraduate degree, there will be even more students like yourself that
want to maximize their potential in graduate or professional school. The
competition gets a little thicker at this point in your life, and while you
may have stood out in your high school, you may not stand out as much in a
larger institution such as a college or university. Be determined to stand
out academically by working hard in college. It is possible and rewarding.
College is not a sprint, it’s a marathon. You need to have study habits and
academic goals firmly in place to be able to set a good pace and steadily
make progress toward graduation.
I am in the middle of my Ph.D. and the best advice my mentors have given me
was that at this level, they couldn’t emphasize how important it was to keep
a strong work ethic. The students that finish their dissertations were not
only intelligent, but they knew how to work hard. They were the ones meeting
with professors after class and during office hours. They were the ones
putting in extra time at the library. They were the ones attending summer
school. They were the ones using holiday breaks to get ahead on papers, and
prepare for mid-term exams. They were the ones who understood how something
worth doing requires attention and focus. The students who rested on their
laurels and thought their brains could get them by never finished school.
Professors are keen on students’ academic abilities and know who the real
students are and who the “fakers” are, (the students not willing to read the
chapter, study for exams, or put in the extra effort toward mastery).
The skills that got you through high school are not the skills that will get
you through college. Success in life requires progress, and you need to be
constantly refining and improving your skills to give yourself that study
edge as school inevitably becomes more demanding. Do not be afraid of their
challenges. The farther you go the more artillery you have at your disposal
to confront the challenges. You will be able to see the challenges as
opportunities and learning experiences that make you stronger.
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Tiffany Sanford Jenson PhD, Sociology University of Oklahoma
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This submission is to the students who will be conducting research, or writing a research proposal for the first time.
I'll start off by saying that good research is extremely valuable for many reasons. The results can impact a person's life in a positive way whether it be medical research or clinical psychology research. Thinking outside the box is sometimes necessary to discover a better way to do something and can have long term effects on people's lives for generations to come. With that said I am no research expert, but I know enough to say that it shouldn't be taken lightly. Below are some practical tips for that big research project.
The first thing
I would ask myself when considering a topic for research is what am I
passionate about? What have I always wondered about and what benefit could
my results have on our society? If you pick a topic that isn't that
interesting to you, you may become bored and burned out easily. You may
think back to past events in your life and look for patterns of interest or
curiosity. Do you have a burning question that's not yet been answered? Do
you yourself gain gratification from your personal hobbies and interests
that impact you in a positive way in all areas of your life? What ideas do
you have for improving your own life and why? These questions are meant to
get your thought processes going in the right direction; you may come up
with your own questions that explore other concepts. Remember it's always a
good idea to run your ideas and thoughts by your professor. He or she may be
able to help steer you in the right direction. Keep in mind that your topic
may have a bottomless pit of data on it, or hardly any at all. Your
professor will be able to help you narrow a topic down that is too broad,
and show you how to find your data on the internet. If you need a certain
number of journal articles to collect, sometimes they will require them to
be peer reviewed. If you have any doubts as to whether or not your articles
are peer reviewed make sure to ask your professor. Don't assume that your
data is sufficient material until you get a green light.
After you have decided on a topic and have all of your data collected you'll
need to absorb it all! I would suggest reading your articles and/or book
reviews over a period of time. You may not need a week, but plan to read
them slow enough to really grasp what the article is saying. Don't just skim
them; it will make the task of writing the paper more difficult in the long
run. You know if you are a fast or slow reader, so plan accordingly. Read in
the morning if you are not a night person, and take breaks if you need them.
Do what works for you personally, but try and really absorb the information.
Highlight things that you might want to quote later on and keep all of your
material neat and organized so that when you come back to work on your
paper, you can find exactly what you need. I would also suggest buying a
folder of some sort at your book store and some large paper clips to store
your articles in. You may need several folders or a large binder. Most
likely you will be searching for sources on the internet; it may be your
best friend for a while so get familiar with a variety of resource finding
web sites. Again, just make sure you are meeting the requirements when
selecting a source, and always check when in doubt.
Last, but certainly not least, educate yourself on ethics and research. There are laws and regulations that you need to know about. You will be informed of this in your class, but it's your responsibility to learn them and put them into practice. Whether you do the actual research or just write a proposal, you need to think like you are really going to conduct your research design. Your professor will go over this in class in depth.
With these things said, the actual work is up to you. The preparation has its own challenges, but now it's time to put life into your thoughts and ideas. Try to enjoy your work; when it's all over you will have a big accomplishment that you can be proud of. And remember that you may be the next person to discover some new technique or form of therapy to benefit the whole world! Have fun and good luck.
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Danae Colvin Masters of Science in Counseling Missouri State University
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If you are planning in getting into a graduate program, it is best to get to know a few of your professors really well so that they have an idea of who you are and what goals you have for yourself. In many instances, I have found that not only can these professors provide letters of recommendation, they have also provided extra information about my field that is not taught in the classroom. For instance, one of my speech pathology professors gave out her home phone number and let me know that even when I graduate from graduate school and am out working, I can always call her for any questions. It is not only special, but it is important to have support that can further your success.
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Kristen Harris University of Tennessee
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I wanted to share my experience as a Master's candidate in Educational Technology. I will be graduating with an M.S. in the fall and will continue on obtaining my Ph.D. in Education. This experience may help an upcoming freshman or help a college student who is in his last semester of school.
My topic is motivation. In my first semester of graduate school, I found a quote that I have used and meditated on while in school. It is “The person’s must realize the benefit of finishing the task outweighs the struggle it may take to complete it” (Changing Theories, 2006). This is what is called “Self-Efficacy”. This is one of the chief motivation tools a young person should use when furthering their education. Self-Efficacy is simply based on the person’s belief to excel. The person’s attitude should remain positive.
Dr. Carlo’s DiClemente’s Transtheoretrical Model of Change stated a person could be influenced to be positive about their outlook. They did not have to hit rock bottom to change. The main idea was to not focus on the end result (DiClemente, 2002). The last statement, “not to focus on the end result”, has helped me continue my goal of becoming the first person in my family to have a Ph.D. If someone told me I would still be in school after 20+ years, I would have thought they were insane. I started my college career in the early 1980’s and during my senior year in college, I got married and became pregnant. I stopped college for awhile, ten plus years to be precise, and in the year 2000, came back to finish my bachelor’s degree. I worked for four years and started my Master’s program in 2006. I never thought I wouldn’t finish school. I only thought about the end result once, but quickly dismissed the idea that I would never graduate. I had many people encourage me to continue, especially during the ten year lapse in which I spent raising my children. My motivation was simply I wanted to do something for myself. I wanted to better myself. I wanted to be the second person to obtain a bachelor’s degree in my family, and the first person to receive a master’s degree in my family. I knew if I set my mind to it, I would succeed. I never looked at the overwhelming paperwork I had to do, the research papers I had to write or the projects I had to complete. I simply just knew it was required of me and I did it.
Currently, I have one child who is in college and one who will be attending college next year. I give them the same advice to not focus on the end result. I believe the passion I put into my life creates an atmosphere to learn and grow as an individual.
The process of finishing a task is by far the most rewarding, when the person feels they can succeed. Motivation is simply envisioning completing the task, and not dwelling on the steps to achieve the task. Just do it, and don’t worry about the steps it will take to complete.
Monalisa Sell Lasher
Masters, Educational Leadership and Instructional Technology
McNeese State University
________________
Schunk, D.H. (2004). Learning Theories: An Educational
Perspective. (4th Ed.). Upper Saddle River, N.J., Pearson Education, Inc.
Changing Theories. (2006). Retrieved November 3, 2006 from: http://www.comminit.com/changetheories/ctheories/changetheories-51.html
Velicer, W.F., Prochaska, J.O., Fava, J.L., Norman, G.J., & Redding, C.A.
(1998). Smoking cessation and stress management. Applications of the
Transtheoretical Model of behavior change. Homeostasis, 38. pp. 216-233.
Amaria, H., Tartaglia, D., (2002) UMDNJ-School of Public Health, ICSA
DiClemente, Carlo, Ph.D. Retrieved September 19, 2006 from: http://newroom.mbooth.com/sainnovators/profiles/CarloDiClemente.html
As a recent graduate student at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, I learned the true meanings of responsibility and stamina. During the past year I completed my graduate studies in Art Education including a yearlong internship at an elementary school. One of the biggest challenges during the year was staying on top of deadlines both with schoolwork and applications. I learned that I had to be responsible for myself on every level and not depend on anyone else to fulfill my duties and expectations. Due to the overwhelming amount of work compressed into one year, I learned that I felt less stressed when I looked at the workload a little at a time instead of the whole year at once. Every week I would focus on what I had to complete and turn in for that week and the following week and then put those assignments in order of priority. Of course in the back of my mind I did not forget about important deadlines and future dates. I would give this advice for any college student with a large workload in a short amount of time because every assignment should have equal focus and effort put into each completion. During graduate school I learned to balance a full time internship, graduate courses, and a part-time job. I feel that I was successful because I stayed on top of the work and deadlines, focused on one thing at a time, and got enough rest every night.
Meghan Watermeier
Masters, Art Education
University of Tennessee
Most graduate programs require two or more letters of recommendations. I learned that choosing who recommends you is challenging. You need to choose someone that you know well, someone that writes with authority, they know how you work, they can describe you in a positive way, they have a high opinion of you, they know your goals, they are well known in the community, and they can write a good letter.
My college required us to turn in three recommendations. Since the
writers had to summit the letters to the college, I asked six people instead
of three. This way I did not worry if one person did not fulfill their
commitment. I asked two college professors, my employment supervisor,
internship supervisor, a friend with a PhD, and a friend who is a LCSW.
I made an appointment to speak with my letter writers. I gave them plenty of
time to write the letters. I provide a file with some of my background
information:
• transcript
• resume
• admissions essays
• applying for MSW Advance Standing
• research experiences
• internship experiences
• honor societies I belong to
• awards I have won
• work experience
• professional goals
• due date for the application
• copy of the application recommendation forms
The college I applied to accepted me in the Advance Standing MSW Program.
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Brooke Alston Jennings Master of Science in Social Work Radford University
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The best thing I did for myself in my graduate program was the year before I went. In preparation for applying to schools, I planned out the busiest year of my life. I wanted to apply for grad programs in landscape architecture, so my first step was to take a course of classes in the spring semester, including an extension course in sustainable landscape architecture so that I could meet other landscape architects and participate in readings, discussions, and presentations (in other words, to get an overview of the field so that I could make sure it was what I wanted). In the same semester, I also took beginning Spanish (foreign language proficiency impresses both schools and employers, and Spanish is used widely in my field), and organic chemistry. I must be the only person in existence that took organic chemistry voluntarily, but later on, when I took plant labs in school and restoration ecology, I was glad I had the background.
I also took on two part-time
internships, each very different and each carefully chosen to give me a
maximum of experience relevant in landscape architecture. I began work in a
local wetland, tending plants in the nursery, monitoring native and invasive
species and the presence of birds in the marsh, and working on special
projects for the organization. By the end of the year, I was managing all of
the plant propagation experiments on the property, helping the organization
restore native wetland habitat more efficiently. I also interned with a
local environmental land-planning organization, helping out with local
policy and land use problems and working with local communities for
sustainable urban design. My work with this organization eventually got me a
TAship in my first year of graduate school for a 3rd year graduate studio,
two years ahead of me (an almost unheard-of honor). My time with both of
these organizations made me feel involved in my community in the San
Francisco Bay area, and provided me not only with valuable resume material,
but gave an extra depth to my studies.
The classes I took during the summer and fall semesters included
continuation of my Spanish classes, botany, geology, and a class in
landscape architectural graphics (which provided me with invaluable material
for my portfolio and gave me an unexpected contact with a prominent
professor of UC Berkeley).
It was a full year, and I
had to study for my GREs on top of everything else, but I had a huge
advantage when I finally began my graduate program. The schools I applied to
were impressed with all the work I did, too. I was accepted to four out of
the five schools I applied to, including my two top choices, UC Berkeley and
Cornell University. The bottom line is, if you’re thinking of applying to
schools now, start preparing now! I never could have imagined all the
opportunities the things I did before I went to grad school opened up for
me. I am still reaping the rewards from that extra year I took to gain
experience and academic mastery.
| Eden Gallanter Masters, Landscape Architecture Cornell University
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No matter the level of education, studying is an important tool everyone must use. I would say studying for graduate level work is much different than undergraduate. For an undergraduate degree, there may be quite a few basic classes taken in the first couple of years that are not particularly related to your interests. For some, these particular classes may not require as much effort and therefore little attention is paid to the knowledge gained from these courses. Many also choose to study for these courses by diverting the information to their short-term memory thinking that they would never use the information again. Only after enrolling into major classes and advancing to graduate level work do many people begin to realize that their old study habits are ineffective. For major classes and beyond, studying takes a different form. First, more time should be devoted to studying. Studying should not be a "cram right before the test" method. Instead, studying should become a continuous task leading up to major tests and papers. In this way the information is more permanently stored. Being in a graduate level program, I am a witness to the effectiveness of studying in this manner. With every class I make sure that I read all material assigned and takes notes as I read. Therefore, once in class, I can simply add to the notes I have already written. Continuous studying also relieves some of the stress and pressure often experienced when cramming the night before. In addition, at this level of education, class participation and discussions are a big portion of your grade. I find that if I take notes before class I am better prepared to participate in class discussions. (I also look smarter and gain brownie points with the professor!!) Lastly, I would say that short-term memory knowledge is not as reliable and less important in graduate school. At this level, all classes and material presented are specifically related to your chosen field. Therefore, every amount of information is relevant and should be stored away so that is can be retrieved for future use. The knowledge gained carries you throughout your career and it shows that you are committed to what you do. If these study tips are followed, success in graduate level work and beyond is inevitable!
Tia Roberts
Marriage & Family Therapy
Mercer University School of Medicine
For PhD Students, the the work never stops, but the
deadlines occasionally do. The programs are generally 5 years long, but only
16 months are spent in the classroom. We are judged, hired, and rewarded
based primarily on research, and research is often self-driven. Perhaps
nothing is more important for a PhD student than staying focused and
motivated in the absence of deadlines.
This is why I developed a point system. Each hour of focused research is
awarded with 3 points, and I must earn 100 points per week before going to
bed on Sunday. I have also began awarding myself points for exercise,
reading, and generally living well. My points reflect my priorities and my
strict adherence to the 100 point / week rule ensures that no week is wasted
on my path to being a professor.
Rob Smith
PhD, Marketing
University of Michigan
Applying to PhD Programs
This is based on my experience and success in applying to PhD program in
marketing, but much of the advice relates to PhD applications in general.
The first thing you need to consider is how serious you are about getting a
PhD. Almost always, its purpose is to obtain a job as a professor. There are
many huge plusses and minuses to this life, and I probably don't have the
full picture yet. However, I am in a position to tell you that PhD programs
are brutal. They are 5 years long, and extremely stressful and busy. Even
the application process is rough. You'll have little choice of where you
attend school, and where you work afterwards. There is some politics that
you'll have to deal with, and I understand a lot of professors have trouble
leaving their work at the office, and it tends to define their life.
On the other hand, there are huge benefits. If you're excited about doing
research and
teaching, I believe it's a great path. You can (and certainly should) focus
on ideas
that fascinate you, you'll be living in a college town, interacting with
people who are
passionate about ideas, and tenure offers a security that exists basically
nowhere else
in the world. Additionally, business professors are well paid (over 100,000
starting
salary) and we don't have to delay that paycheck with a post-doctoral
placement as many
other PhDs do. To me, the best part is the devotion to knowledge, teaching
and learning.
As Maslow teaches, a life of growth requires the devotion to a beloved
calling, and these
are likely candidates.
As for the application process, the most important thing is probably a
little bit of
research experience. Schools want to know that you understand research; how
to read it,
how to conduct it, and that you are going into a PhD program to do research.
We are
judged almost entirely on our research as a PhD student and as a professor,
and you
should be exhibiting a passion for the process and the outcome. I would
recommend
talking to several professors, telling them you are interested in pursuing a
PhD and you
want research experience. Ask if there's anything you can help them with.
Some will
ignore you, a few might give you a random assignment like a literature
review, and you may even be lucky enough to get in on a legitimate research
project as a contributing member with
your name on the paper. The chances of this happening will increase
dramatically if you
find someone active in research, and you read their papers and relevant
other papers
before meeting with them. Most likely you'll just get a random project to
help with,
which you should certainly do. This will give you something to write about
in your
essays, and will give you (hopefully) a professor to write your
recommendation letters.
Recommendation letters: You'll want three professors, ideally all in the
area you are
applying to. Ideally 2 of these are fairly big names, and 2 of these you
have worked
with outside of the classroom on a research project. You may have to kind of
constantly
remind a professor to give you some sort of research project, but I again
stress that
this is the most important thing you can do right now. Pursue all
possibilities of Professors
who can grant you research experience.
Essays: You need to stress over and over how much you love research. how
your experience
with it just made you want to do it more, how you read the journals for fun,
how you have pages of hypotheses... You'll want to have a few areas in which
you are interested in doing research. I'd recommend part of this is based on
your interests, and part is based on the interests of professors at the
school you are applying. if you have a few ideas in hypothesis form, all the
better. Don't hesitate to name a few professors by name as someone whose
work you admire and you'd love to do research with. If a few of these names
happen to be on the PHD committee (who decides your acceptance or
rejection), all the better.
TESTS: I actually took the GRE, not the GMAT. Nearly every business school
accepts both. The GMAT is probably more preferred, but I think the GRE was a
shorter test. You will need
to prepare hard for the test you choose. Take a class or get a book. You'll
probably be
able to relearn the rules of succinct 5 paragraph argumentative essay
writing and math
fairly quickly, so you'll probably focus most of your time on vocab. My GRE
scores were
English: 710 (out of 800, 97%ile), Math: 780 (out of 800, 87th percentile),
Essays: 5.5
(out of 6, 86%ile). These were good but not exceptional. I spent months
learning vocab,
and hated every minute, but it helped me a lot. As you study, remind
yourself that this test is worth as much as all the tests you would take in
several years or even entirety of an undergraduate program.
Other: The top list of top PhD programs in any particular field is often
different than the top masters or undergraduate programs in that field. Do
thorough research to determine which are the best programs within your
field, and within your specialty within that field. Some may surprise you.
For example, in marketing, Florida is regarded as far better than Harvard
for behavioral marketing research. I applied to 11 programs, which is a good
number. If you know what you want to do research in, find people active in
that. If not, focus on good and medium
school in places you'd like to live.
Good luck!
Rob Smith
PhD, Marketing
University of Michigan
Since graduating with my Bachelor's degree, I have wanted to pursue higher education. This goal started to become a reality in a phone conversation with a good friend and fellow educator. We decided that we would go to graduate school together, in the hopes that we could be motivating for each other. I honestly don't know if I would have made it this far in my graduate program without the support of my friend. We call and email each other when we have a question about an assignment or a class that we need to take. We edit each others work and study for exams together. We truly are motivating to each other and we have our own little support system. I would encourage anyone who is going into any type of graduate program to make a friend and create a support system for yourself. As you get further along in your program this person will become invaluable to you.
Kathryn Wood Almond
Master of Education in Special Education
University of North Carolina