PROJECT 19: Graduate Study Research

OVERVIEW:

For many students the option of graduate school is a foregone conclusion. But, which school is the right one for them to attend? What coursework should they pursue? This project will provide an opportunity for you to familiarize yourself with graduate school options by examining admissions requirements, admissions procedures, courses of study, and placement statistics.

It is recommended that you do Projects 19 and 20 as a set.

PROJECT INSTRUCTIONS:

Read Chapter 21 in the textbook.

Your finished project should fulfill ALL of the requirements below.

 

A.     Why Graduate Study? Write a one-page analysis of why you are considering attending graduate school. Describe the type of job you are seeking after you complete your graduate degree. Discuss your background, qualifications, and probability of getting accepted. Discuss the cost including tuition, books, housing, etc. Create a personal budget plan.

B.     Which School? Identify three graduate schools to which you might consider applying and include them in your project. Do extensive research on each school from the web. Be sure to look at admission requirements, course catalogs, financial aid, and placement statistics. Print out two summary pages from one school and bring it to your lab.

C.    Admissions: Describe the admission procedures and standards for each school. Determine whether your qualifications match the admission standards in each case. Assume that you are a faculty member at the school who is reading your admissions materials. Write a one-page email to the admission office explaining why you are recommending admission.

D.    Test Planning: List the date that you plan to sit for the admissions test. What are your plans for preparing for the test? Will you be using a test coaching service such as Kaplan? If you have already taken the test, please include your scores and describe how they compare to the requirements of the program.

E.     Program Plan: Select one of these three schools. Lay out a specific course of study at this school. (Do this term-by-term, based upon the school’s catalog and your academic background.) Don’t forget about international study, internships, and other recommended options. Discuss how and why you plan to participate in various options.

F.     Placement Analysis: Investigate the placement success by referring to the number of recruiters, starting salaries, demographics, etc.

G.    Financial Aid Option: Discuss how financial aid is awarded, if any, and how competitive you might be for obtaining aid if you apply. Summarize the financial aid requirements at each of the three schools and evaluate your chances of receiving financial aid.

Deliverables: You should turn in to your Career Counselor:

Ø      One-page analysis of reasons for going to graduate school.

Ø      Names of three schools with descriptions of admission procedures for each with printouts of information on one of them.

Ø      One-page hypothetical recommender email from faculty perspective.

Ø      Information on your plans for taking admissions test.

Ø      Course of study for one school

Ø      Information on placement success for that school

Ø      Information on financial aid.