| Your Undergraduate to Graduate Transition |
| The decision to pursue a master’s degree is a major one that requires
you to do some research in preparation. What’s important in a graduate
school application? How can you keep the workload in balance?
The following resources can help you make a successful transition to graduate school. Grad School Tips at www.gradschooltips.com is a well-written, up-to-date site addressing essential questions for exiting undergraduates. The site includes etiquette tips for attaining recommendations, what to include and exclude in application essays, and a synopsis of the various types of essays an institution may require. Graduate Admission Essays: Write Your Way Into the Graduate School of Your Choice by Donald Asher, offers 50 sample essays, showcasing the best and worst of graduate school essays, to provide you with practical suggestions for getting into the program you want to attend. The book also includes sample letters of recommendation, scholarship essays, and more. Graduate Survival Guide by Michael Bergman provides practical advice from a “real world” perspective on how to transition to and survive graduate school. About.com: Making the Transition to Graduate School About.com is a useful site listing direct links to articles about graduate blues, starting research, and the new world of graduate school learning. About.com offers helpful information on making the transition to graduate school and was recommended by Robin S. Brooks, Academic Success Coordinator of the University of Alaska Anchorage, College of Education. Peer Mentoring Once you have chosen a graduate program, reaching out to a graduate student who is a year or two ahead of you in the program can reap large benefits. Members of KDP’s National Graduate Student Committee note that a peer’s perspective and insights about qualifying exam presentations, dissertation proposals, and other requirements went a long way to support, encourage, and guide them through their own process, whether it was for a master’s or doctoral degree. Graduate “in the trenches” mentoring helps prepare you for the types of questions you may be asked when defending your dissertation, provide tips for moving through the process and avoiding procrastination, and other ‘insider’ information that can reduce the anxiety of stressful situations. Older students also have a handle on the graduate assistant positions that are opening up, because they know who is graduating, getting married, and starting a new job. These inside-track colleagues also know about graduate-assistant funding and openings– often before the faculty. |
| Other Tips & Resources |
| • | Graduate Guide — This is directory of graduate schools in the United States and Canada. |
| • | Peterson’s Tips on Grad School — Find practical advice about the graduate school interview. |
| • | Ten Top Tips for Getting into Grad School |
| • | Test Prep Practice — This website helps to prepare for the MAT, the GRE, and other tests. |
| • | Graduate Programs — Here is a list of graduate programs associated with KDP Chapters! |
| Books |
| • | Get into Graduate School (4th Ed.) (2011) by Kaplan Publishing |
| • | Graduate School: Winning Strategies for Getting In (2nd Ed.) (2012) by Dave Mumby |
| • | Graduate Admissions Essays: Write Your Way into the Graduate School of Your Choice (4th Ed.) (2012) by Donald Asher |
| • | A Guide to Academia: Getting into and Surviving Grad School, Postdocs and a Research Job (2012) by Prosanta Chakrabarty |