How not to lose (too much) sleep and hair while planning for graduate school
By Severio Martin
Hi, I am Severio and I am a second semester junior and a psychology major here at Southern Virginia University.
Graduate school: I hate it already, but the rewards of going are worth it. Here are some tips and advice I have found that can apply no matter what you are looking into for the future.
1.The first advice I would offer is to plan! The LSAT, MCAT, GRE, or any test you may have to take to get into graduate school takes time to learn. How long your preparation may take depends on how you best learn and how well you can prioritize.
Tayler Bowers, Career Service Advisor at Southern Virginia University’s Career Center, advises, “Begin studying for tests that are required upon application. Whether you are taking the GRE/GMAT for business school, or the MCAT for medical school, you will want to start studying and practicing during your second semester as a junior and eventually take the test the summer before your senior year.”
I have been studying for my LSAT since January. I could take my official test in either June or August. Essentially, this will be about six months of studying for a test that only lasts one day (it’s not fun). Of course, life happens. But, if you plan early, you can be proactive and not retroactive.
“Each test has a governing website where you can access tips and tricks, as well as practice exams to use before your official test,” offers Bowers.
Not all schools require standardized tests. For other programs, you might have to take certain pre-reqs or have certain job experiences.
Planning and working to apply for graduate school could save you thousands of dollars since the most generous aid packages and scholarships are offered to top applicants.
Here at Southern Virginia University, students are offered all of the tools to get them there. Linked here is an article of students who have gone to top graduate programs, in the last few years to show that point.
2. Graduate schools, in any discipline, are extremely competitive! It is important that you build your resumé and experience based off of the program you hope to be accepted into. One advantage of going to Southern Virginia University is having access to professors who have gone to great graduate schools. Professors are more than willing to walk you through this process.
It’s always a good idea to have your resume and personal statement completed prior to requesting letters of recommendation. Including copies of your resume and personal statement in an informative email to your potential recommenders will allow them to see how you’re branding yourself, that way their recommendations are complementary to your application as a whole.
This takes time, and putting it off to the last minute can be stressful and may result in a lower quality application than you were hoping for as you’re working quickly to meet deadlines, says Lauren Nelson, Director of Career Services.
I am a psychology major. I know if you do not have good research experience, you’re unlikely to get into a clinical program. I learned this by meeting and talking to my professors and going to psychology meetings created for future graduate students. Because of this, I want to obtain a Master’s degree in social work. In applying for social work programs, you will often be asked for a 3rd letter of recommendation.This 3rd letter has to come from someone who has “observed you in a social work environment.” This can be many things but you have to ask yourself what are you doing now to have that letter to be able to apply. This train of thinking can be applied to other programs as well.
“Meet with professors and employers to begin collecting letters of recommendation. Your application will require 2–3 letters of recommendation, and these should be from professors and employers that you are close with. Be sure to provide them specific examples of work you have done that help you to stand out among others,” says Bowers.
I hope you found this information helpful as you prepare for graduate school. For more information, visit the Career Center, located on the second floor of the Student Life House.
