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How to Pick the Perfect Graduate School
July 24, 2007
BACK-To-SCHOOL TIP SHEET FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF IDAHO
How to Pick the Perfect Graduate School
MOSCOW, Idaho – For Vicki Trier, it’s all about the right fit. With a 60 percent graduate school placement rate for students in the McNair Achievement Program she coordinates at the University of Idaho, Trier has some strong ideas about how to pick the perfect graduate school and be accepted.
Among Trier’s top tips for those interested in graduate school:
1. Conduct research as an undergraduate. A background in research makes you a much better grad school candidate, especially if you have a weaker GPA or GRE score.
2. Choose a graduate school that supports and fits your research and academic interests. Avoid being influenced by factors that guided your choice of undergraduate school such as proximity to home, cost or financial aid options. Select a program that supports your research interests.
3. Visit as many schools as you can. You may have different opinions about a program based on the site visit.
4. Talk with current graduate students in related programs at the institutions you visit. If they're excited about their experience, you'll know you're in good hands. If it's a negative experience for them, you may want to be cautious.
5. Get to know the professor(s) leading the program you'd like to join. Are they responsive and helpful? Do they take a personal interest in you and your research ideas? Do your research interests fit with their current research?
6. Look for funding outside of student loans, such as research fellowships and assistantships to assist with the cost of graduate school.
Trier holds a doctorate in education from the University of Idaho and a bachelor's degree from Indiana University in Telecommunications. She has 12 years of experience working with undergraduate students, and has coordinated the University of Idaho's McNair Achievement Program since 2003.
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About the University of Idaho
Founded in 1889, the University of Idaho is the state’s flagship higher-education institution and its principal graduate education and research university, bringing insight and innovation to the state, the nation and the world. University researchers attract nearly $100 million in research grants and contracts each year; the University of Idaho is the only institution in the state to earn the prestigious Carnegie Foundation ranking for high research activity. The university’s student population includes first-generation college students and ethnically diverse scholars. Offering more than 150 degree options in 10 colleges, the university combines the strengths of a large university with the intimacy of small learning communities. For information, visit www.uidaho.edu.
Contact: Joni Kirk, University Communications, (208) 885-7725, joni@uidaho.edu
JK-7/24/2007-TIPS
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