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Graduate and Professional School
Overview
Your undergraduate education will not necessarily prepare you to decide whether to attend graduate or professional school. You will need to ask for advice. Fall semester of your junior year is a good time to start talking to your advisor and professors. Tell them that you'd like to ask their advice. Let them know that you are considering graduate school and what your interests are. Ask for their suggestions about programs that would most closely match your needs and interests. Professors may be able to give you an evaluation of specific programs and/or they may have contacts at these programs. Building a good relationship with your professors at this point will help you clarify whom to approach for letters of recommendation, if and where to apply, and will enable your professors to write stronger letters of recommendation for you later.
First Steps to Take:
- Consult with Bard faculty within the discipline for which you would apply regarding programs they recommend and graduate school expectations.
- Clarify what your scholarly interests are within your field; are your interests already highly specialized or are they still fairly broad?
- Visit graduate program websites to learn more about individual faculty research, publications and interests. Investigate the orientation of each program. Are there scholars at particular institutions with whom you wish to work?
- Determine your criteria for selecting a program including geographical location, reputation of the school, research facilities, and available financial aid, fellowships and teaching assistantships.
- Make a short list of five to ten programs that meet your criteria. Try to select at least one long shot and a couple of schools of which you are fairly confident you'll be accepted into.
- If you cannot visit a program, try to set up an appointment with the Departmental Chairperson. Be prepared with questions before getting on the phone or visiting.
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Graduate School Advising
Our office offers graduate school advising. You may schedule an appointment to talk about your graduate or professional school interests, concerns, and options. Students typically have questions and need clarification regarding: when to attend graduate school, the fall after college graduation or later; the pros and cons of applying to Masters versus Doctoral programs; and the benefits or opportunities available with an advanced degree in respective careers. The more information you have, the better equipped you are to strategize and think through decisions regarding advanced education.
Our graduate and professional school library includes information about graduate and professional programs, GRE's, LSAT's and other entrance exams, as well as resources on writing personal statements. We also review and provide feedback on students' statements of purpose and applications essays.
The college has many people you may want to consult with:
- For graduate school advising, contact April Kinser, director of Career Development and Graduate School Advisor (Campus Center 201; kinser@bard.edu; 758-7177).
- If you are considering applying to law school, contact Roger Berkowitz, Visiting Professor of Political Studies and Human Rights and Prelaw Advisor (Seymour 102; berkowit@bard.edu; 758-7413).
- If you are interested in appyling for medical school or to a program in the health professions, contact John Ferguson, Professor of Biology and the designated Health Professions Advisor (Hegeman 304; Ferguson@bard.edu;758-7233).
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Selecting Graduate Programs
National rankings of graduate and professional schools including, U.S. News & World Report , provide helpful information including student to faculty ratios, percentage of graduates employed at graduation, and admissions data for individual programs. Look through the suggested list of criteria below to determine your own set of criteria for evaluating respective programs.
Possible Criteria to Consider:
- Admission requirements
- Curriculum
- Reputation/Quality of Program
- Faculty: Areas of Scholarly Research/Accessibility
- Geographical location
- Program Orientation
- Program Size
- Cost/Financial aid (teaching assistantships, research assistantships and fellowships available)
- Library and Research facilities
- Career Opportunities and Services
Comparative information about programs is readily available and will allow you to assess the strengths and weaknesses of various schools. You might begin researching individual programs using Peterson's Guide to Graduate and Professional Schools and the Advanced Grad School Search at the Princeton Review's website. The next step is to request catalogs and investigate individual program websites. Read about faculty at each school--their research, publications and scholarly interests. This is an important piece in your evaluation of graduate programs.
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The Application Process
Once you've requested and received admissions materials, it's time to complete the applications to your target schools. Although there is not a common application for graduate school, as there is for medical school (American Association of Medical Schools, AMCAS application), the application process generally involves similar components: writing a personal statement, filling out general information forms, financial aid forms, soliciting recommendations, and arranging for GRE scores and official transcripts to be sent. Some programs may have additional requirements, such as an interview or portfolio.
Typically, you send your application to a central graduate admissions office. Your application will then be routed to a departmental admissions committee. This committee is comprised of faculty in the program to which you are applying and they will make all of the acceptance decisions. The committee members will look at all of the factors in your application in deciding whether or not to admit you. Submitting your application and financial aid forms early is important. Funding may not be available later in the admissions cycle.
Testing
Most graduate programs require the General GRE, and a few require the Subject GRE in addition. A small number of Masters programs including some Masters of Social Work programs do not require the general GRE. Peterson's Guide and individual program websites indicate which standardized test scores are required. Generally, it is advisable to take these exams in the fall semester, one year before your target matriculation date.
Test prep guides for the GRE general test and the LSAT and information regarding prep courses are available in the Career Development Office. PowerPrep software for the GRE is also available on designated computers in Henderson Computer Lab. PrincetonReview.com offers a sample GRE test online that they will score for you for free.
The GRE General Exam
The Career Development Office has registration and information bulletins for the GRE, LSAT, GMAT, and a few MAT and TOEFL applications. You may schedule a time to take the GRE with the Sylvan Learning Center in Wappingers Falls (914-297-8666) or Albany, New York (518-869-6119). For a list of all Sylvan sites, and other pertinent information regarding the GRE's, visit www.gre.org.
The GRE Subject Tests
Visit www.gre.org to register for the Subject GRE's online.
The Law School Admissions Test
To register for the LSAT's, obtain information about this standardized test and download a sample exam, visit the Law School Admissions Council's (LSAC) website at: www.lsac.org. Test dates for 2008-2009 are:
- Saturday, October 4, 2008
- Saturday, December 6, 2008
- Saturday, February 7, 2009
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Recommendations and Credential File Service
Most graduate programs ask for three recommendations, sometimes more for students applying for funding. A solid letter of recommendation should provide an informative and well-documented evaluation of the quality of a student's academic performance and potential. Graduate applications often include recommendation forms, and in some cases, questionnaires. Once you decide which professors to ask, preferably ones in your desired field or a closely related discipline, make an appointment with them or drop by during office hours. Consider bringing a copy of your application essay, a description of the programs to which you are applying, a resume, a copy of a paper you have written and any other materials or information that will help your reference write a detailed letter that speaks to your qualifications. Be prepared to explain why you want to do graduate work and something about your career goals.
Be sure to provide the faculty member with stamped, addressed envelopes, appropriate deadlines and forms. And be mindful of allowing enough lead time for each professor to meet the deadlines comfortably. If you are applying for a fellowship/assistantship, the deadlines are usually earlier; try to supply all the required recommendation forms at once.
If you plan to apply to graduate school at a future date, ask professors for letters of recommendation before you graduate, while you are still fresh in their minds. Our office maintains a Credential File Service to keep your recommendation letters on file. If you would like to use this service, you must decide whether to waive your right to read the letter of recommendation (download a PDF of the waiver form here). Provide each reference with the waiver form and ask him/her to send it with the reference letter to our office. If we do not receive a waiver, we will assume that you have waived your right to read the recommendation. When you are ready to apply to graduate school, provide our office with school contact information and application deadlines and we will send out copies of the recommendations on your behalf. If you decide to apply to graduate school later, keep in touch with your references. We can send their original reference letter to them and they may be willing to update or tailor it to the program to which you are applying.
Personal Statement
The personal statement along with standardized tests seem to be the most overwhelming factors in the application process for prospective applicants. Understanding the criteria used by the admissions committee in evaluating your personal statement can sometimes help you focus in on what's most important. The following is a list of qualities that admissions committees look for in personal statements and in applicants:
- Cogency: how clearly you think and write
- Sense of Purpose: how well thought-out your plans are including your stated purpose and goals
- Fit: how well your interests and strengths mesh with the program and faculty
- Preparedness: your academic background and specific interest in a program
- Commitment to the field: your related experience and familiarity with graduate level research and scholarly issues in the field
- Critical Thinking: your ability to assess and analyze information critically
- Maturity: your work ethic, focus, motivation, capacity for self-reflection
While law schools tend to emphasize capacity for original thought and the ability to assess and analyze information critically, business schools are generally more focused on an applicant's willingness to work in a team environment and their leadership qualities. Graduate programs (especially Doctoral programs) typically stress research experience and skills. Clearly, each graduate program and discipline, whether it is in the humanities, sciences, or the arts will have a different set of expectations and requirements. This is another subject about which you should seek faculty's advice. Ask your advisor or a professor to review your statement and give you feedback. Ask our office to read your essay and offer you suggestions and editorial assistance. Solicit input from people you trust and try to incorporate their suggestions. Your statement will probably require several revisions before it is ready to be sent out.
Application Fee
Application fees range from $30 to over $75. These application-processing fees are designed to discourage less-serious applicants from applying. Occasionally, fee waivers are offered to applicants who can prove financial need. If you qualify for a GRE fee waiver, you may also be eligible for an application fee waiver. Check if you qualify with the graduate admissions office at institutions to which you are applying.
Financial Aid Information
The assistantships, fellowships, internships and co-op education offered by different graduate schools vary widely. The first step in researching internal funding sources is requesting information from the financial aid office at the institutions to which you are applying. Keep in mind, however, that internal funding is more competitive than getting into the program. General information about Stafford Loans, Pell Grants and federal funding is usually provided by each graduate school. Patricia McWade's book How to Get Money for Your Master's or Ph.D.: Financing Graduate School, is a very helpful resource to consult and is available in our reference library. The Princeton Review's website provides a Tuition Cost Calculator to help you estimate the total cost of school.
Official Transcripts
Transcripts may be requested in person or in writing from the Bard Registrar's Office. Mailed or faxed requests are accepted, but e-mailed requests are not. In person, the transcript request may be filled out in the Registrar's Office, Ludlow 201. The request should contain the following information: Name (while at Bard), Dates of attendance or year of graduation, Address(es) to which the transcripts are to be mailed, Student signature, and $3.00 fee per transcript copy (payable only by check or money order to Bard College). Processing time for requests is usually within 7 days. Send requests to: Office of the Registrar, Bard College, PO Box 5000, Annandale-on-Hudson, NY 12504. Phone: (845) 758-7458; Fax: (845) 758-7036.
The Interview
The graduate admissions process does not always involve an interview. Some schools require an interview, while others do not. Many schools encourage a campus visit and appointments with admissions officers and individual faculty. Meeting with faculty and/or the Departmental Chairperson enables you to: establish rapport with individuals who may be involved in your admissions decision and under whom you may study and to gain insight into that department's orientation or culture.
Tracking Your Applications
In order to stay on top of the applications process, fill out and mail the postcards addressed to each graduate department. These will be used to notify you of the receipt of your application documents and about missing materials from your application.
Special Application Materials
State Residency
If you apply to a state school as an in-state resident, you usually qualify for dramatic savings in tuition. In order to prove your residency, you will be required to complete state residency forms and provide proof of your residence in that state for at least one year prior to your matriculation date.
International Students
Additional requirements for students from other countries include:
- A minimum score on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)
- A certified English translation of your academic transcript
- Proof of immunization and various health certificates
- Documentation of financial self-sufficiency for student's first 9 to 12 months in the U.S.
Once accepted to a graduate program, international students must follow certain governmental regulations. Each school will send you a Form I-20 or Form IAP-66, Certificate of Eligibility for Non-Immigrant Status. You must then obtain an international student visa (F-1 with the Form I-20 or J-1 with the Form IAP-66) by presenting your acceptance documents, your passport, and your evidence of financial support to a U.S. embassy or consulate. Be sure to check with your own government to find out if there are any other requirements you must meet to study in the U.S.
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Web Links
The following websites are useful for researching graduate and professional schools, and in the application process:
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