Thinking about continuing your education with graduate or professional school but not sure what the next step is? We can help you in the process. Whether you need guidance in researching schools, assistance finding resources to study for standardized tests, feedback on your personal statements or suggestions on financing the education, we have resources and counselors available for you.

Deciding to Pursue Graduate or Professional School
It is important to be clear about your reasons for pursuing graduate or professional school. Set up an appointment to meet with one of the Career Counselors to evaluate your interests and plans and how graduate or professional school will help you reach these goals.

Researching the Options
There are numerous internet sites to help you research graduate schools. Check out a few of our favorite graduate school sites. The Career Resource Library also has reference books and videos to help you find programs and to provide guidance on the overall application process. Asking faculty or alumni for advice can also give you insight on how programs meet your career goals.

Taking Admission Tests
Most graduate and professional programs require a standardized admission test. Give yourself plenty of time to sign-up, study and receive scores for these exams. Go to test specific sites to receive pertinent information on the exam. The Career Resource Library has resources to help you prepare for these exams. The computers in the Career Resource Library and Student Center for Health and Well Being also have GRE POWERPREP available to aid you in studying and preparing (also available for free to download from the GRE website).

Writing the Essay
Graduate and Professional School applications typically require that you write essays in response to specific questions. These are called admission essays or personal statements. The Career Resource Library has books with tips and strategies to approaching these essays. Start early so you have time to write several drafts and request that career counselors, faculty or The Writing Center review and provide feedback.

Financing the Education
Financial aid for graduate school usually comes in the form of scholarships, assistantships, fellowships and loans. Investigate the opportunities available through the specific programs and schools to which you are applying as well as the following general sites.

Organizing the Process
Each program will have different deadlines and requirements so it is important that you develop a personalized time frame and tracking system to organize materials and deadlines. Download a .pdf version of a general time frame.