申请研究生院
Graduate study has become an increasingly popular career choice for students in all fields. 许多大学毕业生追求研究生学位,因为这些学位在市场上的价值,因为许多领域变得如此专业化,研究生学习是必不可少的. Graduate education also serves society's needs in technical and professional ways, as well as provides a major source of intellectual leadership for society. The shortage of graduates from these programs has become a nationwide concern, 尤其是在科学领域, 技术, 工程, 和数学. 不管, 研究生学习是一个丰富的经验,学生希望深入研究一个特定的主题,走上终身有益的职业生涯. 研究生学习可以分为两种类型的教育经历:专业导向学位和研究/奖学金导向学位.
Professional programs prepare students to enter fields, e.g., 工程, law, or medicine; obtain certification to work in a particular field, e.g., teaching or counseling; and increase the employment opportunities for higher-level positions, e.g.工商管理. Although many master programs are professional degrees, master programs also can be precursors to doctoral programs.
Doctoral programs prepare students to conduct research and engage in scholarship. 这种准备使博士生成为大学教授或行业和政府的专业研究人员. 博士课程通常包括五到八年的学习,最终获得博士学位(通常是博士学位).D. 或维.Ed.). Many doctoral programs are available immediately after you complete a baccalaureate degree; others you can enter after you have completed a master's degree.
Depending on your career goals and readiness, 你可以选择直接进入研究生院,或者工作几年,然后以全职或兼职的方式进入研究生院. The following information will help you plan, 为......准备, and move through the process of applying to graduate programs of all types.
Obtaining Information About Schools and Programs
The single most effective method is talking to professors and graduate students. Since many of them have studied or worked with professors at other schools, they know about the reputations and research orientations of departments across the country.
的副本 彼得森大学研究生课程指南 is located in the Career Library in 职业服务. These guides describe graduate admissions and education in specific disciplines such as law, 社会工作, 社会科学与人文科学, 工程, 数学, 环境研究, 生物学, 业务, 和心理学. These guides identify and briefly outline academic programs, 财政援助资源, 学习费用, 应用程序需求, 还有其他有用的信息. 一些本科项目办公室, 比如法律预科和医学预科, have small information centers with pamphlets, 书, 研究生院公告, 还有其他资源.
If graduate school is a part of your plans, start the application process as early as a year before you plan to go. 如果可能的话,参观一些学校. This will give you a much better feel for the programs you are interested in attending. Make arrangements in advance to meet with faculty, the individual who coordinates the applicant review, 还有一些研究生. 如果可以的话not visit, call someone there. Request specific information about the research being conducted, 课程内容, 以及录取标准.
招生
The specific criteria and their relative weights vary, 这取决于学科, 特殊教育机构, 还有申请者的数量. 教师, 书, and articles can provide specific information about grade point average and admission test score criteria. Certain programs have very high grade point average or test score cutoff points, while for others work experience and evidence of success in relevant courses are much more important. Do not assume that you can never get into a discipline. Remember, course requirements differ from one graduate program to another.
You generally do not need to have an undergraduate degree in the same or a closely related field. Check to see what courses are required, however. The course work can be taken after graduation, if necessary. 在一些大学里, 你可以完成这些课程作为一个非学位研究生寻求成为一个项目的资格.
If the programs you first investigate have admissions criteria that you cannot meet, look for related programs in other fields with less stringent criteria. You may discover a challenging, relevant program or field that you have not considered.
In addition to the complete application form, items required by you for an application might include graduate admission test scores, 成绩单, 推荐信, 一篇文章, 或者是一份意向声明.
The application process will differ slightly from program to program. 因此, 重要的是,你要创建一个系统来组织,这样你就可以很容易地跟踪你的申请材料. As graduate schools are seeking independent and highly motivated individuals, the first test of graduate school is to complete the admission process in an organized and timely manner. 以下部分包括大多数项目的一般考虑因素,但请确保您阅读了您申请的每个项目的具体入学要求. Some programs will require you to complete applications online, others will request hard copy applications, and some will require a combination of the two.
申请的最后期限
When schools list priority deadlines for applications, those dates are often used for consideration of scholarships, 研究生助教奖学金, 和奖学金. 如果你在整个项目中需要或想要经济援助,那么在这个日期之前提交你的材料对你来说是最有利的. 另外, while a program may either provide a late deadline such as a date in April or a rolling deadline, it is in your best interest to send in your application materials as soon as possible. 滚动截止日期, students are accepted on a continuous basis and when the acceptance slots are full, the program will no longer accept applications. 尽早提交你的申请材料将表明你对这个项目的真正兴趣,并将增加你被录取的机会.
研究生入学考试
The required tests vary depending on the type of graduate study. The most common admissions tests include the Graduate Record Exam (GRE考试), the Graduate Management 招生 Test (G垫考试) for 业务 schools, and the Law School 招生 Test (考试). You can register for many of these tests online.
学校的招生目录会详细说明你需要参加哪项考试,通常还会注明有竞争力被录取的平均分数. 你应该计划在你预期的入学日期前大约一年参加适当的考试,尽管许多考试成绩的有效期为三到五年. You can obtain test information from the Web sites listed below:
请记住,虽然学校主要利用研究生入学考试作为录取的要求, some schools also use test scores when considering students for scholarships or 奖学金.
You may need to brush up on your test-taking knowledge and skills. Studying for any of these exams is best done by following the suggestions in the registration booklet. There are many 书 and services available for practice and strategy development. Before you buy a book or enroll in a costly review course, 决定你是通过独立阅读和练习(书本)还是通过指导和小组练习(复习课程)学得更好。. 如果可以的话, 评估你正在考虑的书籍或节目的内容和风格,看看你是否能理解它们并从中学习. GRE考试, G垫考试, 每学期在大学公园的美国银行就业服务中心安排考试预备课程. 请电子邮件 (电子邮件保护) to inquire about the schedule for test preparation courses.
申请流程
成绩单
你的本科工作和你完成的任何其他研究生工作的正式成绩单必须送到研究生院. This may be done at the end of your junior year or in the middle of your senior year or, 对于那些稍后要讲的, 在你毕业后的任何时候. Contact the registrar's office to have your 成绩单 sent; anticipate a fee for this service.
推荐信
在理想的情况下, 你应该在申请研究生院的一年前就开始考虑这个问题,以确保教授和其他相关专业人士已经足够了解你,可以写好推荐信. Most graduate programs require that two or three recommendation letters be sent. Some programs enclose evaluation forms to be filled out by each referee. A letter of recommendation form is available on the 十大网投平台信誉排行榜 注册商 site.
学校更喜欢,有时要求至少有一个,有时是两个来自大学或学院的教职员工的推荐信, 最好是在你目前学习的同一部门和/或在你申请研究生学习的同一领域. If you have worked in a job related to the field, a supervisor may provide an excellent reference.
选择裁判时, an important consideration is how well and in what depth the individual will describe you in the letter. When approaching people for reference letters, ask each person if he/she knows you well enough to write a meaningful letter. Also, provide as much lead time as possible; a month or more is preferred. If the individual appears reluctant, politely say you can find someone else.
帮助这个人写一个相关的, 良好的信, it is best to provide a copy of your resume, 你在研究生院的目标, 你申请的学校, and any forms the person has been requested to complete. Also include a stamped, addressed envelope unless the school has specified a different procedure.
在截止日期之前,不要害怕与每个推荐人核实一次或多次,看看信是否已经寄出. Many people with good intentions get busy and forget the deadline.
应用程序的文章
大多数学校会要求你写一篇关于你的背景和兴趣的文章或陈述,因为它们与你的研究领域有关. These are often used as an opportunity to see you beyond the data required in the admissions criteria. 许多学校还会要求你就你所在领域的特定问题提供简短的回答,以评估你对即将进入的领域的知识和理解. These essays are one measure of your ability to write, to build arguments, and to think critically. They also assess your enthusiasm for the field of study, creativity, maturity, and uniqueness.
For most personal statements or letters of intent, 学校希望你清楚自己的职业目标和申请该校的原因. In your essays, you want to demonstrate that you have specific career goals (e.g., 成为一名有执照的心理学家),并了解这个特定的项目将如何帮助你实现你的职业目标. 在你的论文中加入由该机构的教职员工或你感兴趣的特定课程进行的具体研究是很有帮助的.
Have someone review your essay for content, grammar, and spelling. 通常,评论你的文章的最佳人选是你的顾问或那些为你写推荐信的人,因为他们能够告诉你哪些需要强调,哪些需要删减或删除. Take your time developing your essay(s); they are often the most crucial part of your application.
金融援助
Three kinds of financial aid are available: 1) work programs, such as 研究生助教奖学金 and college work-study programs; 2) monetary awards, 包括赠款, 奖学金, and scholarships; and 3) loans, 通常通过银行管理, 政府, 或者教育机构.
Because every graduate school has its own application process and system of awarding aid, you must obtain that information directly from each of the institutions to which you are applying. You can check with both the financial aid office and the graduate academic department.
Graduate assistantships pay tuition and a stipend for living expenses. Most are administered by academic departments and involve either ten or twenty hours of work per week. Teaching assistantships involve assisting a professor with grading, 办公时间, 还有复习课, or being responsible for the entire teaching of one or more courses. 研究助理奖学金包括协助正在进行的研究,并可以演变为开展自己的论文研究项目. 行政助理就不那么常见了,可能涉及管理像计算机实验室这样的小型设施.
贷款 and college work-study programs are awarded on the basis of financial need. To determine need, many graduate schools require that the applicant submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)该地区由美国政府管理.S. 教育部.
For additional information on financial aid, visit FinAid: The 财政援助信息 Page.
Graduate and Professional School Application Action Plan
Fall and spring, a year prior to when you want to start
- 研究 areas of interest, institutions, and programs.
- Talk to advisers about 应用程序需求.
- Register and 为......准备 appropriate graduate admission tests.
- 考察国家奖学金.
- If appropriate, obtain 推荐信.
Summer, a year prior to when you want to start
- Take the required graduate admission tests.
- 准备好你的申请材料.
- 访问 institutions of interests, if possible.
- 写申请论文.
- Check on application deadlines and rolling admissions policies.
- 用于医学, 牙科, 整骨疗法, 足部医疗, 或者法学院, you may need to register for the national application or data assembly service most programs use.
在你想开始之前摔倒
- 获取推荐信.
- Take graduate admission tests if you haven't already.
- 递交填妥的申请书.
- 如有需要,请填写FAFSA.
Spring prior to when you want to start
- Check with all institutions before the deadline to make sure your file is complete.
- 参观接受你的学校. Send a deposit to your institution of choice.
- 把你的决定通知其他接受你的学院和大学,这样他们就可以录取候补名单上的学生.
- Send thank-you notes to people who wrote your recommendation letters, informing them of your success.
如需额外协助, please visit 职业服务 and talk to a counselor who can review your essay and application materials.