Academic Advising and Requirements
Graduate School Advising
Discernment
Preparing for a successful graduate school experience begins during your freshmen and sophomore years. During this time, begin identifying what moves you.
- What classes are you most excited about?
- Which professor’s research fascinates you?
- What questions captivate you?
Choosing Your Path
Develop relationships with your professors in your major and minor.
Your professors can not only deepen your understanding of a discipline, but can also provide you with advice concerning graduate programs, information on scholarships and fellowships, and letters of recommendation.
Become proficient in a foreign language that excites you.
Choose to fulfill your language requirements based on what interests you, not on what you studied in high school.
Attend conferences and lectures that intrigue you.
Hearing from experts will help you better define your interests. Funding to support conference attendance is available through Learning Beyond the Classroom grants.
Study Abroad
Immersion in a different culture will give you a different perspective and, at the same time, challenge you to hone in on what truly matters to you.
Decide to contribute to your field.
Undergraduate research is a transformative experience. When you perform research, you develop a friendship with your faculty mentor and strengthen your writing portfolio. Ask your department or a College of Arts and Letters institute about writing a senior thesis, one of the best preparations for graduate school.
Learn about funding for undergraduate research >
Determine what type of program suits you.
Do you want to spend 6-8 years becoming an expert in your field in a program that is generally fully funded? Then the Ph.D. is the right choice for you.
Are you looking to become more qualified for a particular career? Look into getting a terminal Master’s degree.
Preparing to Apply
Take the GREs the summer before your senior year.
Free practice tests are provided by the Educational Testing Service
Research schools
The best school for you is based on fit and strength. Is the program well respected? Does it fit your interests? Are there faculty members with whom you can work for your dissertation? Do you feel comfortable picturing yourself working with your graduate colleagues in the future.
Ask faculty members who know your work well if they will write letters of recommendation.
