If you have not already decided to attend graduate school, you should contact your favorite faculty member and begin discussions about attending and about the graduate school process.  It is not a process that you can take lightly, and as with anything else that is worth having, it requires you to work hard.  Nevertheless, completing the process is not impossible, especially if you plan.  Starting early is crucial and consulting good resources helpful. 

Perhaps the most comprehensive source of graduate school opportunities exists in the multi-volume set of books commonly referred to as The Peterson's Guides.   Peterson's Guide to Graduate and Professional Programs can be found in most college library reference rooms.  It can also be found on the internet at, http://www.petersons.com along with a host of other graduate school Web sites.  Of course THE  BLACK COLLEGIAN's GSOP, Graduate/Professional School Opportunities Pages," is especially useful, for it lists opportunities from graduate schools and professional organizations especially interested in African Americans.  It too can be found on the Internet at www.black-collegiate.com.  Using these materials will prove invaluable.  You should begin thinking about your graduate career as early as possible.  It is not too early for freshmen or sophomores to start inquiring about graduate school and planning.  Successful graduate school applicants will often have participated in summer research internships and graduate recruitment fairs throughout their undergraduate careers.  The wise student will begin the actual application process no later than one year before their expected date of graduate admission. 

Selecting and Applying to Graduate School 

Once you have decided to pursue a graduate degree and selected your field of study, follow these five steps in the application process: 

I. Create a list of potential schools.  To maximize your opportunities you will need to apply to several, or more, schools.  The more schools you apply to, the more chances you have for admission.  By consulting The Peterson's Guides, you will uncover a comprehensive listing of graduate opportunities in your respective area.  The listings include descriptions of each discipline and its sub-fields.  It will also include a wealth of data about the various institutions in those disciplines (location, entrance requirements, acceptance rates, tuition costs, funding options, enrollment demographics, etc.). 

To create your list of schools first consider factors like quality of the program, areas of research, strength of the university, reputation of faculty in your area, availability of funding, institutional support, and commitment to minority students.  Other factors that may play a part include geographic region, size of enrollment, racial make-up of students, community in which the school is located, and campus facilities and activities.  After weighing these factors, compile a list of ten or more institutions.  Then contact each school.  Wherever possible visit the campus.  Campus visits can sometimes influence your choice significantly.  In any case, request application materials and any other information that will help you with the admissions process.  Ultimately, you want to select the university that will give you your best opportunity for success. 

II.  Register, practice, and then take the GRE.  The Graduate Records Examination (GRE) is the entrance exam most graduate schools require.  It has assumed a more important role in the admissions process than was ever intended.  More on this exam will be explained later.  For now, register early (see GRE Timetable); practice using a review course or study manual; schedule your exam at least a year, but preferably a year and a half, before you intend to start graduate school, and take the test and do well.  Take it early so that you can submit scores, along with the rest of your application.  Early applicants are more likely to be admitted and funded than those who apply late. 

III.  Ask faculty members for letters of recommendations.  Often applicants will try to impress admission committees with letters from local politicians,  high ranking university officials, or even their pastors.  These people may appear to be good sources for recommendations because of their positions or their prestige, especially if they know the applicant and are able to say nice things about the applicant.  Nevertheless, admissions committees are primarily interested in the academic abilities of the applicants.  This nearly always requires evaluators who have taught the applicant and who can speak favorably about the ability of applicants to succeed with graduate level work.  Faculty members from whom you have earned at least two B's or higher (preferably two or more A's ) should be able to write strong letters of recommendation for you. 

When requesting these letters, always remember that they are just that requests.  They should therefore be requested courteously and thoughtfully.  This means that you approach your faculty members early and that you provide them with enough information so that they effectively transmit their opinion of your potential. Follow up to make sure that they have mailed your recommendations and thank them in writing once they have done so.  By all means, let them know when you get accepted and keep them informed of your plans. 

IV.  Write a statement of purpose and have it critiqued.  The statement of purpose often distinguishes the winners and the losers.  Those who get accepted almost always have better statements of purpose than those who do not. What makes for a good statement is its overall quality and its clear indication of potential for graduate study.  A good statement will be concise: It says what you have to say as efficiently as possible (most are 1 to 1 1/2 pages).  It is organized: Your essay is well thought out and structured.  Working from an outline will help.  It is clear: It says exactly what you want it to say without ambiguous references.  It is honest: In it you do not pretend to be who you are not, but neither do you sell yourself short.  It is personal: It is uniquely yours; it is a statement about you.  You do not talk about the general, but about your specific interests.  It is positive: It sells you by using positive attributes.  It does not dwell on negatives like low grades or test scores. 

What is included in a statement of purpose varies from school to school.  Be sure to read each application carefully and provide the specific information requested. Typically you are asked to include answers to most of the following: why do you want to get a graduate degree?  What are your specific goals for graduate study?  How have you been academically prepared for these goals?  What are your goals beyond graduate study.  What tangible experiences helped prepare you (research projects, internships, professional and volunteer experiences, publications, exchange programs, etc.)?  Why should you be admitted? 

Address the individual requests of each school, so write a slightly different statement for each school to which you apply.  Mention strengths, faculty members with whom you would like to work, or other reasons for selecting that particular school.  Make sure your statement is personal and specific and make sure that it accurately reflects your understanding of the program and how it matches your academic plans. 

Upon completion of your statement, show it to a friend and let them critique it.  Ask whether it makes sense and whether it accurately reflects you.  Correct it and then show it to a faculty member.  Ask the same questions.  Inquire about punctuation and grammar.  Revise it, if necessary, and have it proofed one last time.  Once you are satisfied, include it with the rest of your application.  This process may seem tedious for a one-page statement, but you will seldom be asked to write a more important statement. 

V.  Complete and mail your applications for admission and financial/fellowship support. This is in fact a very important process, so you do not want to leave anything to chance.  Type your application and make sure that it's neat and legible.   MAIL ALL MATERIALS WELL BEFORE ANY STATED DEADLINE!  Institutions receive hundreds of applications and most have no room for late or incomplete applications.  Order transcripts and test scores early enough to be mailed timely to the appropriate institutions.  Similarly, complete all financial aid forms (some are separate) and fellowship/assistantship requests (most are included in the application).  Make copies of everything! 

A completed, clean, and on-time application will not by itself gain you admission, but an incomplete, sloppy, or late application will ensure your rejection. 

What About the GRE? 

Produced by the Educational Testing Service (ETS), the GRE is designed to help schools distinguish students from a variety of undergraduate backgrounds.  As a group, African-Americans score less well on this exam than the majority population.  It is therefore imperative that full attention be given to preparing for this test.  Although ETS defends its tests and their cultural fairness, the score discrepancy remains.  While the GRE is a highly reliable test, its use to predict success in graduate school is constantly questioned.  For the graduate school aspirant, its effectiveness does not really matter.  As long as graduate schools and fellowship programs continue to use the GRE as a major basis for acceptance, all that really matters is that you do well on the test. 

Few schools will post cutoff scores (something that ETS strongly discourages) but there seems to be some magic in obtaining a combined GRE score of 1,000-1,100 or better.  This combined score is obtained by adding the quantitative score with the verbal reasoning score (it should be noted that now more schools are using the analytical score to further evaluate applicants).   Finally, many departments will require a minimum score on a Subject Test.  The Subject Tests (covering material unique to your graduate discipline) are administered separately and require preparation and practice much the same as the general test.  Study material for the Subject Tests can be obtained directly from ETS. 

One of the best ways to improve your chance of admission into graduate school is to score well on the GRE.  The best way to score well on the GRE is to practice, practice, practice.  This advice may seem overly simple, but most of the findings indicate that the more you practice for this type of exam, the more familiar you will become with it and thereby improve your performance.   Test taking workshops have proven effective, so check with a local university or test prep center to find out where one is being offered near you.  There are a variety of practice manuals for this examination and they can be found in most major bookstores.  ETS also has both manuals and software for test preparation available by calling 1-800-537-3160 or by visiting the official GRE Web site at http://www.gre.org. 

1998-99 GRE TIMETABLE 

ETS must receive your registration for the November 7, 1998 test before October 2, 1998. Registration for the April 10, 1999 test must be received before March 5, 1999. There also will be a Subject Tests Only administration on December 12, 1998.    ETS has computerized administration of the GRE available at a test cite near you. Call 1-800-GRE-CALL to register.  The computerized test is administered by request and is offered at the individual test taker's convenience. Scores are reported much quicker and test takers may schedule the exam when they want. After April 1999, all GRE administrations will be on computer, since ETS will have eliminated the pencil and paper tests. 
 
Why A Graduate Degree Is More Than Just a Good Idea 

Obtaining your graduate degree is more than just a good idea, because a master's or a Ph.D. degree can only enhance your career, in whatever field you have chosen.  Your marketability and profitability will increase, as will your prospects for major contributions to your field and for leadership responsibilities. Preparing today for an advanced degree will enable you to join the leaders of tomorrow. 

It's more than just a good idea, because the numbers of African Americans with advanced degrees is embarrassingly low.  The need for African-American lawyers and MBAs is crucial.  However, the necessity for African-American Ph.D.'s to provide research and instruction in all academic areas is at the critical stage.  Without their presence, education will look different.  Their absence will be felt in all segments of society.  You can be a part of the solution by pursuing doctoral study. 

What about money? 

Right now there are millions of dollars in graduate student fellowships and assistantships available to you.  Some are designated to address the shortage just mentioned, others are designed to train scientists and educators for the twenty-first century, and others are designed to simply provide access.  Most African-American graduate students are financially supported through stipends, grants, and fellowships.  Although most do not find it necessary, some will take out student loans.  The point here is simple--for most African-American full-time graduate students, there is enough money available to support your study without your having to borrow money!   Graduate schools have funding, foundations have funding, government agencies have funding, as do other sources.  Seek out these sources and likely you will find that you cannot afford not to go to graduate school 

Now that you understand the importance of obtaining a graduate degree, how to go about applying and how much funding is available, it should be clear that you need to go to graduate school.  It's more than just a good idea.  You owe it to yourself and the world around you to make the most of your education and your life.