Is Graduate School Your Next Step?

By Dereck J. Rovaris, Sr., Ph.D.

“I’m about to graduate. What’s next?”

“Graduate school” might be the best answer to this question.  This might become fairly obvious once you have answered several questions.

Why go to graduate school?  

Graduate school training is fast becoming an entry-level requirement for many of the more desirable academic positions and other professional occupations. Additionally, the more you advance academically, the more your salary is likely to increase. On average, the annual salary for those with master’s degrees is $8,000 more than those with only a bachelor’s degree. Those with doctorates earn $22,000 more than those with bachelor’s degrees.  Furthermore, there is a shortage of persons with advanced degrees, especially the Ph.D.  The necessity for Ph.D.’s to provide research and instruction in all academic areas is easily understood.  However, this shortage will be felt in all segments of society. You can be a part of the solution by pursuing doctoral study.

The critical shortage of African Americans and other underrepresented groups with advanced degrees is requiring that an immediate remedy be found to correct this situation. The need for African-American lawyers and MBAs is crucial.  However, the need for African-American Ph.D.’s is at a critical stage.  Without their presence, education will take on a much different look.  This absence will be felt in all segments of society.

A Ph.D. allows for tremendous flexibility and a broader range of possibilities on your career path. Graduate school can open many doors and provide meaningful opportunities. The opportunity to conduct research, develop programs and teach will increase your understanding and improve your problem-solving skills. The Ph.D. will offer instant credibility in a world that often marginalizes members of underrepresented groups and women.

What does graduate school entail?

 Like anything that is worth having, it will require a great deal of work.  Graduate study typically refers to programs that award a master’s degree or a doctorate.  Master’s degrees usually involve a year or two of coursework, a comprehensive examination and in some cases, a thesis.  Unlike undergraduate programs, graduate coursework is almost exclusively in your major area of study. Doctoral programs may  require two-to-four years of coursework, comprehensive exams and a dissertation.   The comprehensive exams are much like senior comps and require a great deal of preparation. Comprehensives may have an oral component covering your proposed research in addition to a three-hour written test on your major coursework.  The thesis or dissertation is your original research written with the guidance of a group of faculty known as your committee. Many people worry about their ability to produce a thesis, but with the committee’s support and your academic training, you will find it can be done.

How do I apply?

Once you have decided to pursue a graduate degree and figured out which field you will study, the application process is as follows:

1.  Create a list of potential schools

2.  Register for, practice and then take the GRE;

3.  Ask faculty members from your undergraduate school for letters of recommendation;

4.  Write a statement of purpose and have it critiqued;

5.  Complete and submit your applications for admission and financial/fellowship support

1.  Create a list of potential schools –To maximize your opportunities, you will need to apply to several schools. The more schools you apply to, the better your chances for admission. By consulting a sourcebook such as Peterson’s Guides (they can be found online or at your college library), you will uncover a comprehensive listing of graduate opportunities. The listings include descriptions of all disciplines and their sub-fields. It will also include a wealth of data about schools, including which ones offer which disciplines, location, entrance requirements, acceptance rates, tuition costs, funding options, and enrollment demographics.

In creating your list of schools, you should first consider factors such as quality of the program, strength of the university, reputation of faculty in your discipline, availability of funding, institutional support and commitment to minority students.  Other factors that may play a part include geographic region, size of enrollment, racial makeup of student body, and campus facilities and activities.  After weighing all these factors, you should compile a list of 10 or more institutions.

Start by asking faculty members to recommend institutions. Find out who are the leading experts in your chosen field and what schools they attended and where they are currently working. Schools in either group would be good to have on your list.  Check to see where recent graduates from your undergraduate academic department have gone to graduate school.  If they have had positive experiences, that institution might also be good for you.

After creating your list of choices, you should contact each school.  Wherever possible you should visit the campus in person. In any case, you should request application materials and any other information that might help you with the admissions process.  Ultimately, you want to be able to select the university that will give you your best opportunity for success. 

2.  Register, practice, and then take the GRE – Educational Testing Service (ETS) produces the Graduate Records Examination (GRE), the test most often required for graduate admission.  The GRE has assumed greater importance in the admissions process than was ever intended. Because most applicants will have good GPA’s, decent statements of purpose and glowing letters of recommendation, scores on the nationally normed and standardized GRE help schools distinguish among good candidates. For that reason, performing well on the exam is a must.  Make sure you practice using a review course or study manual. Make sure that you schedule your exam at least nine months, but preferably a year and a half before you start graduate school.

Few schools will post cutoff scores (something the ETS strongly discourages), but there seems to be some “magic” about obtaining a combined GRE score of 1,000 or better. This combined score is obtained by adding the quantitative score to the verbal reasoning score.  Many schools will not only expect a minimum total score, but will have minimum scores established for these individual sections of the test.  Finally, many departments will require a minimum score on a Subject Test. The Subject Tests are administered separately and require preparation and practice much the same as the general test.  Study material for the Subject Tests and the General Tests can be obtained directly from ETS.

3.  Ask faculty members for letters of recommendation – Often applicants will try to impress admission committees with letters from a local politician, a high-ranking university official or even their pastor.  While these people may be able to say nice things, the admissions committee is more interested in what are the applicant’s academic abilities. For that reason, schools usually want letters from someone who has taught the applicant and who can speak favorably about the person’s ability to perform graduate-level work.

When requesting letters, always remember that it is just that – a request.  It should therefore be requested in a courteous and thoughtful manner.  This means that you approach faculty members early and that you provide them with enough information to effectively write about your potential.  Provide a half-page abstract including the courses taken and grades received from that instructor; a concise description of your graduate plans and plans beyond graduate school (i.e. “I plan to pursue my Ph.D. in higher education administration and later work as a student service administrator...”); the mailing address for the schools to which you are applying (most schools will provide special envelopes for these letters); and the deadline for mailing the letters of recommendation.

4.  Write a statement of purpose and have it critiqued – The statement of purpose often separates the winners from the losers.  Those who get accepted almost always have better statements of purpose than those who do not.  What sets a good statement apart is its overall quality and its ability to clearly articulate potential for graduate study.  A good statement will be:

Concise – say what you have to as efficiently as possible; most are limited to 1½  pages.

Organized – your essay should be well-thought-out and structured; work from an outline.

Clear – it should say exactly what you want it to say; no ambiguity

Honest – do not pretend to be someone you are not, but do not sell yourself short.

Personal – this is uniquely yours, it is a statement about you; write about you.

Positive – sell yourself using positive attributes; do not dwell on negatives such as low grades.

What is included in a statement of purpose varies from school to school.  Be sure to read each application carefully and provide the information requested. Typically you are asked to include 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 prepared academically 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?

Upon completion of your statement, ask a friend to critique it.  Make corrections and then share it with a faculty member.  Ask the same questions.  Inquire about punctuation and grammar.  Make the necessary revisions and then have it proofread one last time.  If you are satisfied, you may then include it with the rest of your application.  While this may seem like a tedious process for a one-page statement, it is necessary since you will seldom be asked to write a more important statement.   Take a look at this excerpt from an actual statement of purpose.  Although it is not perfect, it is an example of what a good statement might contain:

As an aspiring astronaut, attempting to follow in the footsteps of the late Dr. Ronald McNair, I see graduate school as being the key to my success.  It will give me the opportunity to conduct my own research, which is a priceless asset to learning.  Having already conducted research in many different areas, from the university level to NASA, has taught me a lesson that cannot be learned in any classroom.  It has taught me how to think.  The ability to think analytically is the most important aspect of research, and graduate school gives you the opportunity to further this skill. As a future research scientist, this is something that I cannot do without...I finalized my decision to go to graduate school and pursue my Ph.D. in Space Sciences (Astrophysics) After seeing how much knowledge is out there and how much is yet to be acquired, I realized I wanted to be a part of that ‘information age’...

5.  Complete and submit your applications for admission and financial/fellowship support – While most applications can be completed online, you must be very thorough and detailed whether you mail your application or submit it via the web.  This is a very important process, and you do not want to leave anything to chance.  Complete your application making sure it is accurate and precise.  Make copies of everything!  If it is being mailed, it should look nice and should be legible.  Submit or mail all materials well in advance of any stated deadline!  Institutions receive hundreds of applications and most will dismiss late or incomplete applications.  Order transcripts and test scores early enough to be mailed in a timely fashion.  A completed, clean, and on-time application will not by itself gain you admission, but you can rest assured that an incomplete, sloppy or late application will mean rejection.

Also complete all financial aid forms and fellowship/assistantship requests with similar attention and efficiency. While most students receive funding from their graduate institution, it is always advantageous to have outside funding.  This funding may come from major corporations, professional organizations, special-interest programs or other sources.  They often have application deadlines in the fall and they typically require exceptional grades and test scores.  Contact these funding sources directly or check with your school for other sources.  Some sources of funding can be found in reference journals at your library or online at web sites such as www.black-collegian.com and fastweb.com.  It must be noted that due to the under-representation of certain groups at the graduate level, there is plenty of funding to go around.

Graduate study, why me?

You have (or will have) completed an undergraduate program that prepared you for the rigors of graduate school.  You have the intelligence; the question is whether you have the discipline and persistence.  What about grades?  Usually a 3.0 GPA is a minimum, but there have been numerous graduate degrees awarded to people with averages that were lower. Good test scores and a strong statement can make up the difference if your grades are not as strong as you would like.  What about going later?  Why put off until tomorrow what you should be doing today?  People who wait often do not ever pursue graduate study because of professional, financial or personal commitments.  Others who wait and eventually enroll will typically state that they wish they had started graduate work sooner.  Go now while there are plenty of funding opportunities, while you are still academically sharp and while you are not overly encumbered.

Earning a graduate degree will enhance any career choice that you will make.  Your marketability and opportunities will increase, as will your prospects for taking on leadership responsibilities in your field. The world around you demands that you make the most of your education and your life.  Prepare today for the challenges that await you.

Dr. Dereck J. Rovaris Sr. is assistant dean of the Graduate School and director of Graduate Placement/McNair at Xavier University of Louisiana.