Selecting Your Grad School: Get Your Money’s Worth

By Francine Fluetsch on November 30, 2016

This article is brought to you by Kaplan, the leader in test prep for over 90 standardized tests, including the GRE, GMAT, LSAT, and MCAT.

Picking where you want to go to grad school is a big decision, something that you should give a lot of thought and not just decide on a whim. There is a lot of money involved, both in the application process and in tuition if you don’t receive a scholarship, so you want to make sure that it is “the one.”

Unlike undergrad, grad school is where you get to delve more into the field that you actually want to study, so making sure that the grad school you choose is right for you and that it actually conducts the program in a way that you will enjoy and benefit from is crucial.

Which school will you pick? (pixabay.com)

So how exactly can you tell if it will be a good fit for you? We sometimes get so wrapped up in the fact that acceptance rates are so low and competitive that we think they will all be good, but remember that you have a huge say in the matter, and only want to apply to schools that seem right for you, even if they are hard to get into.

Here are some things to keep in mind.

Know the professors

In grad school, you are going to be working a lot closer with the professors than you were in undergrad, and one of them is going to end up being your advisor, so you want to make sure that you really like the faculty. First, you want to check all of them on Rate My Professor and on Google, check their social media, and look up their published work, so you get a good feel for what they look like on paper. Basically, you need to stalk them.

Then, you want to email a few of them and see if you can come meet them, and possibly even sit in on one of their classes.

Making these connections is crucial in deciding if the school is right for you, and also giving you an “in” in the application process, since many grad school applications want to know if you have contacted any professors from the school, and if they influenced your decision at all.

They can also help with the next step, which is:

Know the program

Each school is going to delve into your major differently, so you want to see if how they do it will correlate with what you like. A good way to figure this out is to use the professors from step one and see how classes run and how flexible everything is. I sent a few emails out myself to see which schools would allow me to do screenwriting along with fiction, and also which schools enjoyed genre fiction, since that’s what I enjoy writing. Talking to a few professors about this helped me decide which schools I definitely wanted to apply to, and which ones just weren’t for me.

Another helpful tip to get a better feel of the program is to look at the course catalog. You’ll be able to see what classes are offered, can see what exactly you will have to complete to get your degree, and how much each unit costs. All of these factors will give you a pretty well-rounded grasp of the program.

Grad student opportunities

After seeing that the program is definitely for you, you want to see what kind of opportunities the grad school offers for its grad students. Does each student receive a partial scholarship? Do students get T.A. opportunities? Do professors help with connecting them to jobs and internships? Are there research grants that grad students have access to?

You will need to do a bit of digging on the university’s website, but they usually like to highlight the opportunities they provide, so you shouldn’t have to look for too long.

Chapman University, for instance, allows all Literature and Creative Writing students to apply for a grant to go to AWP, a huge writer’s conference that happens once a year, and thanks to them, I get an opportunity to go to an event that I would otherwise not be able to attend due to the cost.

You want a grad school that has an amazing program, but that also has awesome opportunities for you to take advantage of and to really get your money’s worth.

Location

After making sure that all the above points are in place, you also want to look into the location of your potential grad school. Some areas are obviously going to be more expensive than others, so if the grad school isn’t going to pay for your housing, are you going to be able to make it work?

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Orange County is a rather expensive place to live, so I opted for a place that is a 20 minute drive in order for me to make the rent. You want to make sure that you like the area as well, and that you’ll be able to get around, with a car or without.

These are just a few points to keep in mind when looking for your ideal grad school. This is definitely not the time to settle! Make a list of all the things you want that will also give you your money’s worth, and go after them. When you find the school of your dreams, trust me, it will be more than worth it.

Learn more about Kaplan’s test prep options and start building the confidence you need for Test Day.

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