Graduate school is a viable option if the field you are considering requires more than a bachelor’s degree and you have some well thought out career plans.

You can begin your search for a graduate school or program by talking with professors, professionals in your field and graduate students.

Career Services, in conjunction with a consortium of colleges, sponsors a Graduate School Fair and a Law School Evening each fall. This is a good opportunity to begin gathering information. There are many books and guides in the Career Resource Room that can answer some of the questions you may have about graduate programs. There are some programs that offer advanced standing to The College at Brockport graduates.

Some of the criteria you may want to use in evaluating programs are:

- Faculty quality, including research interests
- Geography Courses, emphases related to interests
- Prestige of institution
- Costs, financial aid, work opportunities
Placement rates
- Opportunities for fellowships, graduate assistantships
- Accreditation of school Admission requirements

Finally, review all the data collected and eliminate options using criteria above. You can always work for a year or two to gain some experience and save some money. If you like the place where you are working, perhaps one of the employee benefits is tuition reimbursement which would help defray the cost of graduate school.

HOW DO I PAY FOR GRADUATE SCHOOL?

There are several options for paying for graduate school. Here is a rundown of most popular ways:

See more information on graduate schools.

Is there a specialty area within the program?

What are the largest and the typical class sizes for a graduate class?

What are the criteria and selection process for selecting assistantships and fellows?

How do most students fund their studies here?

Will I be able to develop my own topics or will I work on a professor’s ongoing research?

What is the attrition rate? What kind of student thrives in your program?

What is the age, race, gender balance, ratio of married/single, and geographic origin of graduate students in the program?

Can you tell me about the placement rates and types of jobs obtained by recent grads?

How can I be a strong candidate for a program like this?

What is the school’s admission’s criteria?

Undergraduate Grade Point Average?

Major, minor, coursework?

Admission test scores (practice test sessions are available each month through Career Services and Kaplan)?

Letters of recommendation?

Relevant work or research experience?

Interview?

Essays or personal statements?