How to Select the Right Grad School

With the costs of college and post-graduate programs rising each year, grad school can be a very expensive venture. For this reason, it is so important to select a grad school program very carefully. Giving serious thought to your lifestyle and what you want to get out of advanced coursework can help you determine which grad school is right for you.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Brochures

1. Think about the career goals you hope to reach after you have earned a graduate degree. Research the type of position you would like to have, so you know what type of degree is required.

2. Review your lifestyle and family commitments you may have before you select a grad school program. People who have spouses, children and full-time jobs may be able to fit online classes into their busy schedules--more so than face-to-face learning on a college campus. Recent college graduates who continue straight to graduate school may not have this kind of time constraint and want to take graduate classes on campus.

3. Speak to your academic advisor or counselor about the grad schools you are considering. Ask him what schools he would recommend for someone in your field. Once you have a few leads, you can then do the research to determine which program is right for you.

4. Use a grad school directory to search for information about specific program requirements, class and campus size and costs. Gradschools.com is a comprehensive directory that allows the user to search by academic area, geographic location or specific university (see Resources below). Comparing the pros and cons about various schools can help you select one you will be happy to attend.

5. Figure out how much you can afford to spend on grad school. Loans and grants are generally available for higher education but deciding how much debt you are willing to carry is a personal decision. The best graduate program in your area of study may not be the right one for you if you are not comfortable with borrowing thousands of dollars.

Tips & Warnings

• If you are planning on going to a public graduate school in another state, find out about residency requirements. Consider moving to the area and working for a year to establish residency. Once you become a state resident, you become eligible for in-state tuition, which is usually a less expensive way to finance your education.

Resources

• Grad school information at Gradschools.com

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