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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 9
INTRODUCTION 10
New In This Edition 11
Where the Advice Comes From 14
The General Scope and Organization of the Book 15
CHAPTER 1 – Truths and Myths About Graduate School 19
Aims of This Book 19
Do Not Wait – Start Preparing Early 23
You May Be More Qualified Than You Think 23
Grad school? Me? Are You Kidding? 26
A Special Message For Students With Excellent Grades 28
Summary 28
CHAPTER 2 – What You Need to Know Before Applying to Grad School 30
Find Out What Graduate School is All About 31
Interpersonal and Work Relationships 33
It’s Not Enough To Be Smart 34
Getting Information From the Right Sources 35
Grad Students: Be Careful What You Assume They Know 40
Dealing With Conflicting Advice 42
Are You Right for Graduate School? 43
Terminal Master’s degree 46
Understand How the Applicant Selection Process Works 47
Understand What They Are Looking For 50
Relevant Experience: Why You Need It and How to Get It 52
What Counts as Relevant Experience? 54
Work-study and Co-op Programs 55
Start Early 56
Summary 57
CHAPTER 3 – Making the Right Choices 59
The First Mistake to Avoid 60
How to Choose Graduate Schools and Programs 61
What is Accreditation? What Difference Does It Make? 63
Avoid the Influence of Irrelevant Factors 68
The Myth of the High-Profile Ph.D. 69
Is It the Right Place for You? 70
What To Do If You Cannot Visit 72
Look Beyond the Labels 73
Summary 75
Choosing the Right Graduate Supervisor 76
The Importance of Matching Research Interests 77
The “Second-Choice” Graduate Supervisor 79
Important Factors Beyond Matching Research Interests 82
Personality, Mentoring, and Management Styles 86
Clarify Expectations Before You Commit 93
Summary 96
CHAPTER 4 – It’s Not All About Grades 98
Stand Apart From the Crowd, for the Right Reasons 99
Do Not Follow the Herd 100
You Are Being Watched 103
How Many Graduate Programs Should One Apply To? 107
Components of a Graduate School Application 111
Summary 115
CHAPTER 5 – Enhancing the Objective Components of Your Application 118
Undergraduate Grades and Coursework 119
Do You Need to be in an Honors Program? 122
Standardized Tests 124
When to Take the Tests 125
How Much Does it Cost to Take the Tests? 129
Preparing for the Tests 129
Summary 131
CHAPTER 6 – Letters of Recommendation (a.k.a. Reference Letters) 133
How Letters of Recommendation Are Used in the Selection Process 134
What Kinds of Things Should Be in a Letter of Recommendation? 134
The Applicant-Evaluation Form 137
How Are the Rankings Used? 138
Extra Things to Look For on the Applicant-Evaluation Form 141
How to Make the Least of an Opportunity to Shine 142
Getting the Letters 144
Whom to Ask For a Letter of Recommendation 144
How and When to Solicit a Letter of Recommendation 146
Help Your Referees Write Effective Letters 150
Following-up 152
Good and Bad Letter Writers 153
Summary 155
CHAPTER 7 – The Personal Statement and CV 158
The Personal Statement 158
Three Features of a Winning Personal Statement 160
If a Personal Statement Is Not Required 163
How Long Should a Personal Statement Be? 163
Things to Avoid in the Personal Statement 166
Summary 167
Curriculum Vitae and Résumés 168
Do You Need a CV? 169
What Should Be In Your CV? 170
The Appearance of Your CV 173
CHAPTER 8 – First Impressions Matter Most 175
Writing Effective Cover Letters 176
When Is a Cover Letter Required? 177
Purpose of a Cover Letter 178
Cover Letter Format 179
When the Letter is for an Admissions Committee 181
When the Letter is to a Prospective Supervisor 182
Additional Considerations for Cover Letters 183
Summary 185
Dealing With Application Forms 186
Pre-Selection Interviews 189
The Real Purpose of Pre-selection Interviews 190
Preparing for an Interview 191
General Dos and Don’ts for an Interview 194
Remember to Ask Questions 197
Practice With Role Playing 198
Appearances Matter 199
Summary 200
CHAPTER 9 – A Major Step That Most Students Miss 202
Contacting Prospective Graduate Supervisors 203
Why it is So Important to Make Contact Before Applying 205
How and When to Make Contact 207
Contact May Reveal More Than You Expect 210
Ask the Right Questions 211
Keep the Correspondence Going 213
Summary 215
CHAPTER 10 – Putting It All Together for a Winning Application 216
Overcoming Psychological Challenges 218
Avoid Costly Mistakes After Submitting Your Application 219
The Graduate Program Secretary 221
Do Not Take Rejection Personally 221
Making and Following a Plan 222
A Sample Plan and Timetable 223
During Your Freshman and Sophomore Academic Years 224
During Your Junior Academic Year (first half) 226
During Your Junior Academic Year (second half) 227
During the Summer Before Your Senior Year 228
During Your Senior Academic Year 229
CHAPTER 11 – Financing Your Graduate Studies 233
Calculating the Cost of Graduate School 234
Potential Sources of Financial Support 236
Research Assistantships, Teaching Assistantships, Traineeships 236
Scholarships, Fellowships, Grants, Bursaries 237
Tuition and Fee Waivers 239
Loans 239
Summary 242
ABOUT THE AUTHOR 244 |
