Why go to graduate school?

Graduate school training has become an entry-level requirement for many of the more desirable professional positions.  With the dramatic shortage of African Americans with advanced degrees, the need for African-American master’s degree recipients and Ph.D.’s to provide research and instruction in all academic areas is at the critical stage.

Recent doctoral recipients have commented that obtaining a Ph.D. allows for tremendous flexibility and increased opportunities in anyone’s professional career path. Graduate school can open many doors and can provide meaningful opportunities. It also can help identify doors that prior to the journey were never imagined.

What does graduate school entail?

Graduate study typically refers to programs that award a master’s degree and/or a doctorate.  Master’s degrees usually involve one to two years of coursework, a comprehensive examination over that coursework, and in some cases, a thesis.  Doctoral programs can require anywhere from 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.  Typically a three hour written exam based upon your major coursework, comprehensives also may have an oral component covering your proposed research.  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 the ability to produce a thesis, but with your committee’s support and your academic training, you will find that like coursework and comprehensives, writing a dissertation also can be accomplished.

How Do I Apply?

Once you have decided to pursue a graduate degree and have figured out which specific field you will study the steps in the application process are as follows:

1.  Create a list of potential schools - Consult a guidebook such as Peterson's Guides to create your list of schools.  You should first consider factors like quality of the program, strength of the university, reputation of faculty in your area, availability of funding, institutional support, and commitment to minority students.  Other factors that may play a part include geographic region, size of enrollment, racial make-up of student body, community in which the school is located, and campus facilities and activities.  After weighing these factors, you should compile a list of 10 or more institutions.

Start by asking faculty members to recommend institutions.  (Be careful, they almost always will think their alma mater is the best choice for you.  This may, or may not be the case.)  Check to see where leading experts in your discipline work and where they completed graduate school.  Look at rankings of graduate programs.  Check to see where recent graduates from your 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 make a personal visit to the campus.  Campus visits can sometimes make all the difference.  In any case, you should request application materials and any other information that will 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 - The Graduate Records Examination (GRE) is the entrance exam most often required for graduate admission.  It has assumed a greater role of importance in the admissions process than was ever intended.  The GRE has assumed this role of importance primarily because most applicants will have good GPAs, decent statements of purpose, and glowing letters of recommendation.  What usually distinguishes one applicant from another is the score received on this nationally normed and standardized test.  Make sure you practice using a review course or study manual.  Make sure you register early (since the test is computerized you may register at your convenience at a test site near you).  Make sure that you schedule your exam at least nine months, but preferably a year and a half before you start graduate school.  Finally, make sure you do well on the test.  Doing well will usually mean a score of 1,000-1,100 or better.

3.  Ask faculty members for letters of recommendations - 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 about the applicant, the admissions committee is more interested in what are the academic abilities of the applicant.  This usually requires the evaluator to be someone who has taught the applicant and who can speak favorably about the applicant's ability to perform graduate level work.  Faculty members from whom you have earned at least two grades of "B" or higher (preferably two or more "A"s) are ideal candidates to write strong letters of recommendation for you.

When requesting these letters, always remember that it is just that--a request.  Approach your faculty members early and provide them with enough information so that they may effectively write about your potential.  Provide them with an abstract that includes: 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 your schools (many applications provide envelopes for recommendations); and the deadline for mailing the recommendation.

4.  Write a statement of purpose and have it critiqued - The statement of purpose often distinguishes between the winners and the losers.  What sets a good statement apart is its overall quality and its ability to clearly articulate your potential for graduate study.  A good statement will be:

1. Concise - say what you have to as efficiently as possible; most are limited to 1 - 1 1/2 pages.

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

3. Clear - it should say exactly what you want it to say; no ambiguity.

4. Honest - do not pretend to be who you are not; but do not sell yourself short, either.

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

6. Positive - sell yourself using positive attributes; do not dwell on negatives like 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 specific information requested. Typically you are asked to include the following:

•  Why do you want to get a graduate degree?

• What are your specific goals for graduate study?

• How have you been academically prepared 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, show it to a friend and have him or her critique it.  Make corrections and then share it with a faculty member.  Inquire about punctuation and grammar.  Make the necessary revisions and then have it proofed one last time.  If you are satisfied you may then include it with the rest of your application.  This may seem like a tedious process for a one-page statement.  It is necessary, however, since you will seldom be asked to write a more important statement.

5.  Complete and mail your applications for admission and financial/fellowship support - This is in fact a very important process and you do not want to leave anything to chance.  Complete your application making sure it is typed.  Make copies of everything!  It should look nice and should be legible.  Mail all materials well in advance of any stated deadline!  Institutions receive hundreds of applications and most have no room for late or incomplete applications.  Order transcripts and test scores early.  Further remember, 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 ensure rejection.

Complete all financial aid forms (some are separate) and fellowship/assistantship requests (most are included in the application) in a similar manner.  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 fall application deadlines and they typically require good grades and test scores.  Contact these funding sources directly or check with your school for other sources.  These funding sources can be found in reference journals at your library or online at Web sites such as black-collegian.com and fastweb.com.  It must be noted that due to the underrepresentation of certain groups at the graduate level, there is plenty of funding to go around.  You should not have to pay for a Ph.D. given the number of funding opportunities available.  It is up to you to find your financial support.

What do recent graduates say about graduate school?

Recent and current doctoral graduate students were interviewed to assess their graduate education experience. Dr. Jhan D. Doughty (left) earned a bachelor's degree from Xavier University of Louisiana and a master’s degree from Pennsylvania State University where she also was a 2001 doctoral recipient in counselor education.  She is currently a research associate/post-doctoral fellow at Harvard University Medical School.  Chiron Graves completed bachelor's and master’s degrees at Xavier University of Louisiana.  He is currently completing studies towards a Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction at the University of Illinois.  After earning her bachelor's and master’s degrees from Louisiana Tech University, Dr. Katrina Sanders (right) received her doctorate in educational policy studies from the University of Illinois in 1997.  She is now on the faculty of the University of Iowa.  All were asked to offer advice about the graduate school process and their responses follow.

 1. What do you wish you had known before you started?

Doughty:  I actually felt very prepared for graduate school before I started.  I received very good advice from my undergraduate faculty and mentors on different aspects of graduate school from funding to how to relate to my professors. So due to this experience, I was ready for my graduate school experience.
Graves: I wish I had known how political the process of obtaining a Ph.D. can be.  I pride myself on my intellectual ability but I have learned that intellectual ability alone does not get you a Ph.D.

 2. What would you have done to better prepare yourself?

Doughty: I think that having more courses in statistics would have been helpful to me.  Graves:  I would have become more familiar with the process of educational research.  Get as much research experience as you can.
Sanders:  Since many students attend graduate school away from their hometown, learn as much as possible about the school, the city, and the demographics.

3. What one or two things would you tell current undergraduates?

Doughty: Believe in yourself and your abilities.  It is important to remember that you have a right to be in graduate school and you would not be there if you did not have the talent and ability to achieve a graduate degree.  Secondly, it is important to have a solid support system.  For me, my faith in God, my family, faculty and staff, and close friends were very helpful in keeping me spiritually and emotionally fulfilled.
Sanders:  Identify support systems and coping strategies early.  Get to know your department secretaries – they can make all the difference.  Discipline and self-motivation are crucial.  Graduate school is not about retaining information long enough to regurgitate it on a test.  The graduate arena holds you accountable for helping to generate knowledge.

4. What did you like least about graduate school?

Graves:  Unlike undergrad, in grad school you have to be more assertive and it’s on you to seek out and develop mentoring relationships.  Graduate faculty have many obligations and often have more than one advisee, so you have to really work your end of the relationship.  The mentors are there; it’s just that sometimes you have to find them.
Sanders:  I disliked feeling that I was never caught up and that there was always more to be done.  It seemed there was always another book to read and another paper to write.  Ironically, this experience is reflective of life.  Life is not stagnant.  You're never caught up; there is always something else to be done.

 5. What did you like most about graduate school?

Doughty: I thoroughly enjoyed my graduate school process!  I liked my courses, had an excellent faculty advisor, and I met wonderful faculty and friends with relationships that will last a lifetime.  I actually found the dissertation process to be fun and challenging as well.  Although it was a lot of work, whenever I look at my dissertation I feel proud of the contribution that I made to my field and the work that I have done.  Graves: You are provided a great deal of autonomy and freedom to select courses, class schedules, and your area of research.  As a result, you get to shape your own program.  Of course you must be disciplined enough to handle such freedom.  Sanders: What impressed me most was that it was an interactive arena for diverse knowledge and diverse peoples.  Knowledge was constantly circulating, envelopes were constantly pushed, and ideas were constantly born.

Can I pursue graduate study?

Yes, because you have (or will have) successfully completed an undergraduate program that prepared you for the rigors of graduate school.  You have the intelligence; the question is do 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 the difference if your grades are not as strong as you would like.  What about going later? Go now while there are plenty of funding opportunities, while you are still academically sharp and while you are not overly encumbered.

Your career can only be enhanced by the acquisition of a graduate degree. Your marketability and promotability will increase, as will your prospects for major contributions to your field and for leadership responsibilities.  These and other intangibles point to the many benefits of advanced study.  You owe it to yourself and the world around you to make the most of your education and your life.  Preparing today for an advanced degree will enable you to make a significant impact on our world.

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