Hey everyone!
Does anyone know what the differences are between the undergardaute admissions process and the graduate admissions process? I know grad school is still four years away and isn’t high on my list of priorties right now (Heck, I’m just getting excited about the Mentorship Program, Dance Marathon, and the Squirrel Club at Michigan right now since I’ll be in them next year), but I’m just curious how it will work when the time comes.
Thanks.
<p>good question</p>
<p>For graduate school, less emphasis on ECs and overall package and more on grades, especially in your major and related fields; also the GRE score and specific professor recommendations (that is, profs in the field you intend to pursue in grad school, which is the subject you majored in as an undergrad). The professional schools are slightly different because the required major isn't as specific (that is, you can major in almost anything and aply to law school) though of course there are med school pre-reqs and various "building blocks" of a successful med school app. It is never too early to be in touch with faculty members in college to get good guidance about preparing for whatever form of graduate education you expect to pursue.</p>
<p>Thanks mattmom.</p>
<p>Anybody else have anything to say (bump)?</p>
<p>research experiences and good recommendations are the key!</p>
<p>also, depending on what kind of grad school, standardized tests can be huge. getting a good score on your lsat or gmat (if you're going to law or business school) is key.</p>
<p>edit: proportionally much more important than the sats were for undergraduate admissions.</p>
<p>Undergrad admissions: GPA, SAT, EC's ... courseload, essays, recs, other test scores, personal circumstances</p>
<p>Graduate admissions: GPA, GRE, research, recs ... essays, honors or senior thesis</p>
<p>Law school: LSAT, GPA ... essays, recs</p>
<p>Business School: work experience, GMAT ... GPA, essay</p>
<p>Medical School: MCAT, GPA, research or volunteer work, interview, personal statement, recs</p>
<p>recommendations > research > .......> ....> (toefl) > GRE</p>
<p>standardized test are really not so important, even for top grad schools</p>
<p>I would agree with all of above and add two comments:</p>
<p>The funnelling of applicants towards a very few schools is not as bad. The school that you apply to will be based your specific interests and upon what research is being done at each college. Your choice will not be based upon as much on the overall prestige of the schools. I am directing this more towards doctoral candidates than attorneys and MBA's. Your undergraduate professor can help you identify grad schools based upon your interests.</p>
<p>If going to grad school for a science/engineering degree, I would not worry about it unless you are aiming for a PhD. Most masters are earned part-time at night by people who have jobs. For example, admission to Johns Hopkins for a part-time masters requires pretty much a warm body with an undergraduate degree. You take 10 classes at $2100 each. Your job will probably provide tuition reimbursement as a fringe benefit. Doctoral programs are a whole different ballgame.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone!</p>
<p>Are law, business, and medicine the only fields that require another entrance exam when we are ready to apply for grad school? Also, when do we start getting ready to apply again? Junior year, senior year, etc.</p>
<p>If anyone else wants to say anything, you're welcome to do so. It all still seems hazy to me when it comes to grad school admissions.</p>
<p>reeses 414, just about all academic graduate programs (as opposed to the professional programs of law, mediceine, and business, which have their own specific exams) will require you to take the GRE--so the answer to you question is that entrance exams are required for almost anything you may want to do in graduate school. You should be able to getspecific and more detailed information at your college.</p>
<p>PhD programs will care about your personal statement. The faculty are making a commitment to work with you closely for the next few years--they want to know who you are, what motivates you, and what you plan to do with yourself while you're in the department.</p>
<p>"Are law, business, and medicine the only fields that require another entrance exam when we are ready to apply for grad school? Also, when do we start getting ready to apply again? Junior year, senior year, etc."</p>
<p>all require an entrance exam. grad schools require GRE, law schools want LSAT, business schools want GMAT, and med schools want MCAT. </p>
<p>you can apply for grad school, law school, and med school during your senior year in college. you can also apply for all of them during other times in your life as well. some people apply to grad school for a masters and reapply again elsewhere for PhD. the only exception is business school, which usually requires at least 2 years worth of real work experience, so you'll be applying after that.</p>
<p>I'm sorry for taking so long to thank the rest of you for your comments. However, I guess it's better late than never so thanks.</p>
<p>I'm also bumping this thread up to see if anyone with other info has anything to add.</p>
<p>Applying to graduate school (doctorate) is mostly based on your research experience. This will be the basis of your personal statement, and what you will be asked to discuss during the interview process. (Unlike UG interviewing plays a major role in graduate school admissions.) GRE are just used as thresholds, to make sure you're not an idiot, GPA is fairly important (Only in major), but what GPA is expected from you is dependent on where you when to school and what courses you took.(At least this was my experience...) Applying to graduate school is not as bad as applying to undergrad. (Academic I mean, law and med sound much worse.)</p>
<p>Thanks hanna1.</p>
<p>And the GRE, in case anyone was wondering, is pretty much SAT I: The Sequel.</p>
<p>I'm studying for it right now (taking it two weeks from today) and it is so laaaaaame.</p>
<p>Another difference between grad and undergrad admissions is that for grad school the admissions decisions are made largely by the academic department to which to you applying, not by the grad school admissions office. The central admissions office pretty much just shuffles the paperwork and minds your file. It will be the departmental committee, sometimes at the behest of a single professor who is impressed with you or is willing to sponsor you, that chooses to admit you.</p>
<p>in addition to what coureur said, it is much more wiser to apply to the department that has professors doing similar research to what you are doing. the program that you pick may be perhaps more important than the prestige of the school.</p>
<p>Thanks for the replies!</p>