<p>Okay. So I was totally clueless when applying to college and so I really want to be prepared an informed and competetive when I apply to graduate school. Do you guys know of any books or places where I can get good advice about being a good candidate or picking the right school?</p>
<p>Hello </p>
<p>The basic, obvious answers are that you should maintain high grades, get your teachers to know you and impress them (ensuring you'll have someone to ask for letters of recommendation), do well on the grad school entrance exam (GRE/MCAT/etc.), become familiar both with general trends in your field and with the specific work of the profs with whom you are applying to study (that is, read your discipline's professional journals and important books), and try to do something related to your field (especially get research published, have your artwork in juried shows, assist a professor with his/her research, help a teacher manage her classroom, intern in the kind of company/agency you would like to work for, etc., depending on your field of interest). What are you hoping to go into?</p>
<p>If you are indeed in Madison, I would suggest looking through the non-circulating college prep books at Helen C White library (ground floor main room, lefthand side as you enter - that shoulder-high wooden shelf/desk in front of the study tables). Some of the books in there give general information on preparing for grad school, while others have lists of grad programs to help you narrow your search. Once you have a good idea of where you want to go, look through that university's website and see what they are looking for in a candidate.</p>
<p>Another option would be to speak with the guidance counselors at the main office (they had moved to a building on Linden Street temporarily, but might be back at their regular offices in the "Bucky Clock" building on the corner of Park and University Ave) or the TRIO office in the basement floor of Ingraham Hall. If you haven't already been to TRIO you might want to check that place out; they are familiar with all sorts of campus resources that might be useful throughout your stay here.</p>
<p>what do you want to go into? the way you should prepare for one field may be entirely different than the way you should prepare for another.</p>
<p>I want to do research in neuroscience. Maybe try to become a professor.</p>
<p>In that case, research would be good. Go to your major advisor and ask whether they know anyone in the department who is looking for undergrad research assistants - juniors and seniors often do original research/publishable research on projects they got involved in earlier as lab assistants. </p>
<p>You might also consider enrolling in the honors program; if you have at least two years left before graduation it shouldn't be overly difficult to get in all the requirements for that.</p>