<p>It's been decades since H and I went thru this ourselves, so I'm sure much has changed.</p>
<p>When do students typically take the GRE? Spring of junior year? Fall of senior year? both? Do students take it multiple times like they do the SAT/ACT? How many times? </p>
<p>Is the application process during fall of senior year? When do students do interviews? Are they always in person?</p>
<p>We feel completely stupid about the whole process since everything is so different these days. </p>
<p>Thanks in advance. Please share as much as you can. Assume we know nothing. LOL</p>
<p>Graduate school highly varies. Some college seniors apply straight to grad school. Others join the workforce for a couple of years and return to graduate school.</p>
<p>We need more information: master’s? doctoral? professional programs such as MBA, MPP, MSW, etc.? Each have different requirements and preparation.</p>
<p>In general, GRE’s need to be taken no later than the fall of senior year if the student wishes to attend grad school immediately after graduation. LORs and research experience in the field of proposed study are highly important aspects of the application. The student should be discussing these issues with their on campus mentors (who they’ve hopefully been doing research with). </p>
<p>As stated above, many students also work for a couple of years to acquire experience or explore their potential field of study. Last, when the student applies to grad school, it is expected that the student really knows the details of the grad program</p>
<p>What types of programs is your child considering? Like was mentioned above, there is a huge difference between applying to law school vs. engineering grad school vs. med school…you get the idea.</p>
<p>Son is majoring in Applied Mathematics and 2 minors. He wants to become a math professor. </p>
<p>He has straight A’s. He was informed that he will be awarded Outstanding Math student (with a cash award) and Outstanding Junior at Honors Week which will be in April (I think). </p>
<p>I think he’d want to go directly into some kind of combined masters/PhD program (if possible).</p>
<p>My daughter applied to grad school during her senior year, and took her GREs in the spring of junior year. I think that’s fairly typical, although I guess you could take the GREs in your senior year again if you’re not satisfied with the scores.
The most important element in successful grad school application, imo, is for the student to work with his mentor/advisor at his college. The recommendations are very important, if not most important, and the professors who know your son will know which universities will have programs and people that match his interests. Then your son can get in touch with the people in the departments that the prof recommends ahead of time and perhaps even interview before the application season, if the school allows it.
My daughter applied to three grad programs and was accepted at all three. She only applied where her prof suggested, and she took his advice on meeting one of the relevant professors during a conference she attended. She set up an appointment with another during the summer of her senior year just to see if the program fit her. At the last college where she applied, one of the relevant profs was a visiting prof for a semester at her university, so she got to know him there. That’s where she finally wound up.
As a parent, there’s almost nothing you need to do. Isn’t that great! It’s very different from undergrad. You son needs to find a mentor- someone who he knows is pulling for him, and take their advice to heart. I know my daughter was going to apply to a few extra schools “just in case,” but her advisor said, don’t do it. He knew she’d get in to at least one of her choices because he had her target the schools very carefully.</p>
<p>Edit: Do read the “Graduate school admissions 101” originally posted by molliebatmit that has been bookmarked on this forum. Everything you need to know is there!</p>
<p>My son is still considering law school, but he also is leaning towards becoming a math prof. He now seems to be more heavily weighted towards becoming a math prof. </p>
<p>Younger son is going to go to med school.</p>
<p>Older son is a junior (actually a senior by credits, but will do his 4th year.)</p>
<p>He’ll have fab LORs and has done some significant research with 3 profs.</p>
<p>moonchild…thanks for info and the link! And, thanks to everyone!</p>
<p>Yes, I’m grateful that parents don’t do much with the grad process, but I just wanted to kind of know what would be going on. :)</p>
<p>There is no need to look for combined programs. If he wants to earn a PhD, then he should apply directly to PhD programs, regardless of whether they have a master’s program. Many top programs give the master’s only when a student leaves ABD (all but dissertation) so that he had something to show for all the schooling.</p>
<p>I suggest that he take the GRE in the summer after his junior year to give himself enough time to retake in case he doesn’t get the scores he expects. Most applicants take the GRE once or twice. Three times or more is unusual (and less desirable) unless the scores are years apart.</p>
<p>I don’t know whether applied math programs typically interview prospective students. You can usually find that information on the program web sites under “admissions.”</p>
<p>As a parent, I think, the more you know about graduate process, the less you understand. My parents have SOME idea but they realized that the more questions they ask, the more mystifying grad school experience seems to be even though I’ve tried to explain (using their corporate world as analogy). So they’ve quieted down and go with the flow.</p>
<p>^ Yes, I didn’t bother to explain my mom the graduate school process. The OP’s son should also research his graduate options. While it’s fine for the OP to ask questions, the son is the one who will choose and attend graduate school.</p>
<p>Oh I agree. I’m sure he knows about the whole process. He’s just away at college, so I was just trying to familiarize myself with the process so I’d know what he was talking about when he comes home for spring break. </p>
<p>I also wanted to know how different the process is now from when we went. It doesn’t sound too different. :)</p>
<p>It’s not different now, just more competitive. What was good enough to gain admissions into a top PhD program 25 years ago isn’t good enough now. Back then, you needed great grades, solid GRE scores, and strong LORs. Now you need extensive research as well, something students applying right out of undergrad weren’t expected to have.</p>