PLEASE HELP a junior confused about Grad School.

Graduate School
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<p>Hey all. I've lurked on these forums for a while and finally decided to post. I've been really confused about my grad school opportunities and Im looking for a bit of help or just a point in the right direction. I have one year left for my bachelors degree at Northeastern Illinois University, not a very prestigious school at all but I can honestly say I have received a good education. My major is in Justice Studies (think criminal justice) and my minor is in sociology, I currently have a 3.7 major GPA and a 3.22 cumulative, it should go up 1 point after this semester. I must say I have been all over the place when it comes to school, in the beginning I have a couple W's and an F..I have improved greatly, my gpa for the fall semester was a 3.75 and a 4.0 for the summer before that. Majority of my courses are 300 level, I have never takin any of those "easy-A" classes. I plan on taking the GRE in August or September and hope to receive atleast 1100 total, im a good test taker. The issue Im having is what program is best for what I want to do. I am very interested in mental health issues and working with criminals/ex-offenders, I have taken a few psych courses which I loved but due to the scheduling at my school It was hard for me to take more. I would love to work for a major government agency, no where specific. </p>

<p>I plan on applying to UIChicago, UIUC, Loyola, SIUC, and yes even Northwestern ( which I think is a reach). Im also considering some out of state schools as well. Originally I wanted to get my PHD in Criminology, but I dont want to be in an enormous amount of debt afterwards. Now I am considering a masters in Clinical Social Work, UIC has a concentration in mental health that I would love to go to. I am currently looking for an internship with a state agency/probation office, dont really have much field experience, although I am a regular volunteer at a daycare center in my neighborhood that deals with autistic children. I have several questions, What are my options? What can I do to make myself a stronger candidate? What schools should I apply to? and What program should I pursue that fits into what I want to do? After completing my internship this summer I will be looking for more volunteer opportunities to strengthen my resume and give me more experience. I have several Professors that will give me good LORs and I know I have the potential and work ethic to do this, but how do I show this to the grad admissions? and will I be able to receive funding for any of this?</p>

<p>Sorry this is so long but I really need help with this. Thanks everyone =)!</p>

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<p><em>bump</em> Nobody viewing can respond??</p>

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<p>obviously not. I know nothing of those area, personally–you didn’t give a clue about the topic in your heading, so all of us who know nothing about it have to open it to see we can’t give you any info. I do know that PhD programs are generally funded, though.</p>

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<p>You ought to show a little more patience, especially given how amorphous your questions are.</p>

<p>It’s great that you are thinking ahead, but your thinking isn’t very good or very precise just yet. You need to do some work on refining it. Right now, you are approaching things completely backwards. You have a specific list of institutions to which you plan on applying, but only vague ideas about what programs there you will apply to, and almost no idea – at least not that you have communicated – about what you want to achieve by going to graduate school. Can you tell what’s wrong with that picture? </p>

<p>And on top of that, you are making factual assumptions that turn out to be wrong. You are far more likely to have to go into debt to get a MSW than to get a PhD in Criminology, although it’s much, much harder to get into a funded PhD program than an MSW program.</p>

<p>Anyway, hit Reset. Start by asking yourself where you want to be in 10-15 years – that’s a pretty good horizon. What sorts of people are doing things you would like to do? Make certain not to look at just one field. OK, then recognize that in order to become one of those people you will need a combination of additional training and experience. What additional training did the people you are looking at get? What experience? In what order? What are the different paths people have taken to reach the same spot? Talk to your professors about this, too. That’s part of what they are there for. And, trust me, if you haven’t had conversations like that with them, their LORs for you will not be really useful.</p>

<p>After you have gone through that process, you should have a much better sense of what the options are, and which ones could work for you. Then, and only then, should you start thinking about which institution to apply to. (Now or after you have gotten some relevant work experience of the type you have identified in the process above.) If you are looking at Master’s programs, and you definitely want to stay in Chicagoland, then it may well make sense to limit your search to Illinois publics, but make sure you are really getting a good deal. And places like Wisconsin-Madison, Michigan, Indiana-Bloomington, and Notre Dame also serve the Chicago market. If you are looking at PhD programs, then you probably shouldn’t be limiting yourself that way.</p>

<p>It doesn’t matter, by the way, whether you actually follow the same career path that this or that person followed. In all likelihood, you won’t. Things will be different, luck and circumstances will give you different opportunities, take you in different directions. And that’s all fine. But if you don’t have a target to aim for, you are just shooting at random, and that’s not only stupid, it’s dangerous.</p>

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<p>JHS-Thank you very much for responding, Im feeling stressed out so I was definitely anxious for an answer. Thank you again. Anywhoo, I want to work with mental health patients who have committed crimes, which is why Im leaning toward the MSW, since I will be able to concentrate in mental health. Does this sound promising? Going to graduate school to me means being educated because I love school, receiving the training that I need to work with the types of people I mentioned above, oh and also increasing my earning potential is also a benefit. The schools you listed, I am also applying to, Im not limiting myself to only Illinois, but that is my preference. The institutions I listed were the ones that I knew have my major and that I wouldnt mind actually attending if I got in.</p>