<p>My son is a junior in college, he hadn't considered grad school until he got a good look at the current tough job market. Now he thinks postponing reality by going to grad school for a couple of years may be a good idea.</p>
<p>Since no one in my family has a graduate degree I am totally ignorant of the grad school application process. Is it similar to the undergraduate application process from a timing standpoint?</p>
<p>In other words, does one take GRE's/GMAT's in the spring of their undergraduate junior year and then take them again in the fall while doing grad school applications also in the fall of their senior year and then submit all the applications by Christmas?</p>
<p>Any "gotcha's" that we should know about?</p>
<p>Thanks in advance for your help.</p>
<p>Momwaitingfornew - Excellent, thank you very much for the link to “Graduate school admissions 101”. I read it and it has nearly everything I need.</p>
<p>Here’s information I have gleaned as the parent of a grad school hopeful.</p>
<p>Keep in mind that he will apply to a specific department, not the whole school as is usual for undergrad. He needs to research departments in the field he is interested in. Grades in the major (planned grad study field) matter much more than the overall gpa. He needs to cultivate professors who can write good recommendations- and who can suggest schools to him. He needs to write a “statement of purpose” (SOP), this is different than the undergrad admissions essays. Extracurriculars don’t count. He will need to take the GRE and possibly a subject GRE in his field. He should only apply to places he wants to go to- unlike undergrad you do not accept a place at a school with the intention of transferring to a different one. He may think grad school is the alternative to a job, but they have also cut back on grad student funding (eg fewer TA’s) and it may be harder to get accepted to a program. There is competition from people who finished college and then worked, who did foreign grad work in their home country… Schools are not looking for the “well rounded class” as for the undergrads. Some programs only accept PhD students and none who plan on a masters as the terminal degree. Business programs usually want students to have work experience- often two or more years (they also have a different test- the GMAT). He should plan on working on a degree- masters or PhD, not spending “a couple of years” in grad school. Grad program websites (specific department sites) will state typical time frames for their degrees. They often will state what they expect in the SOP. Different departments within a university as well as the same field at different universities have different application deadlines- some may be early December, others late January- he needs to pay attention to varying deadlines. Notification also varies- the department, not the school makes the decisions and determines when to accept students (think in terms of rolling decisions). Often programs accept applicants only for the fall- ie no spring admissions. The competition for a space in a program varies depending on the field, not just the school. He wants a good fit in the field- one that has the area of his interest, not the overall highest ranking school (ie a relatively unknown school may have a much better department in his field than one of the elite universities, or may offer a subspecialty he wants that is not available at the big name school). Finally- just as one narrows the focus from HS in college by having a major one narrows the focus even further in grad school (eg chemistry major- physical chemistry in grad school with a subspecialty focus).</p>
<p>Regarding the tests. The general GRE is usually taken as a computerized test at many test centers. This can be done on many dates and close to home instead of at his school. While there is a maximum time allowed the test sections can be completed without waiting for that time- it is possible to start the next section as soon as done with a section and to be done early. They had the writing first, no choice in test order. Instant results were available on the verbal and quantitative while the writing had to be scored by humans. Scores are good for 5 years. The GRE subject tests (only one is taken-in the proposed field of study)are only offered on a few test dates- spring and fall. These should be studied for and are Saturday morning “pencil and paper” tests. Early this summer (ie after he finishes this term) would be a good time to get the general GRE out of the way. That would leave time for a retest if he didn’t like his scores and also wouldn’t compete with school work.</p>
<p>It’s generally not a good idea to “postpone” reality by going to graduate school. Graduate school is reality, just for lower pay and more frustration if you don’t actually have a goal in mind with it.</p>