<p>... for students whose undergraduate schools are public, although well-regarded?</p>
<p>Just one of many questions I have about graduate school. Admittedly, I know very little about it, but I thoroughly enjoy what I'm studying and strongly desire to further my education.</p>
<p>If admissions possibilities are more than just remote (of course, relative to already low acceptance rates at celebrated institutions), what should be persued in order to better chances of being accepted? Other than strong grades, of course.</p>
<p>It's all about research, research, research. You need to get yourself onto publishable research projects. Grades are actually a minor consideration relative to proven research ability.</p>
<p>My friend just got into a top psych program with great recs, grades, scores, and some research. They can all matter, because a few spots are being sought after by many top applicants, but great research can make up for so much. Recs can also be huge.</p>
<p>Ah. Thank you so much! Graduate school's becoming less of some term I know I like for unknown reasons, and more of a goal I can grasp and work towards.</p>
<p><em>has Princeton dreams, even though they're not accomplishable</em></p>
<p>How do you determine if research is "publishable." I feel like it's rude to ask a professor if he thinks his research will be published soon or not, as if to sound like the only reason you're helping is to get published. (Which is not why I'm pursuing research)</p>
<p>I would mention to my advisor that I'm very interested in publishing the results of your research and ask if it's feasible and what steps to take to begin the process. I think it shows initiative and most people like that!</p>
<p>I would also search for similar articles to your current reserach and see what kind or the amount of results they reported. If you have around the same amount of data points or such, then I would say you might be able to publish. I've found reading peer-reviewed articles enlightening on what you need to be able to accomplish to survive in academia.</p>
<p>Also, be warned that articles in peer-reviewed journals take longer than you think they will to write/submit/revise/publish. Look at the submittal dates v. the publication dates of journal articles, this is why publication is viewed so highly in graduate level candidates.</p>
<p>Hope this helps, it probably varies slightly between the sciences and humanities I would suppose.</p>