Ah…the excitement and allure of graduate school. Whether you're just curious or in a serious application mode, we have some great resources to help you move forward. We suggest beginning your journey with our Graduate School Planning & Funding Guide. It will provide you with a timeline for applying (to keep you on track) and walk you through the process of deciding, applying, finding funding, and preparing references. You'll also get information on which admissions tests you'll need to take and a list of some essential tools including on-line and library resources. We can also help you put together your essay - come in and see us early on!
FACS
Graduate
School Planning & Funding Guide
Graduate
Programs That Don't Emphasize Test Scores
Sources
of Financial Aid
U.S. News & World Report
Rankings (free for Beloit Students)
The Three Questions You Must
Ask of Every Program!
Interested in Health
or Legal Professions?
What If I Want to Wait a Year
or Two?
FACS Calendar of Events
SOURCES
OF FINANCIAL AID
In addition to the many resources listed in our Graduate School
Guide and other helpful info in FACS, the College assembles a group of faculty
and staff each year to serve on a Graduate Scholarship Committee. This group
puts together information and programs on this subject and designates a
faculty member to serve as a central point of contact for each major graduate
scholarship. They have put together a two-page Quick
Guide to Graduate Scholarships describing the major awards, criteria
for selection, deadlines, prior winners from Beloit, and the appropriate
faculty contact.
Look for information each spring term on a series of scholarship dinners during which committee members will go through these and other scholarship opportunities. Go to Events for upcoming dates.
If you're looking for additional sources of financial aid for your undergraduate education, you should make an appointment to see a counselor in Financial Aid. To give you a quick start, we have put together a list of suggestions and on-line resources for Quick Guide to Undergraduate Scholarships. This is only the beginning - a counselor in Financial Aid (and the scholarship bulletin board in that office) will provide you with much more information.
Click here for Additional Scholarship Resources.
U.S.
NEWS & WORLD REPORT RANKINGS
The U.S. News & World Report rankings may be helpful in gathering information about programs, their competitiveness, statistical data on things like average faculty to student ratio, and much more. While we do not recommend using only school or program rankings in determining your graduate program choices, the data provided in the U.S. News & World Report rankings tables include a broad range of data on various college/program features and characteristics that may prove to be helpful to you as you determine criteria and establish priorities in selecting a graduate program that is right for you. The free version of the rankings provides a limited view on the top 5 programs in a particular category, and you have access to a number of web links and free articles on graduate school planning. You may purchase the "premium edition" of the rankings for a nominal annual fee, and will then have access to a complete list of school/program rankings, a comprehensive database of schools/programs, and additional helpful articles and financial aid resources. To access the U.S. News & World Report graduate school rankings site, go to:
www.usnews.com/usnews/rankguide/rghome.htm and refer to the links under the "America's Best Graduate Schools" section.
THE 3 QUESTIONS YOU MUST ASK EVERY SCHOOL
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What is the average length of time to graduation? This is important because you don't want to get stuck in a program where there are curriculum problems (i.e. some classes are only offered every two, three, or four years). Some programs have an average length of time to graduation of over 10 years!
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What is the placement rate of your graduates and how do you calculate that figure? If you're going to invest the time, effort, and money to complete a graduate degree, you'll want some assurances that you'll be in a good position to find work upon graduation. And not just any work -but work in your field. Be savvy here. Ask them what they count as "placed." You also want to know that they even bother to track these figures. They should have a report of some type that they can share with you.
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Will you give me the name and contact information for at least three students who have graduated within the last three years? Again, you need to be able to hear about students' experiences both during and after enrollment first hand. This insider view is critical.
INTERESTED
IN HEALTH OR LEGAL PROFESSIONS?
If
you are considering applying to any health-related graduate program, you
should know about the Health Professions Advisory Committee (HPAC). This
group of faculty, staff, and students puts together a series of programs
and events each year on a variety of topics. They also have great resources
and information you should be aware of. For more details and a list of upcoming
events, visit: http://www.beloit.edu/hpac/
On the other hand, if you're thinking about law school or some other law-related graduate study, you should hook up with members of the Law Professions Advisory Committee (LPAC) for advice and information. This is also a group of faculty, staff, and a student representative. LPAC maintains a listserv of students interested in this career area which we encourage you to join so LPAC can notify you of upcoming events and deadlines. If you would like to join the list, send your request to: facs@beloit.edu You can also get a head start by downloading Some Practical Thoughts on Getting Into Law School.
We also have many good resources in our library for both of these areas and welcome the chance to work with you when researching.
WHAT
IF I WANT TO WAIT A YEAR OR TWO?
If
you're not sure if graduate school is the right step to take, or if you
just want some time to think about it, then waiting for a year or two might
be a good idea. This is particularly true for those of you interested in
careers in business or other career fields where getting more hands-on experience
is a valuable asset. So let's say you decide to wait a while. The question
then becomes, "what do I do until then?" You have a number of
options, depending on your interests, skills, and your particular discipline.
We encourage you to read through our Graduate
School Planning & Funding Guide and to come in and talk with us about alternatives
before deciding, but here are a few ideas listed in descending order of
preference:
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Launch a traditional job search before you graduate and secure a position in your field so that you can gain more experience and increase your chances for admission later on. We can help!
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Don't overlook internships! Many of these opportunities are open to new grads as well and many come with a salary.
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Apply to one of the many one and two-year-out programs available both in the U.S. and around the world. The Peace Corps, Teach for America, JET, and AmeriCorps VISTA are just a few examples. These programs will give you great experience without requiring a long-term commitment. For a more comprehensive list of programs and associated web sites, download the relevant "Careers in…." guide located in the Guides section of our site. We also have great resources on this subject in our library.·
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Take a temporary position that is in (or related to) your field of interest. Nearly every major city has multiple temporary agencies set up to help you do just that. Warning: This does not mean working as a secretary or some other job that doesn't require any college education. While such a job may provide you with some much needed funds, it too often results in long-term inertia and can result in negative labeling later on. After all, you'll have to explain to a future employer or graduate school why you made this choice and the reply that there were no other jobs available won't fly here.
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If you have the resources, take some time off to rest, travel, relax, and THINK about this important decision. This will also give you more time to get to know yourself - your interests, dreams, values…and to prepare for the appropriate graduate admissions test (if you didn't already take it or if you need to retake it). Remember, this may be your last best chance to play, but be sure to use the time wisely. Enter time off purposefully and reflectively so you are able to articulate its purpose and benefits to graduate schools on future applications and in interviews. Of course, you could apply to graduate school as a senior, defer your enrollment for one year, and then take the time to travel or play. This is a much better approach if you want to take a year off from school.