GO-MAP/ECC Graduate and Undergraduate Diversity Mixer

February 10, 2011Kane Hall, Walker Ames Room

Presentation compiled and adapted by: Sabrina Bonaparte

More Education, More Problems? Debunking the Myths of Graduate & Professional School

• Someone in your family told you to go

• Your best friend is going• Nothing else to do at the moment• Doctors get better seats in

restaurants• You aren’t ready to start working for

a living• It’s a good place to meet girls/guys

Why should you go to Graduate School (Poor Reasons)

Why should you go? (Good reasons)

• You have found a subject or discipline that you can’t put out of your mind. If you could, you would work at this 24 hours/day. You can’t get enough of it.

• You have done an undergraduate research project and it was a real turn on.

• You have always wanted to teach at a college/university/community college.

More Reasons to Go

• When you encounter a problem, you think about it until you solve it, even if it takes days.

• You want to cure cancer or build the first controlled fusion reactor

• You would prefer to have others working for you, rather than you working for others

Should I go straight to grad school or work first?

Advantages: Straight to grad school

Advantages: Working first

You can complete all of your education earlier (in 20s rather than 30s or older)

Work experience (and age) sometimes adds a new perspective to school experience

Your mind is still on school (you’re not out of practice reading a 30-page article or writing a 10-page paper)

You are not burned out on school and you are excited to begin a new endeavor

You can get letters of recommendation from current professors

You have employers, volunteer organizations and many others who can write recommendations in addition to professors

You can start your career with a better job with a Master’s degree or PhD

You can get into a more competitive program if you have job experience first (sometimes this is required)

Short Answer: IT DEPENDS! (and it’s different for everyone!)

Common Graduate Programs That Require Work Experience (at UW)

• Masters of Business Administration (MBA)– Full time MBA has “preferred” business experience, all

others required

• Computer Science Professional Masters Program (MS)– 2-20 years required

• Master of Communication (MC)– For mid-career professionals

• Executive Masters in Public Administration (MPA)– For senior managers in the public, nonprofit, and

private sectors

• Most PhD programs do not require work experience (except maybe business)

• What will set you apart is RESEARCH experience–With a program (McNair,

undergraduate research, summer research programs, etc)

–With a professor (paid, unpaid)

–With a graduate student

What about PhD programs?

The Graduate School Application

Parts of the Graduate School Application

• Grades• GRE/MCAT/LSAT (Standardized tests)• Writing Sample• Letters of Recommendation• Statement of Purpose/Letter of Intent• Optional Personal Statement• Portfolio (for some fields)

• Reality: MOST people are not familiar with the process. Only those who have friends/family who have been through the process recently or are involved in academia are familiar with it. So, don’t be afraid to ask for help! You’re not the only one!

Myth 1: I am the only person who is unfamiliar with the application process

• Reality: Graduate school admissions is a holistic process, meaning you will get in based on your complete application. If your GRE scores are a little low, compensate by showing strong writing skills and good letters of recommendation, etc.

Myth 2: If one part of my application is weak, I will not get in

• Reality: You will only get into programs where the faculty think you will “fit”, meaning you have similar interests with faculty in the department.

• Moral of the story: tailor your personal statement to each school you apply to!

Myth 3: If I have a perfect GRE and GPA I will be guaranteed admission to any graduate program

Graduate School Myths

Myth 1: Grad school is good for anyone

Reality: Grad school is good for those looking to expand their knowledge

Reality: This CAN be true in some STEM fields but is not necessarily true for others. You will not become rich as a professor! Also, keep in mind you may have to take out loans, so the extra money made might not be as much as you think!

Myth 2: A graduate degree will get me more money

Reality: Work experience fixes your resume just as well!

Myth 3: Grad school will improve my resume

Myth 4: A Master’s degree is the ticket

to the top

Reality: It can definitely help put you over the top, but is not a sufficient stand-alone for success

Myth 5: It’s all about the degree

Reality: Even if a degree is a mandatory requirement for a job, you get what you put into your degree. If you don’t work hard and get good letters of recommendation, you just having the degree won’t be enough to get you a job

More Common Myths about Graduate School

• Only people with 4.0 averages get in• Only people with 1600 GRE scores

get in• Graduate classes are just like under-

graduate classes only more intense• If you have a bad grade in any class

you will not be accepted

• You need to be very good at what you do

• You need a “fire in the belly” or passion for your chosen field

• Graduate classes are unlike undergraduate classes; a different skill set is required and must be developed for success

• Drive and motivation counts as much or more than native intelligence (having both is nice, of course)

The Reality of Graduate School

• Master’s degree, 1-2 years of FT study– Plan A (Thesis master’s)– Plan B (Coursework master’s)– Professional master’s (MBA, MPH, etc. Some

programs require a thesis or capstone project)

• Professional doctoral degree (MD, JD, PharmD, etc.), time is variable

• Research doctoral degree (PhD), typically 4-7 years of study

• Some doctoral programs require a master’s along the way, others don’t

Quick Overview: Levels of Graduate Study

• ECC (http://depts.washington.edu/ecc/) • EIP

(http://depts.washington.edu/eip/research.htm)

• GO-MAP (http://grad.washington.edu) • McNair

(http://depts.washington.edu/uwmcnair/conference.htm)

• LSAMP (http://depts.washington.edu/omad/lsamp-home/)

• Undergraduate Research Program (http://www.washington.edu/research/urp/)

Where can I get help on campus?

Citations

• Much of this PowerPoint was adapted from Applying to Graduate School: Myths and Realities (ppt) by Dr. Jim Henkel and Dr. Harold Bibb

http://www.instituteonteachingandmentoring.org/Institute/Handouts06/McNairSession-GraduateSchoolApplicationProcess.ppt

• Grad School 101: The Truth About the Top Six Grad School Myths by Tiffany Monhollon

http://littleredsuit.com/2007/07/31/grad-school-101-the-truth-about-the-top-six-grad-school-myths/