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Thinking about graduate school? About 50% of St. Mary's students attend graduate or professional school within 5 years out, so you are in good company! Our challenging curriculum prepares students well for the rigors of graduate school, and gives them a competitive edge in the application process. That said, there is still a lot of work to be done before you head off to your next institution. Read on to learn about some valuable tools, resources, and articles that will assist you in your decision-making and application process. Also, check our Events Calendar for upcoming programs related to graduate school. 

First Things First...Should You Go?

Before you commit to the intensive and concentrated study that a advanced degree requires, you should be sure that you have fully considered your options. Individuals who attend graduate school simply because others think they should or because they don't know what else to do are not likely to be successful (or happy!). Each of the articles below offers some important questions that you should ask yourself if you are considering graduate school in the near future. Each site also provides useful articles on all aspects of graduate school application, so browse a bit after reading the article!

Deciding to Attend Graduate School 
Considering: Should I Go?

Application Process Overview

PDF Guide to Graduate School
Excellent printable guide for grad and professional school application.

Guide to Applying to Graduate School
This Web page on the UMBC site provides a good timeline and brief overview of preparation, selection, application, and funding.

Peterson's Graduate Planner
Includes valuable articles, tools, and links that will help students plan, find a school, prepare for testing, apply, and fund their education; very comprehensive!

The About.com Guide to Getting into Graduate School  
Includes MANY specific articles that appear to be written by a reputable source on such topics as applications, essays, recommendation letters, exams, and interviews. Also includees information on applying to med, law, and business programs.

Senior Year Time Table
Great overview of what to do when.

"Kisses of Death" in the Grad School Application Process
Many resources tell you what to do when you apply....this one tells you what NOT to do. Represents results of a survey of psychology admissions chairs, but relevant to all disciplines.

Discipline-Specific Assistance
Professional organization websites (e.g., American Psychological Association, American Historical Association) often provide good discipline-specific information about all steps in this process, as well as about specific programs in relevant fields. Many also provide information abotu fellowships and career paths. You can find them by searching the Web, asking your professors, or using this tool.

Personal Statements/Essays

OWL Guide to Writing a Personal Statement
Excellent resources from the Purdue Online Writing Lab. Be sure to explore the other resources linked from this page--examples, advice, and Top 10 rules. (We have a book in our Career Library that has dozens of examples, so pay us a visit if you are struggling to get started!)

Definition of a Personal Statement
This excellent but brief overview was written about nationally competitive scholarships such as the Rhodes, but its main points apply to all statements.

Generating Ideas for the Personal Statement 
Stuck from the start? This list provides a great place to begin.

SMCM Writing Center
Need some feedback or help getting started? All tutors at the Writing Center have received training on personal statement writing. Click above to make an appointment!

Resumes & Vitas

SMCM Guide to Writing Resumes & Vitas
This 12-page PDF is a great place to start. It includes an overview of resume/vita styles, general guidelines, a worksheet to help you identify and describe your transferable skills, and relevant examples.

Additional Curriculum Vitae ("CV") Resources
Some schools may request a vita, which is an academic resume that follows a somewhat different format. These links will help to get you started.

Guide to Curriculum Vitaes 
Includes instructions, template, example (though the example is a bit advanced for undergraduates).

OWL Guide to CVs 
Overview of strategies for writing an effective CV.

Additional Vita Categories
Overview is similar to that of other links, but includes a long list of possible vita categories that may help you identify the best category labels for your own vita.

Additional Resume Resources
If your applications requrie a resume, check out our page of additional resume-related resources.

Recommendation Letters

How to ask for letters of recommendation
You can't write the letters yourself, but you can take steps to be sure they are as strong as possible.

Standardized Testing

2008-2009 Graduate/Professional School Testing Dates & Procedures Handout

The official paper-based GRE Subject Test is offered on campus each November
Registration closes in October.
Note that we are not able to offer the General test becuase it is a computer-based test.

Graduate & Professional Entrance Exam Web Sites (In addition to registration procedures, most include study tips, practice exams to graduate school application resources
GRE (Graduate Record Exam)
LSAT (Law School Admissions Test)
GMAT (Graduate Management Admission Test)
MCAT (Medical College Admission Test)
DAT (Dental Admission Test)
OAT (Optometry Admission Test)
MAT (Miller Analogies Test)
TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language)

Optional Preparation Programs
Kaplan 
Princeton Review

Program Selection

Peterson's "Find a School" 
Includes a very well-designed personalization search tool for schools that links to school and program websites.

Gradschools.com
Useful articles and search tool. Once you have identified target schools you may need to use a search engine to find their website as gradschools.com only seems to link to sponsoring schools.

Graduateguide.com
This site seems to provide a URL for each school--helpful!

US News Rankings
Every year US News & World Report releases rankings of top schools in the most common graduate disciplines.

As mentioned above, professional organization Web sites are another common source of program selection tools. 

Professional School

Business School
Unlike other graduate programs, it is most common for individuals pursuing the MBA (Masters of Business Administration) to first acquire a few years of relevant business experience. A history of internships and other professional experiences will better enable you to secure an entry-level position in business, so be sure to check out the internships page and pay a visit to the Career Development Center! If you expect to pursue an advanced degree in business at a later date, it might still be advantageous to take the GMAT (Graduate Management Admissions Test) before or soon after you graduate because it is a test of general skills and abilities that are well-practiced in the college setting.  MBA.com will provide everything you need for career planning, taking the GMAT, and identifying programs. 

Law School
Thinking about law school? This brief article provides some good points to consider. Students intersted in attending law school are encouraged to pursue an undergraduate degree in any field of interest to them. The typical timeline for students attending law school immediately after college is to take the LSAT in June or October of the senior year and to apply to schools in the Fall. The LSAT is a paper-based test offered in February, June, October, and December of each year at sites throughout Maryland. Registration is required one month in advance, and scores are released one month after the test. St. Mary's Pre-Law Advisory Network (PLAN) offers mock LSAT exams throughout the year, which will help you to prepare for the real LSAT. Enrolling in PHIL215, Critical Thinking and Philosophical Writing (offered every semester), provides helpful preparation as well. We have several helpful resources in the CDC Resource Library, including previously administered LSATs, practice books, books on the application process, and One L, a highly recommended book about the first year in law school. In addition to visiting the CDC and becoming involved with PLAN, students intersted in law school should make an appointment to talk with faculty pre-law advisor Susan Grogan (segrogan@smcm.edu). The Law School Admission Council Web site provides many useful tools and resources related to deciding to attend, identifying and applying to schools, taking the LSAT, and financing your education. The pre-law advising page from Brigham Young is another great resource. ANYONE INTERESTED IN LAW SCHOOL SHOULD ATTEND THE UPCOMING LSAC LAW SCHOOL FORUM IN DC, SATURDAY, JUNE 27, 2009.

Medical School and other Health Professions
Students interested in pursuing a career in a health field are encouraged to make an early visit to the Career Development Center. We have several excellent resources that can help to acquaint you with various healthcare professions that you may not even be aware of. ExploreHealthCareeers.org is a great place to start. Experience through shadowing, interviewing, volunteering, and interning is then essential for "testing" the choice you have made, or for deciding among multiple options. You should also consider joining the student pre-health club on campus, S.M.A.S.H. (St. Mary's Advising Students in Health), which coordinates the local hospital volunteer program and sponsors several events throughout the year. Check out the SMASH BlackBoard site for more information. To do so, log in to BlackBoard, Click on the "Courses" tab, and enter "SMASH" in the search window on the left. Then click "Enroll" to enroll yourself.

Once you have envisioned a given career path for yourself, HealthSAC (Health Sciences Advisory Committee) can help you chart your course. HealthSAC is directed by the Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs, Lenny Howard, in the office of Academic Services (x4388, wlhoward@smcm.edu). This group provides the formal advising structure and institutional recommendation necessary for medical school, and assists students in applying to other competitive health fields as well. Keep in mind that the cycle for applying to medical school is a bit earlier than that for other graduate programs; students generally submit their materials in the summer before their senior year if they intend to proceed directly to medical school after graduation. Because of the early submission, the MCAT exam is generally taken in the Spring of the junior year.

HealthSAC has prepared a thorough Web site and Blackboard site to help students navigate this process. After you have logged in to BlackBoard, click on the "Courses" tab and and enter "Health Science Career" in the search window on the left. Then click "Enroll" to enroll yourself. The site is an essential resource for those students who are serious about pursuing a career in the health professions, as well as for those who are just beginning to explore this possibility.

Confused about where to go for health career advising? This handout should help!