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Undergraduate Students
Preparing for Graduate
School
Why are you considering graduate school?
a) I’m just not ready
to venture out into the “real world”.
b) I’m not sure what
kind of career I really want to pursue.
I need more time to learn.
c) People with graduate
degrees make more money. I like money.
d) My parents expect
me to.
If any of the above is a reason why you
are considering graduate school, please
take a moment to slow down.
Graduate school is an excellent opportunity
to become an expert in a field that interests
you. For some career fields a masters degree
(or doctorate) is required. Often times
an advanced degree will correlate with a
higher salary. As an undergraduate student,
there are a few things that you will want
to consider before applying to and entering
graduate school.
Presently you are encouraged – and sometimes
required – to take a diverse array of courses.
Your business core covers many business
disciplines, and your UMD core classes add
even more variety. In graduate school, however,
you will be focused solely on one subject.
Your classes will be much smaller, and skipping
a lecture will no longer be an option. Graduate
school is an enormous time, energy, and
money investment.
Here are some questions that you should
be able to answer clearly and confidently
before you write a check for that grad school
application fee (adapted from
www.gradschools.com):
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What are my career
goals presently? Five years out?
-
Do I need, or will
I benefit from an advanced degree for
those goals?
-
If yes, which degree
should I pursue…? Masters, Doctorate?
-
Am I interested enough
in this subject to say that I am willing
to commit all of the time and energy
that it takes to succeed?
-
Am I prepared for
the increased pressure and stress of
graduate-level education?
-
Can I afford to pay
for tuition, books, and living expenses
without working full time?
-
If I am going to
take out loans for my graduate education,
what will my debt be upon graduation?
Do I meet the requirements of graduate
school admission such as standardized test
scores, undergraduate GPA, and professional
experience? (Most master of business administration
programs (MBA) require at least two years
of professional business experience to even
be considered).
If you can confidently articulate answers
to these questions, your next question may
be in regards to what grad school resources
Smith can offer you. If the above questions
were difficult to answer, you will probably
benefit from an in-depth appointment with
a career counselor. Aside from practical
grad school information, he or she can help
you with some self-assessment tools.
You may want to delve into more specific
graduate school information, such as how
to pick the best school for you, distinguishing
between different program options (thesis/non-thesis),
work options while you’re in grad school,
and others.
Researching Graduate School and Options:
The Campus Career Center (based out of
Hornbake Library) has a portion of their
website dedicated to helping students research,
select, and apply for graduate programs:
Field-Specific Resources
for Prospective Graduate Students:
UMCP has a pre-law advisor:
www.lawandhealth.umd.edu.
The Law School Admissions Council – Forums,
articles, and other information including
the official link to LSAT (Law School Admissions
Test), registration:
www.lsac.org.
Business School
It is not advised that students pursue
graduate business programs directly after
completion of their undergraduate degree.
Most business programs, in fact, will not
even consider an applicant with fewer than
two years of professional experience.
Masters Program Office
2308 Van Munching Hall
University of Maryland – College Park
(301) 405-2559
admissions@rhsmith.umd.edu
For more information on the GMAT (Graduate
Management Admissions Test), please visit:
http://www.mba.com/mba/TaketheGMAT
For more information on the Praxis I
and II exams, please visit:
www.ets.org/praxis/index.html
General Graduate School Information:
www.gradschool.umd.edu
The GRE (Graduate Records Exam):
www.gre.org/ttindex.html
The TOEFL (Test of English Fluency):
www.ets.org/toefl
www.gradschools.com - A robust source
of information with links to general and
very specific grad school topics, and individual
college information.
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