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Choosing an international graduate school
Whatever your reason for deciding to apply for graduate school, you’ll want to find the program that is right for you and do everything you can to make sure that your graduate experience is successful. Sound and basic advice can go along way in ensuring that you find exactly what you’re looking for in your Masters degree or PhD program. Kristin Williams, Executive Director of Graduate School Enrolment Management at the George Washington University in Washington DC investigates.
Beyond the general benefits of a graduate degree -- intellectual stimulation, personal enrichment -- there are several excellent reasons for pursuing a graduate program:
- Increased earnings are related to degree attainment: in the U.S. someone with a graduate degree earns, on the average, 33% more than someone with only a bachelor's degree.
- Graduate school may be necessary to obtain the specific skills, knowledge, or credentials for a particular job or profession.
- A graduate degree can provide greater mobility within your area of interest and the flexibility to change careers, or may simply be necessary to keep up with advances in your current field.
To start the process, there are multiple sources of information on graduate schools and programs.
Events, such as graduate school fairs or information sessions hosted by individual universities, can provide you with an opportunity to talk face-to-face with a representative from the institution.
Online directories of graduate programs usually offer searchable databases to identify universities offering programs in your field of interest. EducationUSA Centers (http://educationusa.state.gov) are a global network of more than 450 advising centers around the world that offer accurate, complete, and objective information about educational opportunities in the United States. If you register for the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or the Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT), you will be automatically included in their databases, unless you ask to be excluded; some graduate schools request this information and use it to contact you directly with program information. Finally, faculty members at your undergraduate institution, as well as employers, co-workers, family, and friends who have studied in the U.S., can be an excellent resource when trying to identify prospective graduate schools.
Selecting a Graduate Program
Once you’ve identified the schools in which you may be interested, visit their websites to get program descriptions, admissions and degree requirements, and other important information such as housing availability and costs. Many factors should be considered when deciding which schools to apply to. You should:
Identify the specific graduate programs that fit your particular interests, background, and goals.
1. Identify the specific graduate programs that fit your particular interests, background, and goals.
- What are your personal preferences for the type of school and its location? Small or large? Urban or rural? In a particular part of the country or near a specific city?
- What kind of academic experience do you want? Hands-on (practical) vs. theoretical?
- What types of institutional support services are particularly important to you (e.g., internship opportunities, child care, on-campus housing)?
- How quickly do you want to complete the program?
2. Get information about the following important characteristics of those programs and universities.
- Faculty credentials, reputation, and research interests
- Institutional and (if appropriate) program accreditation
- Direct and indirect costs (tuition, fees, books, living expenses, health insurance) and the availability of financial assistance
- Degree requirements and courses
- Institutional facilities (libraries, computers, laboratories, etc.)
- Job-search success of graduates (job placement)
3. Be honest about your academic background and potential. How selective is the program? Will you be able to meet their admissions requirements?
Applying for Admission
Although specific requirements will vary depending on the university, school, and program in which you are interested, the following materials are generally required:
- A completed and signed application form
- The application fee (few institutions will process your application without the fee)
- Official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended
- Letters of recommendation
- Statement of purpose or a personal statement
- Standardized test scores (see below)
- If requesting an I-20 or a DS-2019 from the university, a completed financial certificate form, with supporting documents
