If your plans call for heading into a graduate or professional program right after claiming your bachelor’s degree at UMBC, you will be in good company. The majority of UMBC students say they plan to attend graduate or professional school. Some decide to join the workforce first and get their feet on the ground financially before embarking on advanced education.  Others start grad school early by taking advantage of the growing number of combination bachelors/masters programs available at UMBC.

Because there is a lot of information to gather and evaluate about postgraduate study, you will want to be the “early bird” who starts gathering early in the junior year. Some professional schools and some of the most prestigious graduate fellowships have application processes that begin one to two years before you set foot in the classroom.

So how do you get started? Here are five things you can do right now.

1. Catch your academic advisor’s attention now before the registration rush.  Set up an appointment to discuss the broad outlines of your graduate school plan.  Definitely make a list of questions for discussion, such as:

• What are some of the top graduate programs in my field, particularly in this geographic area?

• How did you go about choosing a graduate program?

• What are desirable characteristics to look for in a graduate program?

INSIDE TIP:  Don’t mention letters of recommendation at this early stage.

2. Make a spreadsheet listing 5 or 10 likely prospects for graduate or professional schools and start recording:

• key characteristics, such as location, facilities, tuition and fees, academic quality and reputation, availability of financial support,etc.;
 
• information about visit days, open houses, tours, and other opportunities to get a closer look and ask questions, as well as names and contact information for program directors and administrators;

• the forms, other documents applicants are required to submit (transcripts, personal statements, writing samples, test scores, letters of recommendation), and deadline dates.

3. Learn about any central application processes (such as American Medical College Admissions Service or AMCAS for medical school), centralized reviews and ratings (such as the “best graduate programs” guides), and any professional organizations (such as the American Psychological Association) that may compile information about graduate and professional programs and how to evaluate their quality.

4. Attend information sessions given at UMBC or elsewhere (e.g., a regional law school fair) by representatives of graduate and professional schools. Ask questions and collect brochures and handouts. Many such sessions are scheduled to take place at UMBC in the next several weeks with details provided right here on the UMBC Extra Credit site. Go and soak up the information!

5. Start building a list of 3 to 5 faculty members who could become writers of letters of recommendation later. Make a conscious effort to stay in touch with these professors and develop a professional rapport.

For even more tips on the early stages of graduate school planning, check out the “Guide to Applying to Graduate School” on the Career Services Center website here:  http://www.careers.umbc.edu/gradpub/

EXTRA CREDIT BONUS QUESTION:

Why would you want to start gathering information about grad or professional schools early in your junior year?