Once you've made the decision to pursue graduate studies, your
next step is choosing the right school. This decision will have a
major effect on your daily life for the next several years and
can influence your academic and career paths.
Consider the Following...
Choosing the right school for you involves many aspects. Among
the many factors to consider, concentrate on the following:
Reputation
What schools in your field have the best reputations? Will a
prestigious school really be the best one for you?
Curriculum
Which schools offer the specific programs in which you're
interested? What are the prerequisites?
Workload
What's expected of the students in those programs? There are
often big differences between programs. Will you be able to keep
up?
Location and size
Are you interested in moving to a new locale? If so, do you
prefer a school in a large city or in a rural area — or somewhere
in between? Which will serve your needs?
Cost
Should you consider public universities over private ones? What
are the differences in the cost of living at the schools that
interest you?
Academic Placement
If you're going into academia, find out if recent grads have
gotten academic positions, how long their searches took, and
where they're working. Are they getting tenure track positions or
one-year contracts? Are they working at prestigious schools or
are they taking virtually anything that comes along?
Job Placement
Find out if prospective employers visit the campus to recruit.
Major industries, for instance, will often visit a campus to
interview prospective science graduates about jobs. Are your
target employers visiting the campus? What sort of career and
job-finding help does your program or school offer its
graduates?
