Graduate Study

Students planning to continue their education at thegraduate level should check catalogs of graduate schools for admission and course prerequisites forthe program(s) that interest them, so they can take any courses required by graduate schools while still in the program. They are also urged to discuss future plans with their faculty mentor(s) andwith departmental advisers in their fields of interest. Although the CUNY Baccalaureate does not offer specific graduate school advising, we've compiled these general guidelines.

Time Line (beginning the year before your spring graduation)

Faculty Help

• Develop a rapport with faculty you trust
  
• Offer to work with them voluntarily, or if possible, as a paid research assistant
  
• Explain what you'd like to study
  
• Ask them what schools they recommend
  
• Develop a writing sample/research project in consultation with them
  

Choose Graduate Programs Carefully

• Consider what types of jobs their degree would suit you for, project income
  
• Consider how important "location" of the school is to you: are you willing to leave NY?
  
• Ivy reputation vs. a program that suits your interests
  
• Specializations: look at faculty rosters
  
• Web search course offerings
• Campus visits: talk to students, talk to administrators

GPA

• The higher your grade average, the more likely you will be to get Financial Aid and Admission
• GPA's are often computed by discipline; a strong showing in your Area of Concentration will offset weak grades in other areas

Funding

• Two types of free money: funding from the school; funding from the government or private foundations
• Search for "outside funding" sources at your campus fellowship office or at library
• School funding may come in several forms: Teaching Assistantships (TA), Research Assistantships (RA), Grants, Tuition Waivers, Minority Fellowships
• Most schools have early Financial Aid deadlines; count on applying between Dec. 1 – Jan 1; look carefully for applications deadlines
• Loans: Stafford, SLS

GRE

• Subject and general test: you can drastically improve your scores by studying
• Raw score vs. percentile
• Computer option
• Preparation: buy books, take test twice, take prep course, workshops

Recommendations

• Send your professors a cover letter, reminding them what you've done
• Include samples of your work for your recommenders' reference
• Have copies sent to your college's Placement Office for later use

Applications

• Ask for them by October 14 (by phone or mail)
• Be sure to request Financial Aid applications
• Write a Statement of Purpose, not an autobiography
• If it is possible, customize applications to specific schools. "I am particularly interested in... and studying at .... because it offers..."
  
• You may need to explain curious phenomena in your academic record: "Because I work full-time, it took me several years longer to get my BA. The extra time has enabled me to focus better on X"
• Plan to have the Application ready for mail by Dec. 1; look closely at individual deadlines
• Early applications have a better shot at Financial Aid
• Transcripts are sent out by the Registrar; you need to make sure you request them in time to make the deadlines
• You also need to find out how long the office of the Graduate Record Examinations Educational Testing Service takes in Princeton to send out GRE requests.