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Graduate and Professional
Opportunities Program |
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Graduate and Professional School
ON-LINE Workshop |
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Topics of Discussion |
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Graduate and Professional
School Timeline |
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Plan of Action |
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Sophomore |
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Fall |
Initiate the process of
selecting an area of intended study for a graduate or professional
education. Explore all of your options and seek the advice of your
professors & advisors. |
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Spring |
Select and apply for a
summer academic research program or an internship related to your
undergraduate major and your future career interests. |
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Summer |
Participate in a summer
academic research program or an internship. |
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Junior |
Develop a
faculty mentor in your department. Develop a resume. |
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Fall |
Determine your area of
intended study; research your field, industry, and the job market;
identify at least three graduate or professional schools where you
may wish to study; research your selected schools for program
information, accreditation, admission requirements, cost of
education, and financial assistance; determine what standardized
exam, if any, is required; and inquire about the median or
preferred standardized test score needed for admission. |
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Spring |
Select and apply for a
summer academic research program or an internship. Register for the
appropriate standardized examination. You should discuss your
intentions with your major academic advisor. In some cases, in may
be to your advantage to take the test during the fall semester of
your senior year. Check with the TSU Testing Center for test
registration materials at (615) 963-7111. Search the registration
booklet for the deadline date for regular registration.
Additionally, review the registration booklet to determine if the
test fee can be waived. Please note that many examinations are
computerized, including the GRE and GMAT exams.
Please prepare for the exam. Consult the professional services of
the Princeton Review (615) 269-5033; Kaplan Educational Center
(615) 383-8638; Prepmaster (800) 325-5728, or other test
preparation organizations. Inquire about student discounts and fee
waivers. If you are unable to participate in a professional course,
then purchase a study guide, such as the Princeton Review=s
Cracking the GMAT, etc. Generally, you can find these study guides
in your local or campus bookstore. Also, there are several software
programs available at a reasonable cost such as the GMAT Power
Point.
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Summer |
Participate in a summer
academic research program or an internship. |
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Senior |
Finalize
your plans for graduate or professional school. |
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Fall |
Request application
materials from your selected schools or you may wish to apply
on-line; develop a personal statement; secure three letters of
recommendation from faculty; forward official copies of your
transcripts to your selected schools; complete and send your
application materials, along with your admissions fee, to your
selected schools. Have your standardized test score sent directly
to your selected schools. |
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Spring |
Select and apply to a
summer academic research program or an internship. Inform your
major department and the Office of Graduate and Professional
Opportunities of your acceptance into a graduate or professional
school for record keeping purposes. |
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STANDARDIZED EXAMINATIONS |
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The majority of graduate and
professional schools require that you take a standardized examination to
be admitted into their advanced degree programs. To learn which exam is
required, please contact the school directly. For information on the
following standardized examinations, please visit their web sites: |
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Helpful Test Taking Hints
- Do not take the test
without sufficient preparation
- Take advantage of a
simulated test to determine your performance level
- Remember to meet the
deadline date for regular registration to avoid late fees
- Follow the directions
outlined in the registration bulletin completely
- Clearly understand the
cancellation and refund policies
- Remember to be relaxed
and give yourself adequate time to prepare for the exam
- Understand the scoring
method
- Take the test seriously
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PERSONAL STATEMENT |
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A personal statement is a seriously
important document and, if you are unable to have an interview, it is
your first impression to the graduate admissions officer. Well-developed
writing skills are becoming increasingly imperative and the personal
statement reflects your writing ability.
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Here are some helpful hints for
preparing a personal statement: |
- Follow the instructions
outlined in the application. Tailor your personal statement to the
particular program or institution. The personal statement should be
precise and coherent. Most admission officers are looking for your
personality to be reflected in a personal statement. Check the
Tennessee State University Library or a local library for materials to
aid you in constructing your essay. (Your essay must be grammatically
correct, including spelling and punctuation; neat; intellectually
honest; and type- written on quality paper). Always maintain a personal
copy!
- Include your specific
reasons for applying to the graduate or professional school and your
interest in a particular program. Explain why you wanted to pursue the
chosen educational direction.
- Provide a brief
description of your academic accomplishments, including related work
and leadership or research experience. Summer internships should also
be included.
Describe your specific career goals and explain how this degree will
help you to accomplish them.
- Mention your knowledge
of any research being conducted by faculty in the department in which
you have indicated an interest.
- Once you have completed
a draft of your personal statement, please submit it to a faculty
member or an advisor for review. Remember to edit your personal
statement for errors and have at least two other persons to check it as
well. Please do not prematurely submit your statement before you have
had an opportunity to review it for corrections.
Click Here for additional information
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LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION |
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Generally, most graduate schools
require two or three letters of recommendation from professors under
which you have studied. If an administrator would like to give you a
letter of recommendation, it should be in addition to that of your
professors. If you have been employed for a considerable time, especially
if it has been full-time or career employment, you may be asked to have
your supervisor submit a letter of recommendation in your behalf. This is
generally the situation for prospective MBA students, who are currently
employed in career positions. For prospective law and medical students,
you may be asked to submit a letter of recommendation from your
Pre-medical or Pre-law Advisor.
- First, provide
your professors and/ or employers with a timely request. Ideally you
should give them at least a month. Keep in mind, that they have many
responsibilities and very demanding schedules.
- Second, provide
your professors and/ or employers with an updated resume that outlines
your academic accomplishments and work/research experience. If
possible, share a copy of your personal statement with them so that
they will have a better understanding of your future academic goals.
- Third, share
specific information about the advanced degree program and the school(s)
that you have chosen for your advanced study to prevent any unnecessary
misunderstandings.
- Fourth, specify
to whom the letter should be addressed, as well as that person=s title
and current mailing address.
- Finally, inform
the professor or the employer of the date that the letter is needed.
- As a professional
courtesy, you should always extend a personal thank you note to your
professor and/ or employer for supporting your candidacy.
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BUDGETING YOUR EXPENSES |
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There are some expenses associated
with pursuing a graduate or professional degree. It is important to
account and plan for these expenses. However, there are ways to
significantly reduce these expenses, especially if you are eligible for
fee wavier options and student discounts.
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Application fees.
Application fees generally range from a low of $5 to a high of $75 and
some are slightly higher. The average application fee is approximately
$35 or slightly less. Please plan to apply to at least three graduate or
professional schools. Given this recommendation, you should be prepared
to spend approximately $105 or more in application fees. However, many
schools offer a wavier for their application fee and you may be able to
eliminate this expense. Most schools will indicate if a fee wavier is
available.
Standardized
examinations.
Most graduate and professional schools require that you take a
standardized exam for admission into their advanced degree program(s).
Each exam has a set fee to register. The fees generally change from year
to year.
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(GMAT) |
Graduate Management
Admission Test www.gmat.org
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There is no fee wavier
option. |
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(LSAT) |
Law School Admission Test
www.lsac.org |
There is a fee waiver
option |
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(MCAT) |
Medical College Admission
Test
www.aamc.org |
There is an MCAT fee
reduction program. |
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(GRE) |
Graduate Record
Examination
www.gre.org |
There is a fee wavier
option |
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(DAT) |
Dental Admissions Test
www.aads.jhu.edu |
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Test preparation courses.
It is important that you adequately prepare for the examination. You
should consider taking a professional course or purchasing a study guide.
Generally, the cost of preparatory course ranges from $300 to $1,200
depending on the course and the provider. The following organizations
offer preparatory courses for the GRE, GMAT, LSAT, and MCAT exams:
- The Princeton Review
(615) 269-5033 ( www.review.com )
( Princeton Review TSU Course Schedule)
- Kaplan Educational
Center (615) 383-8638 (
www.kaplan.edu )
- Prepmaster (800)
325-5728
Seat deposit.
You may be required by some institutions to pay a deposit ranging from
approximately $50 to $500 to hold your seat in an advanced degree
program.
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FINANCIAL RESOURCES |
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Sources of Aid
- Scholarships,
fellowships, and grants are financial awards which do not require
repayment (these awards also include minority fellowships and
scholarships)
- Loans
require payment either monetarily or through service
- Scholarship
loans are scholarships that become loans if the recipient does not
comply with the terms and conditions of the award.
- Graduate,
teaching or research assistantships require part-time work, provide
monetary compensation (stipend), and generally cover tuition and
related fees.
Financial Aid Package
A typical financial aid package will include a tuition/fee
wavier and a stipend ranging from $1,000 to $7,000 and upwards for an
academic year. Generally, you will be paid each semester, quarterly or
monthly. With fellowships, you are not required to work, but with
assistantships you will usually be working 20 hours per week. In most
cases, you will have to pay for books, food, and other living costs that
are generally associated with graduate or professional study.
Federal Assistance
(Fellowship & Scholarship Links)
(www.finaid.org)
- To begin the financial
aid process, you must file a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
FAFSA is a need-analysis to determine your ability to pay for your
college education. An expected family contribution is determined by a
uniform federal formula. Need is determined by the cost of attendance
at a specific school and subtracting the calculated family
contribution. ( www.ed.gov/finaid.html )
- Federal assistance
cannot exceed the cost of attendance at the specified school. However,
you can appeal to have the cost increased for child care while
attending graduate or professional school and for commuting costs.
Also, it may be increased to purchase a computer.
- Graduate students are
classified as independent students.
- Graduate students who
receive a graduate, teaching or research assistantship are generally
assessed at the in-state level.
- Federal Stafford/
Ford Direct Loans, the United States Department of Education=s
major form of self-help aid for students. There are two types of
Federal Direct Loans: subsidized loans (awarded on the basis of
financial need) and unsubsidized loans (which are not based on
financial need). If you are a graduate student, you can borrow up to
$18,500 per academic year (only $8,500 of this amount may be in
subsidized Direct loans). The total debt you can have outstanding from
all Direct Loans combined is $138,500 as a graduate or professional
student (no more than $65,500 of this amount may be in subsidized
loans). Please note that the graduate debt limit includes any direct
loans received for undergraduate study. There are specific requirements
for you to receive federal assistance, please check with your
institution for the guidelines. Subsidized and unsubsidized loans are
both subject to the cost of attendance at a specific school and the
expected family contribution.
- Federal Perkins
Loan, a low interest loan for students with exceptional
financial need. A graduate or professional student may borrow up to
$5000 for each year of graduate or professional study. The total amount
that you can borrow as a graduate or professional student is $30,000
(this includes any Federal Perkins Loans borrowed as an undergraduate
student).
- Federal
Work-Study Program (FWS), provides jobs for graduate students
with financial need. Your salary will be at least the current federal
minimum wage, but it may be higher depending on the type of work you do
and the skills required. Your total award depends on when you apply,
your level of need, and the funding level of your school. As a graduate
student, you may be paid by the hour or you may receive a salary. No
FWS student may be paid a commission or fee. Your school must pay you
directly at least once a month.
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