Grad School Stuff for Undergrads

1. Grad School Stufffor Undergrads Dr. Alfred Dufty Associate Dean of the Graduate College Boise State University September 20, 2011

2. Why? • 1. Should you go to graduate school? • 2. How do you get into the right graduate school? • My motivation • Nobody else is likely to tell you these things • Maybe you’ll attend graduate school at BSU

3. After Graduation • Your choices: • Get a job • Join the military • Go to grad school • Other

4. Types of Degrees • Master’s Degrees • (MS, MA, MEd, MBA, MM, MFA, MPA, MSW, etc.) • Coursework only:students complete a required set of courses (rare) • Comprehensive exam:students complete coursework followed by an examination • Thesis:students complete coursework and must also submit a thesis (an original piece of research) • Proficiency requirements:many of the creative disciplines (music, dance, theatre, art, film) require a demonstration of proficiency in order to graduate

5. Types of Degrees • Doctoral Degrees • (PhD, EdD, DHA, DDS, MD, JD, etc.) • Research doctorates:PhD (Doctor of Philosophy) - students complete coursework and submit a dissertation (original research; must make a significant contribution to the discipline) • Professional doctorates:students complete a required set of courses and gain expertise in a profession, such as dentistry (DDS); no research expectation

6. Some Things are Obvious • If you aren’t enjoying college, don’t go to grad school • MS == More of the same • PhD == Piled higher and deeper • If you aren’t doing well in college, don’t go to grad school • You’ll have a hard time getting into a good one • It’s more competitive than being an undergrad • Grad school can be satisfying and a lot of fun • But it’s not for everyone

7. Less Obvious… • Salary tradeoffs for an advanced degree are often good Median income by education level Data from 2003 on Salary.com

8. Median Lifetime Earnings by Educational Attainment2009 Dollars $3,648k $3,252k $2,671k $2,268k $1,727k $1,547k $1,304k $973k H.S. Assoc. Bach. Doc. Prof. < H.S. Some coll. MS Modified from Fig. 1 of Carnevale et al. (2011) The College Payoff – Education, Occupations, Lifetime Earnings. The Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce.

9. Lifetime Earning Trajectories2009 Dollars $150k $125k $100k Earnings (median) $75k $50k $20k Modified from Fig. 2 of Carnevale et al. (2011) The College Payoff – Education, Occupations, Lifetime Earnings. The Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce. Age

10. Less Obvious… • You will invest 2-3 (MS) or 4-7 (PhD) years of your life • If PhD, often an additional 1-2 years as a postdoc • In some disciplines you may have to write a thesis or dissertation • You MUST be able to write clearly • MS –50-100 pages • PhD – 100-250 pages

11. Grad School Tradeoffs • Costs • Time • Effort • Expense • Opportunities • Potential for failure • Benefits • Enjoyment • Intellectual stimulation • Possible increased earning power • Opens doors to different kinds of jobs

12. Essential Graduate Student Information • Being a graduate student is very different from being an • undergrad: • As an undergrad your job is to get good grades • As a graduate student your job is to learn your specialty and (especially for a PhD student and some master’s students)to do research and write papers • Classes important, but may be less so than for undergrads • Often develop a much closer relationship with faculty members in grad school • your major advisor, maybe others

13. Parts of an Application • Grades • Bad grades hurt but good grades don’t get you in • Should have As and Bs in core courses • GRE/GMAT scores(Graduate Record Examination / Graduate Management Admission Test) • Bad scores hurt but good scores don’t get you in • Prior research experience • Required at top graduate schools • Makes any application (possibly much) stronger • Personal statement • Letters of recommendation

14. Personal Statement • Sometimes called a “research statement” • Include: • What general areas of the discipline interest you and why • Experience in the field - research projects you have worked on, job experience, volunteer work, etc. • Approaches that you tried • What worked, what didn’t; what did you learn? • Why do you want an MS / PhD? • Why do you want to attend the particular school? • What professors might you want to work with?

15. Personal Statement • Take this seriously • Get people to read over it, especially professors • Point out your strengths, but bragging, exaggerating, or cheesy stories do not help • Will be used as a gauge of how well you write

16. Letters of Recommendation • Perhaps the most important part of your application • Everyone will have decent grades and GRE/GMAT scores • Often the difference between two good students is in their letters • Letters from professors count the most • Letters from lecturers, employers, etc. are a distant second • Letters about your grades and exam scores are of little use • If someone wants to know how you did in class, they’ll look at your transcripts

17. Letters of Recommendation • If a professor doesn’t know you well, he/she cannot write you a strong letter • A good letter says things like: • “independent thinker” • “motivated and driven” • “strong research potential” • Personal anecdotes are useful because they show the professor really knows you • This is one reason why research or independent study experience at the undergraduate level is so important!

18. How to Ask for Letters • Ask in person • Be specific: “Can you write me a strong letter?” • Provide each letter writer with a packet containing: • Your resumé • Your personal statement • As much paperwork filled out as possible • Anything else that may be helpful • Specific instructions – Which letters are due when? • Addressed, stamped envelopes, email address, or URL • Request for email confirmation when letters are sent • Assume professors are overworked and forgetful (they are!) • Give them at least three weeks to write and send letters • Check to see if schools have gotten your letters

19. Getting Into a Good School • Basic problem: • Acceptance decisions are not entirely objective • Professors are committing 2-7 years of their time, too • They want to make sure a student is a “good fit” for themselves and their lab or graduate program • Getting into grad school is a much more personal endeavor than getting into undergrad school • You may be looking at an individual faculty member as much as the school itself

20. Getting Into a Good School • Solution: • Identify potential programs or thesis/dissertation advisors early • Ask current professors to recommend good advisors/schools • Visit the school’s/advisor’s website • There is a lot of information there • You’ll be perceived as a serious applicant the more you know about a graduate program or a professor’s work • And you’ll be able to ask better questions

21. Getting Into a Good School • Solution (cont.): • Let potential advisors know you’re interested in their work and ask if they are taking on new students • Meet them, or at least talk with them on the phone • It’s nice to be able to put a face to a name • Talk with their current grad students • How do they enjoy the experience? • Are students finishing? Getting jobs? • Follow-up calls never hurt

22. Yahoo! You’ve Been Accepted! Um, Now What…?

23. Financial Support • There is more money available to support graduate students than you may think • TA – Teaching Assistantship • You help teach a course, usually the labs • about 20 hr/wk • 9 months; you’re on your own in summer • RA – Research Assistantship • Paid from your advisor’s grant • You contribute to the goal of the grant • May dictate the topic of your thesis/dissertation work

24. Financial Support • Fellowships – rare; some offered by school, some applied for • Grants • Lots of sources, depending on your discipline • Usually to support your work, not yourself • Student loans (representatives of the BSU Financial Aid Office will be available later)

25. Application Timeline • Freshman, sophomore, junior year: • Get good grades • Get research experience • Find an academic area that excites you enough to devote 2-7 years of your life to it • Early Fall of your senior year (at the latest): • Decide where to apply • Do lots of web surfing • Take GRE/GMAT, if necessary • Late Fall of your senior year: • Fill out applications • Request letters of recommendation

26. Undergrad Research at Boise State • Check university websites for opportunities • STEM Station http://stem.boisestate.edu/UngResearchConnections.html • Individual departments http://biology.boisestate.edu/advising/undergraduate-research/ • Ask a professor who is doing work that interests you • You can get college credits (Independent Study) • It does pay dividends: • From the BSU Materials Science & Engineering website (March 5, 2011): • “Lead Undergraduate Research Assistant Stephanie Barnes has been accepted into Caltech’s Bioengineering Graduate Program. Congratulations to Stephanie!”