How Do You Choose the Right Graduate School?

how to choose a graduate school

Many applicants, when thinking about advancing their skills or changing their career direction, believe they must get into a “prestigious” grad school – one that is ranked high on the surveys conducted by U.S. News & World Report, Bloomberg Businessweek, and other similar media outlets. These candidates apply to the schools in the top ten of whichever ranking they are using to make their decision. Although this is one way to select a school, it is rarely your best strategy.

Schools with superior academic reputations receive thousands of applications. How will yours stand out? And is the program you’re targeting the best one for you? The answer will depend on your career track. Are you seeking a master’s degree that offers you the opportunity to conduct your own research, perhaps leading to a PhD? Or are you looking for a program that will give you the skills necessary to advance your career? Your qualifications are also a significant factor in selecting the right program.

Let’s first discuss the research degree. Getting accepted will depend on whether your research experience and interests align with the professors in that program. That means you need to do a lot of homework — read up on the research of professors at your target schools. Often, you can learn about programs to focus on from your undergraduate professors. You will also read about professors with similar interests as you take classes and conduct your undergraduate research. Their names will keep appearing in your readings. In this way, selecting the right program is easier for candidates who want a research degree than it is for applicants desiring a career outside academia.

If you are seeking a non-thesis degree to advance your career, the choices can be a bit overwhelming. You should look at a number of factors:

Academic reputation
Curriculum – what courses are offered that are of interest to you? How are they taught?
Length of program – one year, 18 months, or two years?
Location – studying in a location where you eventually want to live can make it easier to network and find internships that can lead to full-time offers.
Cost and available funding
Career placement – where are graduates finding work and in what jobs? Are there appealing internship opportunities if the program is longer than one year? Are there extracurricular activities or groups that support your career goal?

From my experience working with clients from around the world for the past eight years, and with students for many more years, curriculum is critical. In your statement of purpose, you will want to cite a few courses that you plan to take to demonstrate why you are interested in this particular program and this specific school. You can also name professors you want to study with as well as any organizations you’d like to join.

The factors just listed relate to what you want in a program. However, the schools will also be evaluating your qualifications, so you should apply to programs where you believe you have what they seek. See how you compare to accepted candidates, and apply primarily to programs where you are highly competitive. Also consider applying to a couple programs where you have a chance but that might be “reach” schools for you.

Applying to graduate school takes time and thoughtful planning. Consider hiring a consultant who has experience working with candidates who were accepted to your target schools. These consultants have read hundreds of essays and know how to help you present your strengths and accomplishments, motivations and goals.

In her 30 years of career and admissions experience – having served as the director of Cornell University Career Services and Cornell Johnson’s Career Management Center, as well as a career coach at Cornell’s College of Engineering – Dr. Karin Ash has facilitated students’ entry into the world’s best companies. As a member of the adcom, she also evaluated applications. She knows what schools and employers seek, and she can help you present it. Want Karin to help you get Accepted? Click here to get in touch!

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