How to Choose the Right Graduate School

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

Schools with superior academic reputations receive thousands of applications each year. How will you make sure that yours stands out? And is the program you’re targeting really 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 to a program will depend on whether your research experience and interests align with those of the program’s professors. That means you need to do a lot of homework — read up on the research that the professors at your target schools have done. Often, you can learn about programs you should focus on from your undergraduate professors. You will also identify 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. As you are considering your options, 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 – Is it one year, 18 months, or two years?
Location – Studying in a location where you ultimately 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 specific courses that you plan to take to demonstrate why you are interested in this particular program and school. You can also name professors you want to study with, as well as any organizations you’d like to join.

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

Applying to graduate school takes time and thoughtful planning. Consider hiring a consultant who has worked 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.

With 30 years of career and admissions experience at four universities, including Cornell’s College of Engineering and Johnson Business School, Dr. Karin Ash facilitated students’ entry into the world’s best companies. As an adcom member, she also evaluated applications and therefore knows what schools and employers seek. Want Karin to help you get Accepted? Click here to get in touch!

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