Finding the PERFECT Graduate School!- Kellee Britt

As a busy and graduating senior at the University of Florida, I’ve been trying to figure out my future beyond the undergraduate world. With hopes to complete my Ph.D. in Plant pathology, I encountered a frantic spring semester, brimming with graduate school visits and interviews across the nation. Selecting the perfect graduate program comes with many important factors, especially how happy and successful you think you’ll be in that certain city or on that certain campus. Yes, the research and graduate advisors are extremely important as well, but by flying out to these various regions, you have to wonder if you could ultimately grow and thrive as a scientist in that region.

During my individual journey of graduate school visits, I interviewed at three different schools. All were different and wonderful programs, offering phenomenal hospitality and striving to impress me more than I would have to impress them. Of course, throughout these trips, I was quite nervous myself, hoping to find a university that I would love and scientifically flourish at.

I went on tours of the campuses, cities, labs, and home buildings of my classes, loving all the new sights and different historic architecture. All three graduate schools had such welcoming faculty too, and were within cohesive environments with family-like dynamics. I instantly felt like a part of their program, which would make this decision that much more difficult. The process of choosing would be quite challenging, to say the least, and denying any one of these programs would definitely not be enjoyable.

However, after many weeks of careful deliberation and frequent weighing of the pros and cons of each graduate program and Ph.D. offer, I finally decided on my graduate school! Hooray!

Remember: this decision is for you and you only. I, of course, thought of the strong feelings the potential advisors had in wanting me to join their labs, but I could only choose one of the three, which obviously left two denials in my future. It took some heart to say no, but I believe I truly made the best decision for my future! Good luck, future Gator graduates!!!

The steps to Graduate School- Caitlin Cribbs

I always knew that I wanted to go to graduate school; I just did not know for what! During my first semester at the University of Florida, I was sitting in my first Family, Youth, and Community Sciences class and my teacher, Dr. Kate Fletcher started talking about where FYCS could take me with job opportunities. Knowing that I have a passion for education, when she said “Guidance Counselor” I knew that would be the perfect career path for me. That day, I went home and started researching what the requirements were for graduate school and set up an appointment with my advisor to make sure I was on the right track. I went to all of the websites of schools I was interested in to compare their programs and to see where I thought I would have the best fit. I started to become overwhelmed! The GRE, applications, resumes, letters of recommendation, transcripts and the list continued. Then I told myself to take one step at a time, it was important to see when the deadline was for each school, since each one may differ. Applying to grad school is something that you do not want to rush; make lists and more lists to know what steps still needs to be completed.

First things first, I decided that the GRE was the first thing I needed to tackle. The GRE stands for Graduate Record Examinations. Each school requires a certain score for admissions; it is usually a combined score of 300 – a minimum of 150 points for both Verbal and Quantitative Reasoning. It was important to do this test as soon as possible for a few reasons. It takes months to study and prepare, time needs to be allowed to retake it just in case you are not happy with your first outcome, and the scores have to be sent into the school of your choice. That alone takes a few weeks, it is important all scores are in before the application deadline.

The application is completed and sent to the program online. This is something that you can take your time with, you can save your work as you go and come back to finish at any time. This is where you put in all of your personal information, resume, goals and personal statement. This is very important because it is a chance for the committee to get to know who you are. You want to make sure that it is done to the best of your ability and to make yourself stand out from all the rest. Define who you are and show why you would be a great asset to the program! Always remember to read over your work and let an extra pair of eyes look over it to make sure everything is perfect!

Three to four letters of recommendations are required along with the application. If at all possible, ask your employers or professors to write the letters for you. Get someone who knows your work effect and has seen your academic performance.  Along with asking them, provide your resume, personal information and graduate school information so they know exactly what is expected.  This is something that you want to ask them of them a few months before the deadline so they have plenty of time to write the perfect letter for you!

All transcripts also have to be sent in to the program of your choice. If you first went to a Community College then transferred to a major university, both transcripts are required. The transcripts show them you’re current GPA, performance in certain classes and how close you are to graduating. You can order these on your school website and have them sent to your program with a few easy steps!

Once the application is sent in and received, some programs require an interview with the applicants who have made the first cut. If your program does, it will be stated on their website admission requirements. All of this information will be sent out a few months after all applications are in. The program will explain to you what is required on that day such as times, parking, dress code and the interview process. This is a time to really explain your experiences, strengths, and to be yourself!

When the deadline for your application approaches, you will feel such a relief when you push the submit button! It takes a lot of hard work and dedication all while going to school full time. It is important to never give up, and just remember everything will work out the way it is supposed to. I am so proud to have received the news just a few weeks ago that after graduation in May, I will be attending the University of Florida in the College of Education for their School Counseling Program. I made my goal of graduate school a reality and you can too!