Preparing to Go to Graduate School
Getting Ready to Begin Your Postgraduate Degree at University
Aug 6, 2007
You’ve completed your undergraduate studies, or perhaps you’re returning to Graduate School as a mid-career professional for Continuing Professional Development at Masters level, and it’s coming up to your vital first week. You know that it’s important to make a good start, but aren’t sure where to start. Here are some of the thing you need to have done and put in place by the time your first week at Graduate School is through.
First, you need to be sure that you’ve got your finances in place. Your Graduate School or university administration may very well not let you start studying until you’ve paid your tuition fees. They certainly won’t let you graduate if you haven’t paid. If you’re full time, you’ll need to ensure that you’ve got money to live on. Without your finances being in place, you’ll have a bad experience and will not be able to perform to your true level in your studies.
Second, if you’re not studying in your home town, you’ll need to make sure you’ve got somewhere to stay. Try to sort this out before you arrive at Graduate School as you’ll have enough to do when you start classes.
Third, make sure you’ve read the pre-induction information your Graduate School will send you. This will help orient you to the University, Graduate School or Department. It may also give you details of preparatory reading for your programme. Reading this will give you a head start on your courses. This is important because, once you start your programme, you’ll find it rattles along at great speed. Anything you can do to make your life as a graduate student easier is a good idea. And once you get there, make sure you attend all the induction events.
Fourth, try to decide what you’re wanting out of your graduate programme. If it’s career-related, then you need to focus on those things that will help you occupationally. If you’re going to use your Masters degree as an entry qualification for a PhD or other doctoral qualification, then concentrate on those elements of the programme that will develop your theoretical, conceptual and research skills. If you’re doing the Masters degree purely because you’re interested in the subject, make sure it’s the right sort of programme for you and not too focused on one of the areas you find less interesting.
Finally, it is important to remember that you can still withdraw from your offered place if you’re not certain that this is the programme or course for you. Its better not to start, and waste time and money in the process, than to start and then decide to leave. After all, it’s one of the most important decisions of your life and you want to get it right. If you’re in doubt, look around again at the programmes that are on offer. If you see one that appeals, it may well be that the one you’ve chosen isn’t for you. Think hard about it to make sure it is. Use the time before you start graduate school wisely and make sure you get the most out of this unique opportunity.
