CSU-San Bernardino Career Guide - Flipbook - Page 30
Graduate School
Benefts to earning a degree beyond a bachelor’s include 1) Lower unemployment rate 2) Annual income is 20%
more, on average 3) Over a lifetime, there is a substantial income gain for those with a masters degree or other
advanced degrees.
Below are some critical steps to take in your preparation for graduate school, along with resources to help guide
you through the research, evaluation, and planning process.
Step 1: Research
Step 2: Evaluate
• What do you want out of a program? What type
of school do you want to attend? Public, private,
large, small, etc.
• Where do you want to attend? How much do you
want to spend?
• Start a list of potential graduate schools/programs
using a spreadsheet to organize information such
as deadlines, cost, test requirements, etc.
• Use a school search platform such as petersons.
com
• Make sure the graduate schools/programs are
accredited.
• Ensure they ft in with your philosophy, purpose,
and long-term goals.
• Determine the level of commitment and how it
can ft into your current commitments.
• Does the program format match your needs:
weekend, evenings, hybrid, online, in-person?
Step 3: Prepare
Step 4: Finance your Program
• Most graduate programs require at least a 3.0. The
higher your GPA, the more competitive you will be.
• Plan to secure 2-3 letters of recommendation (2
from faculty)
• Work on your personal statement; every program
has diferent requirements; have your statement
reviewed by faculty, career center, writing center.
• Brainstorm what sets you apart from other
candidates.
• Find out if program requires admissions exams
(i.e., GRE, GMAT, LSAT, etc.). Implement a study
schedule for required exam.
• Complete the FAFSA - you are considered
independent in graduate school and will not
qualify for state and federal grants. However, you
will still need a FAFSA for scholarships and student
loans.
• Consider the feasibility of working and attending
school to help cover the fnancial commitment
and increase your marketability upon graduation.
• Work on scholarship applications.
• Obtain graduate assistantships or fellowships to
help pay for or ofset the cost of attending.
For more information
on recommendation
requests, writing
personal statements,
and more.
30 | Career Guide
