• Difference Between a Bachelor's Degree & a Graduate Degree
• What types of Graduate Degrees are there?
• How do I know if graduate school is right for me?
  

    Graduate school is different from your bachelor's degree. Graduate school is usually more specialized, more personal, and more work.

     In the undergraduate majors, you learn a lot of general and basic knowledge usually labeled as 'core coursework.' As an undergraduate you may attend large classroom lectures and spend a lot of time reading and studying for tests. This degree prepares you to have some basic skills and knowledge in order to immediately become a productive employee or to pursue a graduate degree.

     In graduate school, courses are often taught in a smaller classroom with more expectations for classroom participation and discussion. The workload is usually much larger requiring extensive reading and writing and expectations for the quality and quantity of your work are much greater. In addition, you will be learning material specific to your chosen professional discipline with little room for elective courses. Typically, some sort of research paper or thesis is required as well as specialized work experience such as being a teaching assistant, research assistant, and/or participating in an internship to apply newly acquired skills. It is also common for graduate students to know their professors on a more personal level.

     Realize graduate schools do not have an open door policy. Unlike undergraduate admissions, having a good GPA may not be enough. Some graduate programs let as little as six people in per semester and have a pool as big as three hundred applying. It is important to prepare well in advance for graduate school by volunteering as an undergraduate in your field. For example, a student can help a professor as a research assistant or teaching assistant or may get a chance to do a senior project. Take steps to build and enhance your communication skills in terms of both writing and speaking. Additionally, it is important to study for any graduate exams and be thoughtful and creative in developing your personal statements. It is important to the university that is reviewing your application that you are likely to succeed in their program, and contribute to the field in some way upon completion of your degree. For this reason, it is vital that you are clear in identifying your goals and aspirations for your field of study and to show how you will contribute to the field.