SACKED
Investigation leads to removal of head coach Randy Awrey
Full coverage on B1
The Valley Vanguard
Monday
December 3, 2007 Saginaw Valley State University’s student newspaper since 1966
Vol. 40
No. 12
I
n today’s super-competitive job market, a bachelor’s degree is often not good enough for students to land high-paying jobs. More and more, students are electing to continue their education in order to open up more opportunities.
The Valley Vanguard’s
But getting a graduate degree isn’t as simple as just signing up for classes. In order to get into distinguished graduate schools, students in all the disciplines have to make sure they’re ready. That’s why we’ve done the research and prepared for you a brief guide to help you understand what kind of things you need for grad school.
Graduate Preparation Guide 2008
By Alie Neumeyer
The Valley Vanguard
liberal arts
THE GRE
r graduate preparing fo Graduate g to do when y up for the The first thin ster and stud gi GRE tests o different hool is to re sc are tw (GRE). There se to take. Record Exam ent may choo ud e graduate st a prospectiv a. This examin General Test ased the GRE at computer-b The first is ed year-round ing roughly nister Canada. Last tion is admi the U.S. and quantiin ing, test centers verbal reason ical it measures ng and analyt three hours, itical thinki is approxireasoning, cr test tative cost of the for other ls. The fees applied writing skil th additional nter or tely $140, wi sired test ce ma a de as changing options such a test date. rescheduling ar e times a ye ly given thre proxitests are on l and cost ap The subject the mber and Apri Nove es as in October, additional fe may with the same examination mately $130, ect-specific to st. This subj in addition General Te uate programs by some grad be required Test. the General has , a student dreaded test are for the either one of Now, to prep eparing for the A student pr nothing all many options. as little as There s may spend preparation. the two test of dollars on ndreds al available way up to hu online materi s, CDs, and tra help. are many book r ex t looking fo to any studen type pends on the your score de of receive uter version When you will ken. The comp was ta st receipt of of test that in the quicke r the test GRE results 15 days afte the General to l oximately 10 of the genera scores – appr per version ed wever, the pa uld be receiv was taken. Ho . bject test co as the su the test date test as well weeks after ties four to six and universi ywhere from an lleges e sent to co e test. All scores ar the day of th the student designated by for graduate tting ready s. step when ge fits your need The biggest a school that oosing t jump right school is ch schools don’ ys easy, as is proalwa r. Th This is not have to offe rn you what they which can tu out and tell of research, s for a lot cess call away. some people
science and engineering
DECLaRinG a ConCEnTRaTion anD FinDin sCHooL Ga
in the field of Like a liberal arts major, someone to take the science or engineering would also have . GRE in order to apply to a school step is difThe next step is to find a school. This SVSU student ficult, as programs tend to vary. Any and computer may declare themselves an electrical ering major, engineering major or a mechanical engine or major in any of natural sciences. in the field In Michigan, the most well-known school l University, of engineering is Michigan Technologica numerous gradulocated in Houghton. MTU offers includate programs in the field of engineering, environmental ing chemical, civil, biomedical, and engineering. known for its Another school in Michigan that is of Michigan. engineering program is the University aerospace, U of M offers engineering degrees in ceutical enbiomedical, chemical, automotive, pharma . gineering, and as well as may others ms are comBoth Michigan Tech and U of M’s progra ation process. petitive and require a lengthy prepar
THE LsaT
pre-law majors
Just as liberal arts and engineering majors need to take the GRE, political science students (or any student interested in going to law school) must take the Law School Admission Test (LSAT). The test measures reading and verbal reasoning skills and is given four times a year at hundreds of locations around the world. SVSU grad Andy Suszek found the length of the test the most difficult part. The LSAT calls for three straight hours of test taking. He said the best preparation for him came from using practice tests and not allowing himself to break. This taught him how to maintain focus for an extended length of time. The registration fee for the LSAT is $123, and those who register late have to pay an additional $62. Suszek looked at it as more than just a fee. “The cost was an issue,” he said. “Law school is expensive, but it is an investment. I was able to draw a partial scholarship, though, which helps offset some of the costs.”
aDViCE FRom a DEan aT miCHiGan TECH
dean at MichiJacqueline Huntoon, a graduate school of an appligan Tech, finds the most important part on. cation the letters of recommendati one of the most “The letters of recommendation are package because important parts of the application their own colthey help faculty members to see what s of students leagues think about the qualification ,” she said. who are applying to graduate school be accepted Huntoon said not all that apply will make applying a into the school, which can sometimes finds that doing well tough process to complete. She an applicant is on the GRE can heighten the chances accepted. needs to be Another part of the application that te school fostrong for those applying to a gradua part of the cused on engineering is the quantitative need to have GRE. Graduate students in engineering t way for good math skills, and this is the easies ies. admissions to understand those abilit ant trait for an Huntoon said the single most import to achieve sucundergraduate to have for in order ion. cess in graduate school is self-motivat learning and “Students who are enthusiastic about to figure out have the self-motivation to work hard out of the graduhow to solve problems get the most also the most ate experience,” she said. “They are because by rewarding for our faculty to work with degree they are like the time they complete their truly experts in junior colleagues in that they are a specific area of research.” do well on the While an undergraduate student may it will be the GRE and have a complete application, the edge over the student with experience that gains tands this, rest of the applicants. Huntoon unders y at an underand says building rapport with facult student to find graduate institution will enable a experience in the field. to get work ex“Students who have the opportunity to graduate perience or research experience prior e they usually school are also at an advantage becaus ms they want have a clear idea of the types of proble them with to work on,” the dean said. “That helps the application the statement of purpose section of to graduate school.”
FoCUsinG YoUR UnDERGRaDUaTE EXPERiEnCE
While on SVSU’s campus, the then-political science major found SVSU helpful in his preparation for law school. He said this helpfulness came from the effort he put into finding the right resources and experiences. Focusing much of his attention on student organizations, Suszek developed communication, leadership, and teamwork skills. Gaining these experiences was helpful, but the Alpena native also found that utilizing professors is a great way to gain insight as well. “Dr. Lane is the pre-law adviser, and he helped quite a bit,” he said. “The whole political science department is very good at helping students achieve what they want.” The remaining application process may take up a lot of time, but Suszek said having the proper mind set before going into law school is important. He finds that learning your interests and where you want to go is essential to finding the right path for your future. “My advice would be make sure the program and the career it he said. “For example, if you three year sacrifice, you will only go if you think you will learning.” you want to do both leads you toward,” view Law School as a struggle. You should be interested in
THinGs To REmE
mbER
quickly. nters fill up e rly, test ce so the colleg • Register ea as possible to rest as soon ores in time • Take the te ceive the sc may re or university plication. matches the view your ap of your name d the spelling ment presente • Make sure fication docu ion on the identi ched informat name printed nter. Mismat e testing ce take the test to you at th permitted to u to not be will cause yo be forfeited. will an additional and your fee ailable for ration is av • Late regist . ne stering onli ce, so don’t fee when regi more than on ke the exam so well. • You may ta me doesn’t go e first ti fright if th
WHERE aRE TH
E TEsTinG siTE
s?
at ganization th ice is the or Testing Serv Educational list GRE. the a complete administers ets.org for h it at www. est ones: You can reac are the clos sites. Here of testing in Ann Arbor • Prometric e State • ETS at Wayn • ETS at MSU ds in Grand Rapi • Prometric ing etric in Lans • Prom in Livonia • Prometric • ETS at CMU Marie in Sault Ste. • Prometric c in Troy • Prometri
Suszek now attends DePaul University in Chicago and looks back at his time as an undergraduate at SVSU a rewarding one. He said that students will only get as much as an experience out of SVSU as they work for. “The value of SVSU, like anything else in the world, is equal to the effort each student puts into it.” Applying to any graduate school is like applying to college as a freshman, in that it’s ultimately your choice to decide on which college or university fits your needs. Decide on a field of study and all that is left to do is research, research, research.
SVSU that she wanted to pursue a career in magazine editing. And this choice would mean she had to start looking at a graduate school.
F
or Carly Toyzan, the process of applying to grad school was a lengthy but exciting one. Double majoring in professional and technical writing and communication, she knew as a sophomore at
For more of Carly’s story see GRAD, page A2