Having trouble picking a graduate school and program?

Tue, 29 Sep 2015 17:24:43 -0400

Join the Career Center staff on October 1st for a trip to The Idealist Grad School Fair hosted by American University and taking place at the Washington Convention Center!

Can you believe this Thursday is the first day of October already? That means it’s another month into the semester, and another month closer to application deadlines. Believe me…they creep up before you know it. Finding the right school and program for graduate school can be overwhelming and stressful, but the good news is the Career Center has plenty of options to help you through the decision process.

On October 1st from 5:00pm to 8:00pm, the Career Center staff will be providing transportation for the Idealist Grad School Fair. They will leave from UMBC by 3:30, so if you cannot leave with the UMBC students feel free to get there by different transportation. There will be 249 different programs from schools including Harvard, Yale, Duke, Columbia, and NYU will be there to help you get more information. If you go to this link http://www.idealist.org/explore/JxbbgDCPnw8d/exhibitors you can look at all of the different programs and requirements for them. I recommend doing a little research on the ones you’re interested in before you attend so you have a better idea of what questions to ask once you’re there. If you’re sure you can go, register ASAP! You can register for the Fair here at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/washington-dc-idealist-grad-fair-tickets-17309432980 and rsvp for the bus is through UMBCworks.

If you can’t make this trip or if you feel way too unprepared to start looking at programs, it’s no problem! The Career Center has plenty of opportunities to help you figure out what you want to study. If you don’t have a clue where to start in picking a program, let alone deciding what to do with your life, I highly suggest you take the self-assessment tests on our website at http://careers.umbc.edu/students/discover/self/. The FOCUS2 and the WooFound Compass assessments not only have really cool names, they also help you identify your interests, talents, and values and provide a customized report of jobs and career fields that match your personality! Once you complete them you can set up an appointment with a Career Specialist to talk about your results.

Once you have a better idea of what you want to do, it makes it easier to start researching schools that have the program you’re interested in. The Career Center’s website contains important questions to consider when picking a program as well as links to additional webpages that provide information on different programs. You can check it out at http://careers.umbc.edu/students/gradschool/selecting/

If you can’t make the Idealist Grad School Fair next week, keep checking the Career Center calendar for more events and opportunities that can help you through the search process! On Wednesday, October 21st at 4:30 pm there is a Grad School 101 Conference where you can have dinner and connect with other students who are also trying to plan their future. The conference will have presentations that cover navigating the application process, writing a strong personal statement that grabs attention, and advice from graduate students and alumni to help with the entire process! Buffet, students to connect with, and helpful advice, what could be better? Check it out on the calendar at http://careers2.umbc.edu/calendar/workshops/gradschool101.php and register today!