Skip Navigation

University of Nebraska–Lincoln

Career Services

Graduate & Professional School Information

Deciding to Attend Graduate or Professional School

Making the decision to apply to graduate or professional school involves considering several factors and lots of long-term planning.

ISSUES TO CONSIDER :

  • What are your long-term goals?
  • How would graduate/professional school figure into your plans?
  • Do you have the necessary educational background and skills to elevate your education?
  • Are you prepared for the academic and financial challenges of moving your education to a higher level?
  • Are you choosing graduate/professional school because you don’t know what else to do with your life?

GENERAL STEPS TO FOLLOW :

  • Determine your areas of interest and skill to help you to investigate possibilities. Make an appointment to talk with a career counselor in Nebraska Union 230.
  • Join a pre-professional club (Pre-Law, NU Meds, etc.) to find other students on campus with similar interests and goals. These clubs often schedule speakers to talk about the profession, the application process, and the reality of the academic program you are considering. Contact Student Involvement, 200 Nebraska Union, for details.
  • Find out if the graduate/professional program that you are interested in requires an entrance examination. If so, when should the exam be taken, how often is it available, and what does it cost? Information in Career Resource Center in 225 Nebraska Union can help you to track the answers to these questions.
  • Find information (either in print or online) about the specific programs available in your area of interest.
  • Talk with representatives from graduate/professional schools about their programs and admission policies/deadlines.

FACTORS TO RESEARCH (by visiting schools’ websites, reading their catalogs, or contacting their admissions offices):

  • Faculty: Learn about their academic training, their research interests and publications, their teaching styles, their professional involvement, and the gender/ethnic mix represented.
  • Students in the program: Learn about their academic abilities, awards won by students in academic areas, their satisfaction with the program (what they like best about that school and what they wish that they would have known before attending), and the gender/ethnic mix on campus. Ask the school’s admissions office if they have any UNL graduates whom you could contact to find out more about their experience at that graduate/professional school.
  • Academic programs: Learn about the school’s accreditation, admission policies, average class size, course offerings, level of academic challenge, degree requirements, faculty mentoring, internship/assistantship opportunities, the average length of time needed to complete the degree, and the job placement figures for its graduates.
  • University/Area Resources: Learn where the university is located in the community, what the weather is like, what health facilities are available, what is available in terms of libraries, laboratories, and computers, what the cultural and social activities are, what is available in housing, how safe the area is, and what the cost of living is.

UNDERSTAND THE STEPS IN THE APPLICATION PROCESS:

  • Take the appropriate admission examination (such as the GRE, GMAT, MCAT, LSAT, MAT, TOEFL). This step is often taken during the second semester of the junior year.
  • Contact schools for application materials. Check application deadlines. Follow directions in case a clearinghouse situation is used (for example, AMCAS or LSDAS).
  • Obtain letters of recommendation and academic transcripts.
  • Write a personal statement. Career Services counselors can provide assistance.
  • Keep track of where you applied, when the application was sent, and when you received a response from the school.
  • Prepare for an interview (if appropriate to the application process). You may wish to consider scheduling a mock interview with a Career Services counselor.

MAKING A FINAL DECISION:

  • Does the program fit your personal and professional objectives?
  • Do you believe that your financial resources will be adequate to complete this program?
  • Can you see yourself living in this geographic area for the time needed to complete the program?
  • Are you able to develop a support system for both your academic and personal lives?

For information about University of Nebraska Graduate Programs, contact:

BEYOND YOUR GRADUATE DEGREE

After many years of education, you have finally completed your graduate degree. But now what? How do you go about finding employment? Let Career Services help you with the following:

If you are going into business/industry:

If you are going into academia:


Visit Career Services, 230 Nebraska Union. You can either schedule a one-hour appointment with a career counselor (472-3145) or stop by for a twenty-minute Walk-In session. We’re open 8 to 5, Monday through Friday.