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Why Graduate School? || Paying for Grad School || Gift Aid Options || Self-Help Options
More Than a Formality
Your GRE score is more than a formality in the admissions process. No matter where you apply, your score can have great impact on the strength of your application. In fact, a high score can benefit you in several ways. Most importantly, it increases the likelihood of your getting into the graduate program of your choice.
In addition to an admission criterion, schools often use scores to determine eligibility for merit-based grants and fellowships, as well as teaching and research assistantships. Many programs establish cutoff points for GRE scores to limit the application pool, while others use GRE scores to directly determine how much financial support you receive.
Investing your time and effort in preparing for the GRE today can get you into grad school and increase your chances of getting financial assistance.
Taking the GRE
The Graduate Record Examination General Test, or GRE, is designed to test fundamental verbal, mathematical and logical skills that a student is expected to have assimilated in the course of his or her college education. The vast majority of graduate programs require that prospective students submit GRE scores in order to be considered for admission.
The GRE is administered exclusively as a Computer Adaptive Test, or CAT. The GRE is taken on computer at special testing centers located throughout the U.S. and around the world. The GRE CAT consists of about 3 hours of multiple-choice testing.
Here's how the sections of the GRE CAT break down. Click on any question type to find out more about that question type.
- Verbal Section: 30 questions in 30 minutes
- Quantitative (Math) Section: 28 questions in 45 minutes
- Analytical (Logic) Section: 35 questions in 60 minutes
In addition, the GRE includes one unscored experimental section. This section is used by the test maker to try out questions for future use. It could be a Verbal, Quantitative or Analytical section. It will look exactly like a scored section of the same type, so on test day don't spend time trying to figure out which section is experimental.
Scoring
The GRE score report will contain three scaled scores, one each for each of the scored sections. Each of these will be between 200 and 800. All scaled scores will be accompanied by a corresponding percentile ranking. The percentile rankings allow schools to quickly judge your performance relative to other test takers.
Find out more about how a GRE CAT finds your score
Find out how to register to take the GRE CAT
Find out how to register for a Kaplan course
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Why Graduate School?
According to recent surveys, Americans with a graduate degree earn an average of 35 to 50 percent more than those with just a bachelor's degree. That's certainly one reason there are more people than ever applying to graduate school.
When weighing whether or not to go to grad school, you should realistically assess what you expect from a graduate degree and exactly what program will suit you best...
Career Change
Many people make the decision to return to grad school after working in "the real world." Some feel that their career options are otherwise limited. Others find that their interests and abilities have developed over the years and no longer have anything to do with their undergraduate education.
Career Or Salary Advancement
The upper levels of your field may be closed to people without an advanced degree, no matter how talented or industrious they are.
Switch From Practitioner To Administrator
After working in the trenches for a while and developing a strong sense of how your organization is run, you may be interested in moving up to the management level of your field. This often requires some graduate education.
The Lure Of Ivy Walls
To teach at two-year colleges, you'll need at least a master's degree and maybe a doctorate or professional degree. To teach or do research at four-year colleges, universities, and graduate programs, you'll need a doctorate and/or the "terminal" professional degree in the field - MBA, JD, MD, etc.
Professional Licensing
Social workers, psychologists, therapists, and others who directly treat or counsel generally need graduate education to meet national and state licensing requirements. The proper licensing and credentials are also essential for getting insurance reimbursement. Many insurance carriers authorize payment only to practitioners who meet certain educational and licensing standards.
Love of Learning
Many people choose grad school simply because they love the field, job prospects or money notwithstanding.
The Job Market
A slow economy is a popular reason for going right from college to grad school. The reasoning is: "Since I'm not going to get a job anyway, I might as well go to grad school. Maybe the job market will be better when I get out." This may not be the best idea. Bottom line: add a realistic appraisal of career prospects to your idealism and career hopes when you're making grad school plans.
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Paying for Grad School
Before you begin your search for financial support, you should be familiar with the financial aid options available to you as a graduate student.
Grad school is a major investment and almost all graduate students need some form of financial aid during their academic career. Financial aid programs, both need- and merit-based, fall into two major categories:
Gift Aid: money that does not have to be paid back
Self-Help Aid: money that must be repaid or earned
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Gift Aid Options
Institutional Scholarships & Fellowships
Gift aid received from colleges and universities is referred to as institutional aid. Naturally, this type of aid is the most sought after type of funding - and the most difficult to receive. Scholarships and graduate fellowships may be awarded on the basis of need, merit, or both.
Fellowships are highly competitive and designed to attract students with excellent academic records. Most fellowships provide for tuition and stipend. Many cover a student's full academic career; but some must be renewed each year.
Institutional fellowships are awarded through specific university programs. School financial aid offices can give you information on any available institutional fellowships. "Portable fellowships" are offered by independent donors or organizations and can be used at any university. Guides to portable fellowships can be found in your financial aid office or public library.
Outside Scholarships & Grants
Many private grant and scholarship programs exist through community groups, businesses, and non-profit agencies. Spend time at your local library or on the Internet to investigate free resources. Do not pay money to scholarship search services.
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Self-Help Options
Assistantships
Many graduate students, especially after their first year, become teaching or research assistants. Both arrangements allow students to earn money while gaining experience in their field. Some universities even reduce tuition for students working as assistants. Assistantships provide stipends and/or tuition remission in exchange. In some programs, assistantships are awarded to every graduate student. In others, they are awarded competitively, based on academic performance.
Student Loans
Most schools offer loans under federal and sometimes, state programs. Many other kinds of loans are available, often under different interest and repayment terms. Research them carefully.
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