{"83911":{"#nid":"83911","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Making the Grade in Graduate School Admissions","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EAs college students head back to school this fall, many who are already in the workplace may find themselves thinking of doing the same. Trouble is, so are their co-workers. Faced with a wave of over-qualified prospective students, graduate schools are getting more competitive.  But no matter what graduate program you are interested in there are ways to get a leg up on the competition and increase your chances of getting your application placed in the accepted pile.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EConsider non-traditional programs\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nIf it\u0027s been a while since you\u0027ve been in school, consider applying for non-traditional graduate programs that let you get your degree from home or while you\u0027re still employed. Some schools offer distance learning degrees, which allow students to take courses at their leisure via video, DVD or online. At Tech, one student is even working on his master\u0027s in mechanical engineering while serving in the U.S. Air Force in Iraq. \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ESchools even partner with corporations to offer degree programs to a large number of employees at once. The advantage of this is employers often foot the bill for the entire degree; others will reimburse employees who make certain grades.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022Getting an advanced degree helps employees differentiate themselves. It gives them additional breadth and may qualify them for promotions,\u0022 said Bill Wepfer, vice provost for Distance Learning and Professional Education. \u0022Last year we had a big uptick in our programs. A lot of folks were very concerned about their employers and wanted to make themselves more valuable.\u0022\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EApply early\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nGraduate schools only have so many seats, and many process applications year-round, so the later you wait, the fewer seats are available.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022We try to accept as many people as we can, but we get far more applications than we have slots,\u0022 said David Hertling, associate chair in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering. \u0022So don\u0027t wait until the last minute to send in your application.\u0022\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EDo your homework\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nFew things will ruin your chances of being accepted more than not clearly being able to explain why you are applying in the first place. And no, a tough job market isn\u0027t a good reason. \u0022We\u0027re looking for people who have a sense of direction, people who know what they want to get out of the program and want the education, not just people who are coming because they lost or can\u0027t find a job,\u0022 explained Ann Scott, director of graduate programs for the DuPree College of Management.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022You should be an informed candidate,\u0022 added Beth Mynatt, an associate professor  in the College of Computing who oversees admissions for the master\u0027s program in Human-Computer Interaction. \u0022You should be able to say why this exact program is the one for you.\u0022\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EBrush up on your test-taking skills\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nWhether it\u0027s the GRE, GMAT, LSAT or some other acronym, most graduate programs require applicants to take a standardized test to be considered for admission.  That can be a challenge for someone who\u0027s been in the workplace and hasn\u0027t taken tests in awhile. \u0022People who have been out of school may underestimate how much they\u0027ve lost their standardized test-taking skills,\u0022 said Mynatt. So, take a prep course and hone your testing skills.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EPick your reference letter writer carefully\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nApplicants coming from a bachelor\u0027s program often have an edge in this area because of the simple fact that professors know what professors want to read and tend to write better letters of recommendation than employers. \u0022You really need to find a supervisor who can write a good letter,\u0022 said Mynatt, \u0022because a good letter often can compensate for a low test score.\u0022 A good reference letter should highlight technical expertise, initiative, communication and team skills and motivation for graduate studies.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EBecause this letter is not a job-related reference, Myantt said, comments such as \u0022always gets things done on time\u0022 are less important than \u0022suggested improvements in  . . . ,\u0022 \u0022was the catalyst for . . . ,\u0022 and \u0022communicates novel ideas well.\u0022  \u0022Also make sure that your letter writer understands what degree you are applying to.  Generic letters are worrisome,\u0022 she said.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EHighlight your achievements on the job\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nGrades are extremely important for applicants who are coming from academia, but for people who\u0027ve been working for a while, job experience can help compensate for less-than-excellent grades. \u0022We\u0027re looking for people who are going to be successful both academically and after graduation, so we want candidates who have shown a history of achievement,\u0022 said Scott. \u0022For example, has an applicant received certain promotions? Has there been a progression of responsibility in their jobs, or have they had a string of short-time jobs?\u0022\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022Workers offer a breadth of real-world experience,\u0022 said Mynatt, who added that her program currently has a medical doctor enrolled. \u0022So if somebody wants to do a project on how to design a medical interface, we have someone right here who has experience using that technology. That makes a huge difference.\u0022\n\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"Faced with a wave of over-qualified prospective students, graduate schools are getting more competitive.  But no matter what graduate program you are interested in there are ways to get a leg up on the competition and increase your chances of getting your application placed in the accepted pile.","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":"","uid":"27304","created_gmt":"2003-07-25 00:00:00","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:02:06","author":"Matthew Nagel","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2003-07-22T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2003-07-22T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"83921":{"id":"83921","type":"image","title":"Dupree College of Management","body":null,"created":"1449178095","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:28:15","changed":"1475894704","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:45:04"}},"media_ids":["83921"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/www.gatech.edu\/prospective-students\/graduate\/","title":"Graduate Admissions"}],"groups":[{"id":"1214","name":"News Room"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGeorgia Tech Media Relations\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ELaura Diamond\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:laura.diamond@comm.gatech.edu\u0022\u003Elaura.diamond@comm.gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E404-894-6016\u003Cbr \/\u003EJason Maderer\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:maderer@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Emaderer@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E404-660-2926\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["david.terraso@comm.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}