application tips Here's what admissions committees are really looking for Your GPA, your MCAT or your GRE will be what they are. Sure, higher is always better. But they aren't close to being as important as you think. They are not the deciding factors.
What applicants should know since many biomedical programs have dropped the GRE requirement The University of North Carolina's Joshua Hall (@jdhallphd) has been curating a running tally of the biological and biomedical graduate programs that have dropped the requirement of GRE scores from applicants. You can
The changing demand for graduate education A couple of recent stories to comment on. They each highlight the changing demand for graduate education. The University of Akron just announced plans to drop 80 academic programs. Half of those cuts
Growing transparency about careers after graduate school: History Ph.D. outcomes I'm seeing more signs. I don't know if it's because I'm more alert to look for signs, or if there really are more signs. But I'm definitely seeing more signs of transparency about
Want to get into graduate school? Focus more on your application, less on your numbers Admissions committees identify stand outs by carefully reading narratives and letters of recommendation, while looking for relevant experiences. They look for how well you make the case that you belong in their program.
costs and benefits Financial support for graduate students Not too long ago I was quoted in a US News article on financial aid for graduate students. What I basically tried to explain to their education reporter, Farren Powell, is that the
New upgrade designed to help students make the right grad school choices I'm very pleased to announce that Gradschoolmatch has launched a major application upgrade. Although almost everything in the prior version is touched, the major thrust of the new upgrade is to help students
website Gradschoolmatch will go offline shortly for a major version upgrade Choosing a graduate program is a life-changing event. Both the students and the programs win when the best possible decisions are made. Gradschoolmatch exists to make that happen. That’s all we do. That’s all we’ll ever set out to do.
costs and benefits Congress plans to raise taxes on graduate students There are basically two kinds of graduate students. One type pays tuition. The second is someone for whom tuition is waived, in full or part. The new tax law proposed by congressional Republicans
Stay safe One of my many obsessions are tropical storms. They’ve always fascinated me as such dramatic examples of nature’s power. The closest I’ve come to their power was Opal, which swept
recruitment How many graduate school applications can you expect in the coming year? We’ve spotted five troubling trends aligning on the horizon that are likely to slacken demand for graduate school–significantly–beginning this year.
recruitment Tweet of the year Rising school senior asks: “Are all these things colleges keep sending me written by, like, the same two people?” — Eric Hoover (@erichoov) August 7, 2017 Same applies to graduate programs. If you’re
grad school advice Applying this Fall? Know the 8 Things You Must Do This Summer With the start of the summer officially behind us, it’s time to get serious about what you’ll be doing to prepare for application season (a.k.a. fall). If you’re
gradschoolmatch Enrolling This Fall? Here's What You Should Be Doing This Summer Summer’s just around the corner and we want you to make the most of yours! Whether you’re graduating from college or working in the real world (where summer breaks aren’t
recruitment People research their grad school options for a long time How long do people research their grad school options? If you ever wondered, now we have an answer for you, from some data we’ve managed to wrestle out of our system. The
how to Print your next poster on wrinkle-free fabric Do you plan to attend a big meeting this summer to present a poster of your research? Do you dread having to lug the bulky cardboard tube around the airport (geek alert)? Then
Analysis Making the Most of Your Graduate School Journey: How to Choose The Right Program After You've Been Accepted No one wants to make the wrong choice, right? Maybe not, but most people *don’tknow when they’re making the wrong choice.* Many grad school applicants don’t take this decision seriously
Analysis How many people go to graduate school and a few other questions Here are a few snapshots of graduate school enrollment data I’ve been playing. All of this comes from 12 month (unique head count) enrollment data (IPEDs) and US Census population estimates by
Analysis What the heck is going on at Harvard? Two recent announcements from Harvard University have generated a lot of press. Both provide important insights into the overall state of graduate education everywhere. Announcement 1: Harvard’s Graduate College of Arts and
Analysis Research spending by universities is picking up the slack...for now Most graduate schools are places where a lot of research happens, and with it research spending. It’s pretty interesting to poke around in the HERD data from time to time to take
preparation How to Stand Out as a Memorable Candidate for Grad School Contrary to popular belief, high test scores and a perfect GPA do not make for a memorable candidate. At least, not on their own. Sure, having test scores in the 99th percentile and
gradschoolmatch From Insights to Action: How To Develop A Recruiting Action Plan Wondering why you need an action plan? Having data is great, but using it is far more valuable. Collecting data is only half the battle; it’s what you do with it that
How to Attract the Right Kind of Applicants to Your Program Attracting the right applicants isn’t an exact science, but there definitely is an art to it. The short of it: Approach prospective students on a personal, one-to-one level, and be yourself. [