| [ studyingabroad ] in KIDS 글 쓴 이(By): wwoo (우 운택) 날 짜 (Date): 1994년11월03일(목) 12시21분04초 KST 제 목(Title): [FAQ] G.S.I[2] From usc!howland.reston.ans.net!pipex!lyra.csx.cam.ac.uk!aae1001 Wed Nov 2 09:49:09 PST 1994 Article: 7361 of soc.college.gradinfo Path: usc!howland.reston.ans.net!pipex!lyra.csx.cam.ac.uk!aae1001 From: aae1001@cus.cam.ac.uk (Ashraf El-Hamalawi) Newsgroups: soc.college.gradinfo Subject: soc.college.gradinfo Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ), Part 5/5 Date: 2 Nov 1994 01:23:58 GMT Organization: University of Cambridge, England Lines: 1488 Message-ID: <396pne$ocn@lyra.csx.cam.ac.uk> NNTP-Posting-Host: bootes.cus.cam.ac.uk _____ _ _ ______ ___ ____ / ____| | | | | | ____/ _ \ / __ \ | | __ _ __ __ _ __| |_ _ __ _| |_ ___ | |__ | |_| | | | | | | |_ | '__/ _` |/ _` | | | |/ _` | __/ _ \ | __|| _ | | | | | |__| | | | (_| | (_| | |_| | (_| | || __/ | | | | | | |__| | \_____|_| \__,_|\__,_|\__,_|\__,_|\__\___| |_| |_| |_|\___\_\ PART 5/5 FAQ: soc.college.grad/gradinfo (Frequently Asked Questions) ----------------------------------------------------------- Version 2.02 1 November 1994 COPYRIGHT & DISCLAIMER : (ADDED FOR SAFETY) ------------------------------------------- THIS FAQ MAY BE DISTRIBUTED FREELY TO ANYONE WHO REQUIRES IT AS LONG AS IT REMAINS ====== INTACT, AND NO CHANGES OR MODIFICATIONS ARE MADE WITHOUT MY CONSENT. ALL COPYRIGHTS ARE RESERVED BY ME. THIS DOCUMENT HAS BEEN COMPILED WITHOUT ANY PROFIT OR MATERIALISTIC THOUGHTS ! CONTRIBUTORS AND/OR I CANNOT/WILL NOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE OR LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES INCURRED BY THE MATERIAL IN THIS DOCUMENT. (THEN THE USUAL LEGAL DISCLAIMER) HOPEFULLY I WILL UPDATE THIS DOCUMENT AS NEW MATERIAL ARRIVES OR CHANGES OCCUR. ============================================================ CONTENT ------- 1. Introduction to soc.college.grad/gradinfo 2. Canadian School Rankings 2.1 Comprehensive Universities 2.2 Medical/Doctoral Universities 2.3 Primary Undergraduate Universities 2.4 Class Contact, Rsearch & Value Added to a Student's Life 2.5 National Reputational Ranking 2.6 Unemployment Rates of Recent Graduates 3. UK University Rankings 3.1 University Ranking 3.2 Top Scottish & Welsh Universities 3.3 Top 20 subjects in the UK chosen by Students 4. US School Rankings 4.1 Law Schools 4.2 M.B.A. Programs 4.3 Business Schools 4.4 Medicine & Primary Care Programs 4.5 Top Graduate Programs of Engineering 4.6 Arts & Architecture Rankings 4.7 Social Work & Public Health Programs 4.8 Best Schools in Artificial Intelligence and its branches 5. E-mail General List of Schools 6. E-mail Computer Science Schools' List 7. Standard Tests 7.1 GRE (Written & Computerised) 7.2 GMAT 7.3 MCAT 7.4 LSAT 7.5 TOEFL 8. Scholarships & Financial Aid 9. General Questions & Advice About Grad School 10. Further Sources of Information 11. Some Useful "snippets" of information & Humour ! ============================================================== . Scholarships & Financial Aid ------------------------------- A lot of information is available, with several addresses on the www.review.com server. In addition, the following has been obtained from the Georgetown University gopher (NAGPS document) : Subject: The NAGPS Consumer Guide Chapter on Financial Aid What Every Graduate Student Should Know About Financial Aid by Joy Ward, Memphis State University Welcome to the expensive world of graduate school! Classes are expensive, as are books. Research can cost, especially if it involves necessary travel. You probably will not be automatically covered by insurance, so plan on paying for a costly insurance policy or facing the possibility of medical expenses. Many graduate schools are in expensive areas, such as New York, Boston, or San Francisco so you can plan on paying hefty rents. The list goes on but I think you probably get the point by now. Graduate school is EXPENSIVE. If you are not one of the lucky ones who has an unlimited bank account you will probably need some kind of financial aid while you are in graduate school. Do not be discouraged. There is help available. What is Financial Aid? Financial aid is monetary assistance, from various sources, that is available to students. The vast majority of aid available to graduate students in the United States is supplied by the federal and state governments and the individual educational institutions. Other funds come from private donors. But wherever the funds come from, you as a graduate student have the right to know as much as possible about how to apply for much needed aid. Eligibility Eligibility requirements vary widely depending on the source of the funding and what the supplier/donor(s) is trying to accomplish with the funding. For example, federal programs established to assist Native Americans in underrepresented areas, such as medicine, will probably have as one of their prerequisites that the applicant be a Native American. Likewise, federal loan programs set up to encourage citizens and non-citizen residents to attain higher degrees will have in their requirements that the applicants be either US citizens or that they have applied for citizenship. On the other hand, institutional graduate assistantships rarely have this sort of requirement. As you can see, eligibility requirements vary widely from program to program. Before applying for aid you will need to ascertain your basic eligibility for each program that you wish to utilize. General eligibility requirements for most US government sponsored programs that go through the campus financial aid office usually include the following: 1. US citizenship or resident alien (green card holder); 2. you must be enrolled at least half-time (as determined by the particular college or university you are attending; and 3. you must be maintaining satisfactory progress (as determined by the particular college or university you are attending). Although most programs specifically ban students on visitor or student visas from receiving aid, there are some programs that have no such limitations. Some private loan funds will lend to non- resident aliens if they have a relative in the States who can co- sign for them. Also, many private scholarships and assistantships are not concerned with the citizenship of the recipient. Therefore, if you are planning on attending a school Stateside but are not a US citizen or resident alien, the best thing you can do is to contact the school which you plan to enter and ask them for help. This will accomplish two things. 1)They are in the best position to tell you what is available at their institution, and 2)the way in which they respond to your request will give you a good indication of the institutions's commitment to graduate students in general, and your education in particular. Remember, your graduate education is a two-way street. You are not alone in your education. While it is not the institution's responsibility to do your work for you, it is their responsibility to assist you in certain ways. If the institution in which you are interested is not willing or able to help you in something as primary as basic funding sources, there is a possibility that they will be just as insensitive to graduate issues in other areas. Applying for Aid Once you have decided that you will apply for aid you will encounter a dazzling array of application procedures. The best rule of thumb is to read all directions and follow them precisely. The three applications that are most widely used in the US are, 1. ACT Family Financial Statement 2. CSS Family Financial Statement 3. GAPSFAS application. These three applications collect the same core information, such as family size, previous year's income, etc., but are very different otherwise. American College Testing (ACT) The ACT form is the simplest of the three. The applicant fills in only base information. There is no open space to explain unusual circumstances. This form is excellent for schools with large undergraduate populations and little non-federal aid since it requires minimal financial aid counselor involvement once the form has been completed and returned. Unfortunately, many graduate students have unusual circumstances that are not easily quantifiable using the ACT form by itself. If the college that uses this form does not have a supplemental form that allows you to present a clearer picture of your situation, you may be at a disadvantage. Your situation may be unusual. Also, the use of the ACT form by an institution for both undergraduate and graduate students may be an indication that the university sees no difference between undergraduate and graduate students. This is a serious problem. Graduate students have some different needs not felt by undergraduates, such as insurance and research expenses. Many graduate students are older, with higher fixed expenses. Universities that are not willing to recognize these issues run the risk of being unaware of other graduate concerns. College Scholarship Service (CSS) The CSS form falls between the ACT and GAPSFAS forms in information gathering capabilities. It collects the core federal information as well as supplemental information requested by various states. It also has an area for special circumstances. Therefore, the applicant has a better chance of presenting his/her situation. While this form is not as involved as the GAPSFAS form, it is better for graduate students than the ACT form. In some cases, schools find that this a good compromise form to use if they have both graduate and undergraduate students. It allows the financial aid office some flexibility. GAPSFAS The GAPSFAS form is the most involved of the three major forms. It is also the only one used only by graduate and professional schools. It allows for the presentation of the most information. Use of the GAPSFAS form by a college is a good indication that the administration is probably very concerned with graduate and professional financial aid issues. Other Forms You should be aware that each institution may have other documents you will be required to submit before being considered for or receiving aid. These documents may include, but not be limited to, prior year's tax returns, institutional applications, and others. Also, private agencies will all have their own applications and requirements. Neglecting to follow up with any requested forms may cost you financial assistance. You should always check with your college to insure that all necessary paperwork has been completed and returned. If possible, get the name of a contact person at the institution. In some cases, this may not be possible or useful. Larger institutions usually have so many people handling your case that to try to work with just one person is not feasible. Smaller institutions, on the other hand, may be more interested in giving you more personalized service. Types of Aid Since there are numerous sources of information on the various types of aid available, I will deal only briefly with this topic. If you need more information I will direct you to your college's financial aid office. They should have the federal publications as well as an institutional brochure. There are four basic sources of financial aid, federal, state or regional, institutional, and others. The federal aid is either filtered through the campus financial aid office or can come directly to the student via programs such as Javitz fellowships. State aid is generally channeled through the campus aid office but may involve some outside initiation of action by the applicant. Institutional aid comes from or through the university and can be given by numerous departments on campus. The last of the four, other aid, can come from anywhere else. Federal Aid Federal Aid has two sides. It can come through the Financial Aid Office or through outside federal agencies. Most aid you will encounter will probably be of the first type. It includes the following programs: Stafford Loans (SSL) are low cost, government guaranteed loan. The government does not guarantee that you will be eligible for the loan, only that if something happens and you are unable to repay the loan, the government will reimburse the lending institution. Eligibility for this loan is based on need, as discussed in the Needs Analysis section. The maximum amount per year for a graduate student is $7500 or up to the unmet need of your institutionally defined student aid budget, whichever is less. The interest varies from 8% per year while you are in school to 10% 5 years after graduation. Interest does not accrue and you are not required to make payments until 6 months after you leave school. Applications are available at your university or at any lending institution that is involved in the program. Supplemental Loans for Students (SLS) is a higher cost loan which is also government guaranteed. Eligibility for this loan is not based on need, and is therefore available to more students. The maximum amount per academic year is $4000 or up to the unmet need of your institutionally defined student budget, whichever is less. Applications for this loan are available in the university financial aid office or at any participating lending institution. The interest on the SLS is trickier than that on the SSL. The interest rate changes each July based on Treasury Bill rates but cannot exceed 12% per year. Interest accrues from the first day the check is cashed. You may decide to pay the interest as it occurs, usually monthly or quarterly or you may decide to defer interest payments. If you defer interest payments, you should know that different banks have different ways of compounding the accrued interest. Some banks compound and capitalize (add the outstanding interest to the principle of the loan so that the next interest will include both principle amount borrowed and the previous accrued interest) the interest immediately, some do this quarterly, and some do this yearly. The best lenders, from a graduate student viewpoint, are those lenders who compound and capitalize your interest when you graduate. Perkins Loans, which were previously known as the National Direct Student Loan or NDSL, is the lowest cost, government sponsored loan. This loan is based on need and is usually not available to all students. The maximum amount varies from school to school but the funds received must not exceed the unmet need of your institutionally defined aid budget. The interest rate is 5% but the interest does not begin to accrue until 6 months after you leave school. College Work-Study is a work program whereby the student works on campus, generally for a fairly low wage. Most universities target this program to undergraduates. Special Note: Needs Analysis All of these funds are approved on campus using a process known as needs analysis. Needs analysis involves using the information you supplied on the previously discussed application to ascertain how much assistance you need to attend school. These figures are then compared with the institutionally derived student budget. If the budget is higher than the amount the calculations say that you are able to supply to fund your own education (Expected Family Contribution) then you are eligible for the amount over your funds. Student Budget - Expected Family Contribution (EFC) -Other Resources =Aid Eligibility While the base computations are fairly cut and dried, individual offices do have some autonomy in changing the computations. The individual offices can apply what is known as "Professional Judgement" to factor in non-core items. For example, if you had high medical bills in the previous year that ate up the funds that the financial aid office says you should have available to pay your tuition those bills can be included in your needs analysis. You will need to document the bills and meet with a financial aid counselor to discuss your situation. This is where the difference in applications, and attitudes, can affect you. Some offices may have policies that discourage the presentation of additional information. An office that is insensitive to these types of problems may be indicative of insensitivity in other areas, and on campus offices. Be concerned if the Financial Aid Office at the institution you are investigating is not interested in helping you with individual problems. The attitude is probably coming down from higher administrators. Please refer to the sections on Student Budgets and Budget additions for more information. Student Budgets are another area where unusual expenses may be taken into consideration. The other side of federal aid is that put into fellowships and scholarships. These programs are more difficult to locate, involving more work on your part. They also can be much more rewarding, both financially and professionally. The best places to look for announcements for these programs are in departmental and graduate studies offices. State and Regional Funding State and regional funding is supplied by states or regions, and comes in the form of both loans and grants. The federal financial aid information brochure available at most US financial aid offices includes the list of all state aid agencies. Regional aid can be a little harder to find. The aid is usually targeted to particular target groups, such as potential health care providers. Therefore, the best place to look for information can be graduate studies offices and financial aid offices at the prospective college or professional school. Institutional Funding Institutional funding includes graduate assistantships, departmental fellowships, university scholarships, and any other funding supplied by the educational institution or private donors through the institution. The main source of information on these funds will be on the individual campuses. Check with the departments, the graduate studies offices, the financial aid offices, and any other source you happen to hear about or encounter while on your quest for funds. Do not limit yourself to only dealing with your department, especially when you first arrive on campus. Oftentimes, a department will hire a graduate student from another division because of their need for special skills or because they simply have an unfilled opening and no one to do the job. This can be particularly helpful to you if you are entering a department with very limited graduate funding. Make use of all possibilities. Other Funding Anything that is not included in the three previous sections is included in this one. Numerous other agencies, of all sorts, offer some sort of assistance. The list of sources for you to investigate is only limited by your available time and current contacts. If you are willing to invest some time into a search you may very well come up with extra aid. The best place to start your search is to look around you. Many organizations have scholarship and/or loan programs for employees and associates. Large corporations often offer tuition benefits for employees. Some religious organizations have aid programs for members. Service organizations, like the Rotary clubs, have assistance available to both members and non-members alike. Fraternal groups, ethnic organizations, and unions often support their constituency through educational aid programs. Unfortunately, it may take you some time to locate these funds. The rewards, though, can sometimes be substantial. Awards range >from $100 to full funding to study overseas for one year. The next place to look is your local main library. The reference section should contain books listing scholarship and loan funds. These books usually show their listings by constituency, i.e. minority, female, etc. Once again, this can take some time but can also prove fruitful. Do keep in mind, though, that many of these funding sources are privately controlled. Therefore, the eligibility requirements and availability are subject to rapid change. The last place to look would be grant centers. There are three of these in the States of which I am aware. One is located in Los Angeles, one in San Francisco, and the third is in New York City. There may be more. The one in Los Angeles is known as the Grant Center and the other two are the Foundation Centers. These centers are supported by foundations wishing to disseminate information on their programs. They are mainly geared toward grant funding for institutions but they do generally contain books on individual funding. They also teach short workshops on grant finding which you may find useful if you plan to write a grant. The one place I would generally urge you to avoid would be so- called "scholarship finding" services. They are fairly expensive and usually not very effective in finding funding sources you yourself could have uncovered with a minimum of effort. The most recent study of which I am aware regarding these services showed that the majority of sources provided were already available to the students through their financial aid offices. But, if you wish to try your luck, go ahead. Caveat Emptor. The Financial Aid Office The Financial Aid Office will be one of your main contacts on campus if you decide to apply for many kinds of financial aid. Therefore, it would be useful for you to understand their procedures and philosophies. People The people who work in financial aid offices are, for the most part, very dedicated, well-meaning professionals. A financial aid office can be a high pressure place to work, with long hours a regular part of the regime. In larger offices, the people may become somewhat detached from their student populations. This is rarely the case in smaller offices where counselors and directors alike are very often face to face with students constantly. Most counselors, and those above them, are required to have at least a Master's Degree. This is not always the case but it is definitely the trend. Financial aid evolved in the last twenty years from a few easily managed programs to a plethora of intricate, byzantine government regulations and requirements. Many schools started out with support staffs running their financial aid programs, but this is quickly changing. The amount of information >from both the applicants and the government that an office must process is staggering. The financial aid profession is not for the faint of heart. Many financial aid professionals came into the field from the liberal arts. They are not business types and do not see themselves as simply "paperpushers." If you approach them with that attitude you will be doing yourself and them a great disservice. Financial aid professionals are doing what they do because they feel they can make a difference in the world. They are there to help. Do not make the mistake of trying to exploit their concern. Most professionals have been practicing financial aid long enough to know the tricks and the scams. They are concerned, not stupid. Financial aid professionals want to help you use the system, not misuse it. Size Financial aid offices vary greatly in size, depending on many factors. As one would expect, larger student bodies require larger offices. Also, the amount and types of aid available will influence the number of people needed to staff the office. There are a few things that you should consider when looking at the size of the office. Are there enough staff people available that you could get into see one within a reasonable period of time? Financial aid does have very busy periods when counselors would not be readily available, but generally you should be able to get into a counselor within a week of making an appointment. Too few counselors mean long waits not only in lines but also in paperwork processing. Lastly, too few counselors could mean that the office will be anxious to handle your file as little as possible. This means that your case could easily get a superficial, and unfair, review simply because the staff is under the gun to review and award as many student files as possible. Does the staff appear to have enough working space? This may not seem like something that could affect you, but it might. If space is overly limited it could mean that the university administration does not place a high value on financial aid programs, and support. If you are dependent on such programs you should be aware that this lack of support could mean that financial aid programs could be on the chopping block if budget cuts are made. Also, cramped working spaces can lead to unnecessary delays in your paperwork. Student Budgets Student budgets are set by individual colleges, using the federal requirements. Generally speaking, graduate budgets in similar or adjoining geographic areas should not vary greatly, except for fees. If you have received two budget quotes that vary greatly you should look at the individual parts of the respective budgets. Most differences will occur because of differences in fees and living expenses. The base budget is made up of fees, books, room and board, expected personal expenses such as toiletries, and local transportation costs. The costs are averaged out for every student, and are not generally personalized. If the institution does not readily publish a breakdown of their expected student budget you have the right to request a copy of it. You need to compare it with your personal budget. If you have any questions you can then make an appointment with a financial aid counselor to explain their figures. You should be aware that your budget may not match the financial aid budget. By federal guidelines, they do not include budget items like credit card or car payments. These things are not allowable. Your other living expenses may be more than those shown on their budget. Most student budgets assume that if you are single you will be splitting housing expenses with at least one other student. While these budget items may not be flexible, other expenses may be considered. Special Note: Budget Adjustments Although the initial paradigm for student budgets is fairly clearcut, financial aid personnel do have some flexibility to change your budget. If they elect to use their "professional judgement," they can add other items that they deem to be necessary to your education. The main types of budget adjustments include the following areas: 1. Health. If health insurance is not already included in your budget, it can be added. This expenses incurred while you are in school. This does not include elective operations, such as plastic surgery. 2. Moving expenses. These expenses can be funded if they are school related and /or they occur while you are in school. 3. Car expenses. This is perhaps one of the mostcontroversial types of adjustments. While schools cannot assist you with car payments they can enlarge your budget to include particular repairs done while you are in school. 4. Extra supply and book expenses. If your book and supply expenses exceed those outlined in your aid budget, you can request that the additional amount be added to your budget. 5. Other expenses. There are other expenses, such as bankruptcy payments, child support payments and other unusual expenses that financial aid offices can include in your base budget. If you have any unusual expenses you should inform the financial aid office know, especially before you decide to attend that institution. How the financial aid department reacts to your situation will tell you a great deal about the financial aid office and the college's view of graduate students. There are many expenses that an office is specifically prohibited from including in your budget, but they do have some latitude. If they are unwilling to work with you, there could be a problem with their professional philosophy. Some financial aid offices view their job as fund caretakers, letting money loose only when forced to do so. These offices tend to lump undergraduates and graduates into the same group. Not only will they cause you to be unnecessarily financially strained during your time at that school, they may also represent an administration that is less that sympathetic to graduate students. This attitude should make you reconsider whether or not you want to be involved with the institution. Appeals You have the right to appeal any decision to the Financial Aid Director. You should be aware that the counselors rarely act on their own. They are usually acting within the rules set by the federal government and the institution. But if you feel that you have not had a full hearing you do have the right to appeal. Appeal procedures vary from school to school but they are required to be published. Therefore, you should be able to get the procedures from the financial aid office. What to Look for in a Financial Aid Office As a graduate student, your concerns will be different than those of your undergraduate colleagues. You are probably older and more experienced. Your expenses will be higher and more varied. If the financial aid office does not recognize these differences you may wish to consider that when you are deciding which school to attend. There are several ways to tell if a financial aid office, and a university, are sensitive to these differences. Are undergraduate aid and graduate aid overseen by the same people? The best situation is the one in which the graduate and undergraduate aid programs are administered out of separate offices and by different counselors. Barring that situation, there should at least be different counselors for the graduate students. Graduate students invariably get short shrift when they are considered for aid with undergraduates. What type of aid application does the office use? Is it simple, or does it give you more room for an explanation of your situation. In this case, simple is definitely not better. A simple form may be an indication that the staff is overworked and underfunded. If that is true, you may very well suffer needless delays and an office that is not interested in your situation. What type of aid does the university offer? If their aid is limited to federal monies and loan funds you might be walking into a school that is either financially strapped or disinterested in graduate students. Either case could cause you problems down the road. How do current students feel about the financial aid office? Invariably, someone will have an axe to grind, but that should not be the general student opinion. If the current students are not satisfied with the financial aid office, chances are your experiences will not differ greatly from theirs. All of the above questions are ultimately part of one main question. What is the prospective college's or university's attitude towards and interest in graduate students? If the attitude is negative, it will affect your entire time at that institution. Your Rights and Responsibilities as a Student You have certain rights and accompanying responsibilities when you become involved with financial aid, especially if it comes through the campus financial aid office. Rights 1. You have the right to know the entire cost of attending an institution. 2. You have the right to know the schools refund policy. 3. You have the right to know the financial aid criteria for the funding of aid applicants. 4. You have the right to know how your need for aid was determined and which resources were included in the calculations. 5. You have the right to know how much of your ascertained need was met through financial aid. 6. You have the right to ask the school to explain your aid package. If you feel that you were treated unfairly, you have the right to ask the financial aid office to re- evaluate your situation. 7. You have the right to be told how to apply for increased funding if your circumstances change for the worse. Responsibilities 1. You have the responsibility to read the institution's information carefully. 2. It is your responsibility to accurately complete your aid application and meet all stated deadlines. This includes all additional documentation that an institution or other funding agency may require. 3. It is your responsibility to read and understand all forms that you sign. You should always keep a copy of any forms that you sign. 4. It is your responsibility to maintain academic satisfactory progress as stated by the institution. 5. You must notify the institution of any change in your situation, such as change of name or address, new funding, or enrollment. In the end, it is your responsibility to learn as much as possible about an academic institution before enrolling. Your time there may very well be spent in your department, but many other areas of the institution will affect you. Financial aid can make or break an academic experience. Be aware of what you will be getting at your chosen institution. Although your decision may not be altered by what you learn, you will know what to expect during your (very costly) time in graduate school. For foreign students, SSAS0@ib.rl.ac.uk (Sara Sengenberger) adds some good info : Try looking in The Grants Register 1993 - 1995, ed Lisa Williams, pub Macmillan 1992. This is an excellent all-around source of information for anyone seeking funding at or above the graduate level. It isn't terribly well organised, but it is comprehensive, and I presume you're sufficiently motivated to plough through many pages in search of money! Another good book that I can recommend is "THE PRENTICE HALL GUIDE TO SCHOLARSHIPS AND FELLOWSHIPS FOR MATH AND SCIENCE STUDENTS", by Mark Kantrowitz and Joann P. DiGennaro. It is "A Resource for Students Pursuing Careers in Mathematics, Science, and Engineering". It also talks about the following : o How to uncover all possible sources of financial aid, assess career goals, obtain the most useful letters of recommendation from teachers, and get nominated for scholarships and fellowships. o How to choose an undergraduate school that best meets your needs -- evaluating everything from courses of study and instructors to social atmosphere and extracurricular activities. o How to improve your chances of being accepted by the graduate school of your choice. Here are key pointers on what to put into a Statement of Purpose, how to achieve the highest score on the Graduate Record Examination, how to choose an advisor, and how to select a thesis topic and write a thesis proposal. For more information, you may contact the author at : mkant@cs.cmu.edu =========================================================================== 9. General Questions & Advice About Grad School ------------------------------------------------ General Advice about Grad schools (Dick Adams (rdadams@ubmail.ubalt.edu) : The five critical factors of initial academic employment are (1) the demand in the marketplace, (2) where your Ph.D. is from, (3) who is your adviser/dissertation chair, (4) the quality of your dissertation, and (5) the quality of your pre-Ph.D. publications. You need to assess the long-term demand in the marketplace and you need to update that assessment on a periodic basis of no less than annually. Although you are already dealing with the second issue, you need to strongly consider who your advisor will be. This will set the stage for your dissertation topic - so you should carefully consider the academic productivity of potential advisers. You should also meet these people beforehand and rap with their graduate students. A good adviser is invaluable in finding your initial academic position. I have seen Ph.D.'s with exceptionally weak presentation skills get appointments in good schools because of the influence of their adviser. A quality dissertation means well-written, new contribution to the literature, and readily divisible into journal articles. Anyone with a definable potential for four journal articles in their first three-year appointment should make it to the final interview for any position. Finally, blessed are they who publish before their dissertation defense - for their defense committee shall have refereed evidence of dissertation quality and academic potential, and they shall have created pre-employment standing in the marketplace. Q: What's Grad School like ? A: From: jparches@acpub.duke.edu (Jennifer Parchesky) I don't think it's necessarily a bad thing for people entering or applying for grad school to hear about the down side, and especially not about the current job market situation in academia. I have a lot of friends from college who are contemplating grad school just because a) they're having a hard time finding jobs with a BA, b) they miss the college environment, or c) they can't figure out what else to do. I tell them DON'T DO IT!!!!! If a well-paid job is all you're interested in, spending 6 years working your way up the corporate ladder will probably serve you much better. So, a little advice: --Grad school is not like college. You will not be surrounded by friends and fun and have loads of leisure time (unless you are completely blowing off your work, in which case you will not be in grad school for long). For the most part, you will spend a lot of time alone, you will have to set your own goals and your own schedule with nobody holding your hand, and you will spend most of your time working (the boundaries between work and leisure tend to dissolve when you spend your nights and weekends reading or researching.) --During this period, you will be broke all the time. Most strong programs will give their strongest applicants fellowships or assistantships ranging >from $7000 to $15,000 (with the big bucks mostly only going to scientists). This is not a lot of money to live on, but you can survive (with maybe a few loans or outside employment if you're at the low end of the scale.) If your PhD program does not offer you funding, you need to *seriously* question whether to accept, because it means either a) your department is really poor, which could lead to lots of other problems down the road, b) you are not one of the stronger applicants, in which case you may be a weak applicant on the job market as well, or c) they want to get people to pay for the first year or two and then weed most of them out. If you are not independently wealthy, you need to decide how much debt you're willing to go into, given that you might not get a job with your degree. Or spend another year working and studying and reapply the following year. --Academic positions are scarce and highly competitive, especially in literature and other humanities. You may do all that work and not get a position as a professor. (On the other hand, you can still get a job doing something else, but it's likely to be something you could have gotten with a bachelor's or master's degree.) --The only good reasons for going to grad school, at least in the humanities, are that you love doing research in your field, love teaching, and are committed enough to wanting to be an academic that you're willing to risk a large chunk of your life trying to become one. IMHO, of course. Given the current job market, it really hacks me off to have the field cluttered up with people who would be far happier doing something else. Good things about grad school: No one thinks you're weird if you read all the time. You can set your own goals and schedule most of the time. You get free internet access. If you do love research and teaching, you will be doing it as much as you could possibly want to. I don't want to scare away people who are really sure they want to be in graduate school, but I know a lot of people who could have saved themselves several years of unhappiness and a heck of a lot of money if they had had a more realistic idea of what they were getting themselves into. An alternative view : From: clin@eng.umd.edu (Charles Lin) I've seen it other ways. Some grad students do have fun, but spend a few days where they concentrate on their work and crank out results. There are people I know who do nothing for two or three weeks but play games, and then work hard for one week programming. And, this is grad school. Of course, you need a sympathetic advisor who will let you do this. In addition, it may mean you will take a long time graduating. In addition, some students who are in technical areas can sometimes get summer jobs that pay better (assuming the advisor will let you go) such as working at Bell Labs, etc. In general, however, you will not be making a fortune unless you earn the degree part time (again, only with advisor consent). If you do your Ph.D. part time, then it will take a really long time, but then you won't be so poor either assuming you have a full time job that pays decent. I don't know how common this is, but it does happen. Most Ph.D. candidates are full time though. Q: Wat is a credit hour ? A: Charles Lin (clin@eng.umd.edu) explains : A credit hour is a way of weighting the grades that you get for a course. For example, in a 4 point grading system (A = 4 pts,B = 3 pts, etc.), if you take a three credit course and get a B, and then take a 4 credit course, and get an A, then your GPA is the grade you get, multiplied by the credit hours for that course, divided by total credit hours. ( (3 credits * 3.0) + (4 credits * 4.0) ) / 7 credits = GPA This would be the GPA if you only had those two courses. Most universities have courses that weigh somewhere between 3 and 4 credit hours. Usually the more credit hours that is required per course, the more work it is, or the harder it is. However, there is no standard. Most courses at the University of Maryland are 3 credit hours each. However, at Cornell University, many of the introductory courses are 3 credits, but many of the technical upper-level (junior and senior undergraduate courses as well as grad courses) are 4 credits. Other universities use such terms as units. You can get a rough idea of what you need to graduate by taking the total number of credit hours needed to graduate and divide it by a typical course number of credits. SO, 55 credit hours divided by about 4 credits per course, would be 13 or 14 courses, which, at the grad level is about 4 semesters worth of courses or five semesters (average of 3 courses a semester). Some additional comments by Chris Parks about the same subject; Credit hours are away of measuring the time spent in a course--time spent in lecture, discussion sections, lab sessions, etc. Ideally, 1 credit hour refers to one hour per week during the length of the quarter, trimester, or semester. In reality, there is a lot of variation. Some 1 credit courses may meet for more than one hour a week. Science courses with labwork often meet for more hours than the credits awarded--I remember a very intensive 5 credit chemistry course where I did my undergraduate work that included 3 hours of lecture, 2 hours of discussion section, and 8 hours a week of labwork: 13 hours a week (to say nothing of time spent working on homework) for 5 credit hours. (Needless to say, I didn't take that course.) This sort of workload is, thankfully, pretty rare. Most schools that assign credit hour values stay pretty close to 1 hour/week = 1 credit. Also, it is not unusual for a university to have class periods that are less than an hour in length, and the length of the quarter/trimester/semester varies from school to school. A final note: a credit earned at a school on the quarter system is not equal to a credit earned on the semester system, since a quarter is shorter (10-12 weeks for a quarter, vs. 15-17 weeks for a semester is typical). The usual equivalency is that 1 quarter credit = 2/3 of a semester hour. So a degree program which requires 45 quarter credits to complete is comparable to a program which requires 30 semester credits to complete. Q:What do admissions officers consider more important : i) GRE scores or ii) undergraduate academic record? A: The answer to your question will depend upon the program(s) and institution(s) to which you apply. Speaking for the University at which I work, some of our programs do not require GRE scores at all, so they are going to evaluate you almost exclusively on gradepoint. When a program here does require GREs, it may or may not place equal weight on the scores and the gradepoint. The Educational Testing Service (ETS), which owns and administers the GRE, is very particular about how scores are used in the admissions process. ETS strongly discourages the use of cut-offs: saying "if you have a GRE score of at least 550 in the verbal measure, you will be admitted, but not if you have only a 540" would be considered to be a poor usage of the GRE by ETS. The reason for the variation is that there is no overall government or private agency in the USA which mandates admission policy. Each college or university has substantial freedom to set its own standards. Unfortunately, the best (and really the only way) to determine what kind of weight is placed on GPA and on the GRE is to ask the people at the colleges or universities you are interested in attending. If you are attending a college or university which does not use a similar grade scale to the scales used by US universities, you should ask how the colleges you are interested view the grades you have earned. You might want to phrase the question: "What GPA (and/or test scores) does the typical admitted applicant to your college have?" This newsgroup is a good place to ask questions about particular institutions. If you were to post a request along the lines of "I am interested in attending {institution name}. Can anyone tell me what kind of gradepoint average is needed to get in?", you may get some responses from students at that institution, or from people who work there (like me). Chris Parks | email: ccp2@alpha1.csd.uwm.edu Q: I have heard that the top 5 basically require a 4.000 no questions >asked....is this true? what about the second 5? A: From: clin@eng.umd.edu (Charles Lin) Not from what I have heard. It is certainly preferable to have your GPA around 3.6 or higher, but having a 4.0 doesn't guarantee you will get into a name school, and having a 3.0 doesn't necessarily exclude you, though you really have to have something else that stands out like outstanding recommendations, and showing that you have some skill that some professor might want. For example, if you happen to be really good at theory but lousy at programming, and have written or co-written papers, then this would count for something. I think the name schools want to see students who have done research or who have recommendations that say they are unusually bright. I think, first and foremost, the top 5 universities are looking to see if you can handle graduate level courses. Your undergrad grades contribute to this. If you have a 4.0, this is an indication that you are bright. A recommendation saying that you are a brilliant student may also help. The second is potential for doing research. If you have done some research already, then this looks good, especially if it is somewhat noteworthy research. If you have skills, such as being able to write large amounts of code, say, systems coding, or stuff like that, then these skills may help. If your research meshes well with what's being done, then that may also help. Any interesting experiences that you have that might tie in with someone's research can help offset a GPA that isn't near 4.0. I think once you are past a GPA of 3.5 or so, then that's what people are looking for. Do you have exceptional talent in some area? The higher the GPA, probably, the less they care if you have talent in a specific area, and may accept you for simply being bright. The top schools can basically look for students who have the highest GPA, the highest GREs, and the best recommendations, and probably not go wrong there. However, the lower your GPA, the more you have to sell yourself. For example, I think there are many researchers who may not be doing the most inventive research in the world, or profound, but they know how to sell their research and convince others that their research is quite good. So, a very bright student with high grades doesn't need to do much except apply. A student with a lower GPA may have to visit the university, talk with the faculty, and do various other things to try to convince them that you are worth being accepted. However, if all you have done is taken classes, and have a so-so GPA, then you don't have much to sell. If, on the other hand, you built your own parallel processor and a compiler to go with it, and your GPA is 3.2, then you are going to get more attention. > >also, does anyone know what kind of impact things like minority status >have on acceptance rates (american indian, for example)... > Universities try to make an effort to accept minorities (historically disadvantaged minorities) and may be willing to lower their standards just a tad to let some in. However, I don't think it will be a big lowering. Certainly, the minorities that are let in ought to be able to handle the grad work. However, so few minorities (even non-minorities) apply to grad school, that the numbers are small, in any case. Asian Americans (Indian, Chinese, Korean, etc.) tend to number a bit more than other minorities. Women are also encouraged to apply, but again, very few get in because so few apply. Q: While recently looking over the admissions packet for >(named University), I noticed that they require 2 GPA's to be >calculated. The first is the normal, cumulative one, and the >second is made up only of classes taken in the last two >years. Is this a common practice among grad schools? >Which GPA is more important? Which should be emphasized? A: Chris Parks : Where I work, we look at the last-two-years primarily for applicants whose cumulative GPAs are below 3.0. One rationale for doing a GPA on the last two years is that most juniors and seniors are focussing on their majors in that period. To the extent that assumption is true, a last-two-years GPA becomes an indication of an applicants capability within their chosen discipline. In addition to these measures, sometimes a GPA on courses strictly within the major is calculated. Given the nature of graduate study, it is important not only to know that a given applicant has the basic capacity to do advanced study (cumulative GPA), but to know that s/he has adequite preparation in the field (or in related fields-- last-two-years GPA). -- Chris Parks | email: ccp2@alpha1.csd.uwm.edu Admissions Specialist | voice: (414) 229-4982 UW-Milwaukee Graduate School | USMail: P.O. Box 340 Milwaukee, WI USA | Milwaukee, WI 53201-0340 Q: How would I choose an advisor ? A: From: jeanne@lamar.ColoState.EDU (Jeanne Sirovatka) My two cents are that your first priority needs to be how interested you are in doing the research. This is going to be your life for the next few years, so you better like it! However, a close second priority is your potential compatibility with your advisor. It doesn't do any good to work for a professor that you don't enjoy interacting with. As far as tenured vs. non-tenured professors go, I'd say that would be a bit farther down on the list of things to consider. If you're convinced that the research is top-notch, then I wouldn't worry <too much> about the advisor's age, etc. An additional view by Chris Parks : It is common for graduate degree programs to admit students on the basis of whether an advisor is available. The real question is, "What advisor-advisee ratio is appropriate?" Where I work we have programs that will admit only a dozen or less new students each fall because they have decided to keep the ratio low. This makes the admissions process for those programs very competitive. Another related issue is whether or not the faculty who are free to take on new students are matched with prospective students in terms of research interests. If you want to study medieval literature, and a program to which you are applying doesn't have any faculty who could take on a new student, you aren't going to get admitted to that program...at least not now. Q: In almost all grad catalogs that I have received I see 3.0/4 points as the minimum requirement for grad school. Does my (GPA<3.0) mean that I should NOT even consider grad school? A: From clin@eng.umd.edu (Charles C. Lin) Once you have a GPA below 3.0, it gets very hard to get into grad school, unless you have something else that you can offer. I know of someone who has a GPA below 3.0 and was still able to get into grad school, but had to talk to professors at the various universities, and try to get them interested in his background. Basically, he had done some research as an undergrad, and was able to use that as a selling point. With a low GPA, you have to pull every string you know to apply to grad school. I would say that it would be near impossible to get into a grad school in the top ten universities, but it might be possible to get into a grad school with lower rankings, provided you have something else that stands out in terms of your background. There are other options. For example, you might be able to take graduate level courses, but not be officially enrolled as an MS or Ph.D. student. If you get A's in these courses, that might convince an admissions committee later on. Another more detailed answer by kcsite@leland.Stanford.EDU (Kyle Coachman) I have talked to a couple professors about the grad school admission process and am under the impression that almost any single weakness in one's record, including bad grades, can be overcome if you have strengths that can cancel them out. One prof gave me the example of a student with a 2.5 GPA that got into Stanford Biology program (a top school) a couple of years ago. She said his strengths were that he had strong research credentials, excellent GRE scores, worked throughout his college years, and went to one of the better schools in the country as an undergrad. Apparently, I am told, grades are not necessarily a very good indicator of how one will perform as a researcher, so if you are going into a scientific field (I don't know much about non-scientific fields), you are definitely not out of the race... ...but you should probably work hard on writing a good personal statement, which will need to cover these points: -you should be able to explain why your grades were not spectacular as an undergrad and why you will be a much better grad student, for example did you have to work, or did you have a family tragedy, or did it take you awhile to find you focus, confidence, or study skills. Almost any reason can help you if you set it up right. -you should make it clear that you know alot about the school and the program to which you are applying, for example mention some of the professors there and say why you think what they are doing is v-e-e-e-ery interesting. -you should be able to explain why you want to go to grad school, and it should be a relatively compelling reason. "I want more money", "A Ph.D. is more prestigious", or "There are no jobs for bachelor's degrees" will NOT help you here. also... - a couple very good recommendations go a l-o-o-o-o-ong way - good GRE score are pretty important Q: What is the nature of a PhD ? A: Chris Parks : If I am understanding your question, you are asking which of these views constitutes the dominant view of what would be considered an appropriate topic for research leading to a doctoral dissertation. The answer is "Yes." Academic departments are highly individual things. Even within a particular discipline, you will probably notice philosophical differences between departments at two different universities. One of the possible differences could easily be whether you would be allowed to expand upon an existing theory or would be required to develop something entirely new. Usually these sorts of requirements are set by the department rather than by any particular university standard. Since your department eventually has to say "This work merits the awarding of a doctorate", it is the members of the department who will determine when you've done enough (or the right sort of work). My guess is that the main person in charge is your advisor. Since you are working under her/his supervision, s/he has the final say. My oldest brother had to do a great deal of work before his advisor was satisfied with my brother's dissertation. Once the advisor was satisfied, then my brother knew he was essentially done. Those of you out there who are actually in doctoral programs should feel free to chime in with your own experiences :) Q: Could I have more info about recommendations ? A: From the NAGPS Guide to Graduate Students : Admissions committees expect recommendations to support and reinforce the rest of the application. They act as a sort of reality check. When the information from your recommendor doesnt match up with the information youve provided, it looks bad. Great recommendations are rarely enough to save a weak application from doom. But they might push a borderline case over to the admit pile. Mediocre recommendations are potentially harmful: an application that is strong in all other areas now has an inconsistency that's hard to ignore. Bad recommendations meaning that negative information is provided cast doubt on the picture youve created. In some cases they invalidate your claims. This can mean the end for your application. Again, be careful whom you ask for recommendations. Q: Do you think it is polite to ask the recommender (when asking for a recommendation letter) if he/she could give a good recommendation? A: You certainly want to be polite when you ask someone such a question. But you certainly should ask. Otherwise, the programs you apply to will get vague or even negative letters, which certainly won't help your chances of getting admitted. -- Chris Parks | email: ccp2@alpha1.csd.uwm.edu From: clin@eng.umd.edu (Charles Lin) It would be more polite to ask if they feel they can give a good recommendation rather that if they will give one. Q: Charles Barnard asks: >If I am applying to a clinical psych program and >need recomendations, Is it appropriate to ask an English professor >for one? and >I'm sweating over who to ask for references. >How well do you have to know a professor in order to get >a good recomendation? Is being in a seminar enough? >Is it appropriate to ask a professor at this late date to spend some time >and get to know me just for a recomendation? A: (by Chris Parks again) This depends on the requirements that the programs to which you apply have for recommendations. If a program requires that the recommender be able to comment on your ability in the field of psychology, you will need to ask someone who has had you in a psych course to write the letter. If the program only asks that the recommender be able to comment on your general capability for graduate study, an instructor in any field will do. It certainly helps if the person who is writing your letter knows you as something more than as "one of several students in course X". So if you have taken more than one course with a professor, worked with a professor on an independant study course, assisted with her/his research, or even distinguished yourself by the quality of your work within a class, you are more likely to get a specific recommendation. Some Questions answered by Chris Parks : Q:I am currently taking a double major degree, but I have decided >to do graduate study concentration on only one of the majors. Are >graduate schools more interested in the total GPA, or the GPA of the >relevant major? A: It will depend upon the school. Both GPAs will count: overall GPA as an indication of overall capacity for advanced study, and subject GPA as an indication of capacity to study in the field, and as an indication of adequite preparation in the discipline. The amount of weight these measures receive depends on the particular schools to which you will apply. Q: I am just wondering why the number of credits toward Master Degree vary >between schools. Some universities require 48-72 and others require 24-36 to >apply toward the degree in semester system. A: There are several reasons for such variation. Professionally-oriented programs may require more credits than the traditional academic programs. At UWM (where I work), many of the programs in our College of Letters in Science require around 24 semester credits. In contrast, our Business master's programs require around 30 credits, our Library and Information Science and Nursing programs each require 36 credits, our MPA program requires 42 credits, and our MFA program in Performing Arts-Theater requires 72 credits. Q:But the schools that require more credit hours still have the same length of >study(2 year program). Does it mean they are harder because you take more >credit hours unless you want to finish it slower, 3 or 4 years? A:Length of time to complete the degree depends upon whether part-time enrollment is allowed. At a school with a large part-time enrollment, rather than setting a hard-and-fast policy (e.g. completion in two years), they may decide to be more flexible (e.g. at UWM, completion of all requirements in five or seven years, depending upon the number of credits required). The only ways to finish a 40 credit masters in two years would be (a) to take a higher credit load each semester [compared to what someone in a 24 credit masters has to take] or (b) to enroll in summer sessions as well. Q: I'm beginning the process for applying to grad school. Does anyone have >recommendations toward a format toward replying to opened ended >essays (i.e., describe your experience in managing human, financial, >material, etc... resources). I'm contemplating as to whether I should >approach the question in an tabular format where I state each questions >and give specific answers, or if I develop a theme in which I state >examples of each, and than say why completion of the specific program would >help. A: I would do drafts in both formats. Each school you apply to may have different requirements for the format of the statement of purpose/ admissions essay/whatever else they call it. Some programs may require tabular format, and others may want you to write an essay. Once you are actually filling out applications for particular schools, you can revise your drafts to fit the format requirements and show where your skills and experience fit in with a particular schools program. Abother advantage to doing drafts in both formats would be that the exercise might strengthen your final statements. In writing for both formats, you may discover more effective ways to represent your capabilities for graduate study. A statement of purpose fills a variety of roles. One of these roles is to make sure that your professional and/or research goals are in line with the interests of the faculty. If you want to study international business and University X doesn't focus on that, you probably aren't going to get admitted. The statement is also used to evaluate your ability to write coherent prose. A third possible use for the statement is to provide some background information which goes beyond the specifically quantitative measures of your admissibility (GPA, test scores). This is particularly important if your GPA and test scores are not as strong as those of other applicants in the pool. Q: What will they usually do if an incomplete application form is sent, like >probably without the recommendation letters (although they will be sent later >on)? >Will they just look at the GPA, deciding that it's not really good and reject >it right away, or will they table it for later evaluation? Or will they still consider the applicant, but without any financial aid? A: The answer is "Yes" :) What I mean is, it depends on the program to which you are applying. Some programs process admissions applications and applications for financial support at the same time; others don't. (It even varies with the individual programs where I work--some do, some don't.) In either case, my guess would be that most programs will wait a reasonable period before doing anything to an incomplete application file. Usually, if a program decides to require recommendations or test scores, it is because the faculty feel strongly that they need that information to make a good decision, so they will wait for it. Besides, it saves them having to reconsider an application later on the basis of newly submitted information. Like most people with a lot to do, professors like to make decisions only once. If all they get is an application and transcripts, and the required letters of recommendation, and/or test scores don't arrive for months afterward, they probably will decide the applicant is not seriously considering their school and set the file aside, or refuse the applicant. If a program *does* consider applicants for admission and financial support at the same time, they *may* use the third option you mention, and consider the applicant for admission only. If you are depending on financial support to afford tuition and living expenses, this option is effectively the same as being refused. The moral of the story is: Ask the programs you are considering how long you have to get all your materials in. If you are going to submit an incomplete application form, make sure you get the missing items in ASAP, and check periodically (not every day, but perhaps once a week) to see that the missing items are getting there. =========================================================================== 10. Further Sources of Information ---------------------------------- 0) Your Prospective University Brochure and the Department itself (eg admissions tutor or secretary etc) !! 1) For the GRE, GMAT, LSAT, MCAT tests etc, the best information I've seen so far is at the Princeton Review Company, which you can link into there www server by using Mosaic (or lynx if your terminal is text-based) to http://www.review.com 2) Another very good address is at George town University. You can use gopher to link into there at the address : gopher.georgetown.edu then choose 9 (National Association of Graduate Professional Students (NAGPS)) then choose 9 again ((NAGPS Consumer Guide to Graduate Schools). This contains loads of information about grad school applications and advice about writing application forms and financial sources and so on. The NAGPS Consumer Guide to Graduate School is actually written by graduate students as a guide for students wanting to apply to grad schools. The address of NAGPS is : NAGPS Services 6017 NW 27th Terrace Gainesville, FL 32606 (904) 375-1340 (office) (904) 375-9042 (FAX) or E-mail: 73173.641@compuserve.com 3) For financial aid and grants, you can obtain info from the previous servers. You can also telnet to the federal information exchange, whose address is: fedworld.gov and another site is fedix.fie.com. They list some grants and other useful information. (this last point contributed by Bob Hughes (bhughes%eskimo.com) 4) From: finin@cs.umbc.edu (Timothy Finin) for graduate students in Computer Science (the first part applies to any discipline): The web page "http://www.cs.umbc.edu/cmsc/graduate/info.html" contains pointers to information for graduate students and students contemplating graduate study in Computer Science. Highlights include: Forsythe list, "How to be a good graduate student|advisor", "Choosing.an.Advisor", "Networking.on.the.Network", CRA faculty job announcements, Taulbee Survey, "Women and Computer Science", pointers to organizations of interest, and, of course, information on the UMBC graduate programs in Computer Science and related disciplines. This information is also available via ftp from ftp.cs.umbc.edu in "/pub/www/graduate/info.html" 5) "Peterson's Guide to Graduate Schools" is a very good book for info about grad schools 6) You can always try connecting to the Universities' gophers and www servers - they will almost have a lot of details about the Department you are looking for. 7) Some Useful Telephone Numbers : (From the www.review.com server) For registration information about the SAT or reach the Educational Testing Services' General Info hotline: 609-921-9000 ETS Test Security Office: 609-734-1911 The College Board: 212-713-8000 PSAT General Information: 609-771-7300 ACT General Information: 319-337-1000 GRE General Information: 609-771-7670 LSAT General Information: 215-968-1001 MCAT General Information: 319-337-1357 TOEFL General Information: 609-951-1100 IMPORTANT PHONE NUMBERS REGARDING FINANCIAL AID For questions about the FAF - 609-771-7725 For the Department of Education's Federal Student Aid Hotline - 1-800-4 FED-AID For Information Regarding the GAPFAS - 609-771-7710 For the Pennsylvania Higher Educational Authority (FIA) - 1-800-692-9435 For Information about FAFSA - 319-337-1000 8) To get information about American Colleges and Universities, such as basic student population, tuition, private vs. public, etc., check the following (address given by Paul Eykamp (peykamp@weber.ucsd.edu) : The Department of Education has all the information that there is (more or less) at: //gopher.ed.gov/11/programs if you have mosaic. I suppose that the regular gopher address is gopher.ed.gov/11/programs Nearly all the information that the Dept of Education collects is there, you need SAS or SYSTAT to access most of it. 9) Have a look at the details above for information about scholarships etc. =========================================================================== 11. Some Useful "snippets" of information & Humour ! ---------------------------------------------------- Some pretty useful Math Rankings are as follows :- From: Ludwig.Plutonium@dartmouth.edu (Ludwig Plutonium) Subject: Re: - - - RANKING OF MATH DEPARTMENTS - - - This is not a present day ranking but a historical ranking. 1) The first school of major importance : Library at Alexandria in Egypt. Citations: start of the synthesis of science,mathematics and physics. 2) Univ of Paris. Citations: radioactivities and much mathematics. 3) Cambridge University. Citations: Classical physics, Maxwell equations, Rutherford et al atomic research, Dirac. 4) Niels Bohr Institute. Citation: Copenhagen interpretation of Quantum Mechanics. 5) Goettingen. Citation: Quantum Mechanics, mathematics. 6) Dartmouth College. Citation: Atom Totality, mathematics. What follows was a humourous reply to some poor sole's question about answering an application form for an MBA. I could not find the name of the author of such ingenious replies, so if you're around, send me your name and I'll include it here ! >I am applying to a few grad schools for September '94. Since all these >schools require at least two essays each, I was wondering if anyone out there >has any *generic* ideas of what to write on the following topics: >1. Why do I want to do an MBA. How will an MBA help me. I wanna do an MBA cause I herd dey make the big bucks and cause you don't have to take real hard stuff like physics or differential equations and cause it would make my daddy real proud like. >2. How do I perform in a team. I'm good on a team. I not only want to do an MBA but would be willing to do lunch or even do some secretaries if dey were cute. >3. Any non-professional important activity...why? No. Only business is important to me. I'm an A+ type. Work work work all day. But I could learn to play golf if that would help but it would be strictly for professional purposes though I don't mean I would be a pro golfer you know. >Once again, I want *generic* ideas. I have a few funny ideas. Does >anybody recommend such a line of thought? If you have any suggestions, reach >out. I will post a summary by the end of January. >Anything and everything goes. All ideas will be appriciated. ^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^^^^ ^^^^ ^^^ ---------------------------------------------------------------------- >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Woon-Tack Woo, SIPI, Dept. of EE-System, USC<<<<<<< >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Email:wwoo@chaph.usc.edu<<<<<<< >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Life is HARD, if you think it is hard...<<<<<<< |