Researching grad programs

Once you decide to go to graduate school, the next step is knowing where you want to go. You don’t need to have just one specific school in mind, but you need to know of a few schools that you are interested in applying to.

It seems obvious that your next step is knowing what schools and programs you are interested in, but it really is imperative. You need to research programs to find out what tests you need to take to apply, like the Graduate Record Exam (GRE), and you need to know how much time you have to apply. I recommend starting this search as soon as possible, especially because it takes time to prepare for the test and receive your scores.

Searching for a grad school or program can be hard, especially because there are so many schools and programs in the U.S. I talked to one of my communication professors about where to apply. She recommended Kent State University, The Ohio State University, West Virginia University, Pennsylvania State University, Ohio University and The University at Buffalo.

I was not interested in all of these schools, but her recommendations gave me a good starting point. I researched all of these schools online and looked into their communication programs.

Another good way to find programs is to research schools in the location you live or would like to live. I’m from Ohio, so I wanted to stay close to or within the state.

If you have no preferences for location, you can start with The Princeton Review website. It allows you to search for schools based on the area of study you are interested in. It does not contain a complete list of schools, but it will list several large schools with the specified program.

Once I researched a school, I created a document that listed the communication programs offered, application deadlines, availability of assistantships and stipends, application fees and whether they required GRE scores.

By taking notes on each school, I was able to easily eliminate ones that did not offer the programs I was interested in. Knowing the application deadlines for schools that offered my program helped me to prepare for the months ahead.

An important factor for me when looking at grad schools was whether they offered assistantships and stipends. I had no intent on paying for grad school, so I knew right away if I could eliminate a school.

Having a list of requirements in mind when searching for programs can be extremely helpful in finding the grad school that is best for you.