The Grad School Handbook [Mass Market Paperback]

Richard Jerrard (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 2003

Is graduate school for me? What should I study? Where should I go? How am I going to pay for it? From academic requirements to financial realities, this all-in-one guide answers the questions, and helps prospective students make the decisions that will guide them toward their advanced degree. It covers the GRE and other relevant tests, discusses good and bad reasons for going to grad school, explains what schools look for in an applicant, offers information on fellowships, teaching assistantships, and other sources of financial assistance, and much more. With advice and commentary from admissions officers and experienced students, plus lists of useful references and addresses, The Grad School Handbook helps potential candidates master the maze--and get what they want and need out of their education.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Much of the information about getting into and surviving a suitable graduate program is found only piecemeal; this is an information-rich, well-organized general instruction manual for getting through the bureaucracy at most institutions offering graduate credentials. The authors (Univ. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) have years of experience working with graduate students and graduate admissions there. Their book raises questions about whether to go to graduate school, where to attend, what to study, how to apply, financing, and how to succeed in the graduate "meat market." The subtle caveats in each chapter and the lists of questions to ponder at the end of most will be especially helpful to prospective graduate students. Current, accurate lists of print and electronic sources about all aspects of graduate work are given at the end of this treasure. Written in a no-nonsense, breezy style, this true insider's guides is essential for junior and senior college libraries and most larger public libraries.?Scott R. Johnson, Meridian Community Coll. Lib., MS
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Perigee Trade; 1st edition (July 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0399524169
• ISBN-13: 978-0399524165
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,281,377 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

58 of 60 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good first book, others more advanced, January 13, 2000

By 

[e-mail] (San Juan, Puerto Rico) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Grad School Handbook (Mass Market Paperback)

This book is perfect to give you a first glance of what is grad school like, how the admission process works and which are or are not good reasons to seek a higher degree. There is information, specifically about the admission process, which does not exist anywhere else. The only problem with this book (and others of this kind) is that it intends to cover too much and does not go deep into any topic. For example, it goes through Med school admissions, for which there is better information on many other specialized books. On the other hand, if what you're looking for is a true overview, this might be perfect for you.

If you're looking for the real thing in Ph.D.'s and M.S.'s the book you need is Robert L. Peter's "Getting what you came for". It is even recommended by the authors of the Grad School Handbook.

39 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars I was hoping for more., July 29, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Grad School Handbook (Mass Market Paperback)

I was disappointed to find this book geared more towards students who were returning to school rather than to the undergraduate seeking a higher degree. There were certain areas that were extremely helpful, while other sections were almost discouraging to the prospective student. There were sections that provided some insight into writing the statement of purpose and financial aid sources, but still seemed to be geared towards either students seeking Ph.D's or students returning to school after a period of time. I have to say I was a disappointed.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars ABC of getting into the grad school, April 2, 2003

By 

Suckwoo Lee (Seoul, Seoul South Korea) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Grad School Handbook (Mass Market Paperback)

It goes without saying that deciding to take graduate course is one of the most serious decisions in your life. It means you decide the path the rest o life will follow. For such a critical matter, any amount of information shouldn¡¯t be enough. You should do your best in collecting information to decide whether to enter the graduate program, which school you would enroll, how you could get into that school. It¡¯s not easy task at all and demands your time and money. This book is written to help you in that process. This book opens with recommending reconsidering whether the graduate program is the right one you should choose Once you are determined, you should think what will lie in your way such as how to fund your course, how to choose the right school. And then you should prepare to documents such as application form, the statement of purpose (SOP) or essay, transcript, recommendation and GRE or GMAT score. These papers are decisive in whether you could get into wanted school and there are some rules you should keep.
This book offers you how to start the process. Yep other similar material would help you get through it. But the beauty of this book is this: this book show you how those papers would be considered in the department. In other word, this book illustrates the process from the insider¡¯s view: who read the papers and how they evaluate them. Knowing the criteria of your reader is definitely helpful to win the admission notice. And that, authors took interviews of professors and students to depict the real process.
This is a small book and you need other books to win the process. For example, you¡¯d better read some other book on writing SOP. But this is ultimately the right place to begin with.