How to Finish Your Undergrad Years Strong Before Grad School

By Danni White on January 12, 2017

This article is brought to you by Kaplan, the leader in test prep for over 90 standardized tests, including the GRE, GMAT, LSAT, and MCAT.

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Each year many college seniors look at opportunities to further their education largely for purposes of meeting their career goals. If you’re one of the many college seniors doing this, it is safe to say you’re looking to head to grad school right out of undergrad or at least one year after.

Graduate school comes in three shapes: master’s programs (M.A., M.S., M.Phil., etc.), professional school programs (such as law, education, medicine, etc.), and doctoral programs (Ph.D., PsyD, Ed.D., etc.). The term “graduate school” is used to refer to all three.

Early in my undergraduate career, I knew I wanted to go to graduate school. It wasn’t a question of “if,” it was mostly a question of “where” and “when.” My journey has led me to successfully complete a master’s degree program, to be accepted to and currently studying in a higher-level master’s degree program, and to successfully complete the long application process for doctoral studies.

In my senior year of college, I have to admit that I did not have a whole lot of guidance. So instead of trying to wing it totally on my own, I employed some of my professors at my current school, and the administrators and students at the school and in the program I wanted to get into. Honestly, this is one of the best things I did when making the transition from undergrad to grad school.

One of the reasons for this is because it is easy to get lost in all the requirements. At times, it can seem overwhelming and other times, downright frustrating. So to ward off some of that, I ask questions (lots of questions), read all available guidelines and procedures twice, and let my favorite professors read my purpose statements before sending it to each school. This started in my senior year of college.

So if you’re looking to go to grad school, here are some tips on how to finish your undergrad years strong before you make the leap:

Focus on your current studies.

It is easy to get excited about the possibilities the future holds, but don’t let it get you off track. Sometimes, we have the tendency to get so giddy about one thing to the neglect of everything else that is currently going on. We end up making poor grades in our last few classes and completely upending our near-perfect GPA. You don’t want to do that.

Now is the time to compartmentalize your classes. Focus on one thing at a time and get it done on time or ahead of time. Also, stay in communication with your teachers. If you need help, ask for it early. If you have a big project to work on, start as early as possible. You’re in the homestretch and your final few classes are just as important as your junior year.

Decide if you want to take a break between undergrad and grad school.

There are a number of reasons you could be tempted to go straight into grad school. For me, I started my first master’s degree in my final semester of undergrad. It was exciting, but at the same time, my physical health suffered. I could count on my two hands how many days I felt 100 percent.

Turns out, I really was sick and didn’t know it until my second to last semester in grad school. I was so sick I had to be admitted to the ER and stayed in the hospital for two weeks in the thick of that semester. I got out the last week of that semester and literally crammed three weeks of assignments in five days.

It was determination, no doubt, but I’m not too sure I will do that again. All I am saying is, you may want to consider taking a break. Four years of study is hard enough and the extended break will do you good, give you time to think about your future, experience the world, and make an unhurried decision about when, where, and what grad school you will attend.

Obtain skills that may not be fully taught in school.

Initially, you will be tempted to take all fun courses, which easily translates into all easy courses for you. Instead, take the most difficult courses that will lead to greater development in your chosen field of study. As for me, I’m not a huge digits person, but I took all the available statistics classes in my senior year beyond the singular mandatory one because I knew that I wanted to be a researcher in psychology and stats is necessary to be that.

Hone your writing skills.

In grad school, you will be given more writing assignments than you probably care to have. It is best to diligently brush up on your writing skills ahead of time. Take writing seriously. If you’re not that good at it, consider taking a course in writing for academics or a journalism or creative writing class, whichever type of writing you will be expected to do in your field of study.

For me, in my senior year of college, I set out to write frequently and to gain experience in writing different topics other than my field of study. I also set out to get my articles published in some way online.

Make connections with the professors who can write recommendations.

Recommendations may not seem that important to you, but if you have a less-than-stellar GPA, those letters certainly come in handy. They should speak to your ability to handle grad school. Every major grad program will ask for at least three recommendation letters. Make sure you have made connections with several professors and done well in their classes so that they will think it an honor to write you a good recommendation. Ask them ahead of time and provide them all the information they need to write one.

Start thinking about and developing your personal statement.

Your personal statement is not every detail of your life story. It is mainly succinct information on what you have done to get to this point in your life where you want to go to grad school. It should also show what you plan to study, why you want to study it, and why you have chosen their school. Your personal statement is meant to be a clear intellectual path that you intend to take. I wrote, trashed, rewrote, edited, and let others read my statement of purpose for six months before I finally got it good enough to submit it.

Grad school isn’t a bed of roses; you need to be prepared for competition.

Grad school is for the long haul. Most grad students have matured in their thinking and in their life overall and they not only want to study hard, but they want their work to pay off inside and outside of the classroom. It’s a little like entering onto a highway, you’ve got to move with the flow of traffic in order to not get into an accident. Try to move into that type of thinking now.

Appearances are crucial in grad school. Employers will be able to see from your resume that you are able to commit to and stick with something [a program in this case] from start to finish. Be prepared. Work on your people skills. Go in expecting nothing, but make sure you are ready to give it all you’ve got.

If this is your final semester as an undergrad, congrats! There are plenty of opportunities to go out and prove yourself. I hope these tips will help you as you move forward in your education. Best of luck!

Learn more about Kaplan’s test prep options and start building the confidence you need for Test Day.

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