Graduate School
The CDO offers assistance with your graduate and professional school planning and application process in order to provide you with a basis for selecting the school that best meets your goals and needs.
Approximately one third of students decide to continue their education immediately after finishing at Grinnell. How do you decide if you should attend graduate or professional school? Which kind of program should you pursue? Besides speaking with faculty, the CDO can help you with your planning and application process.
Get the latest graduate school rankings, interactive tools, and up-to-date articles by area of study from U.S. News and World Report.
New! Graduate and Professional School Guide available now!
Pre-Professional Programs
Law
Health
Medicine
Journalism
Planning and Application
Once you've decided graduate school may be in your plans, the Peterson's Guides to Graduate Education can be quite helpful in choosing a particular course of study and identifying which institutions offer those programs. The six volume printed version is also available in the Career Development Office Library. To search by area of study and/or region of the country, you may want to check out www.gradschools.com.
The CDO subscribes to a program that allows students to access any 2-year, 4-year, graduate and professional school catalog through a computer in Burling Library reference section. This program features over 6,500 college catalogs in complete cover-to-cover, original page format. Search by tuition, enrollment, affiliation, major programs of study and other criteria. International college catalogs are offered on microfiche.
www.studyabroad.com is a comprehensive site where you will find listings for thousands of study abroad programs in more than 100 countries throughout the world. You will also find hundreds of links to study abroad program home pages and a wealth of related information.
The instructors in the campus Writing Lab, ARH 132, are glad to work with you to improve your graduate school application essays (or internship essays, job application letters, scholarship application essays). Call x3117 or stop by the Lab to make an appointment.
The Writing Web offers online writing consulting to help people improve their application essays for college, graduate, law, business and medical school. This offers writing tips, online consultation sessions, application advice and essay evaluations.
Entrance Exams
Many, if not most, graduate programs require GRE (Graduate Record Exam) test scores as part of the admission materials. Professional schools may require LSAT (Law School Admission Test), MCAT (Medical College Admission Test), or GMAT (Graduate Management Admission Test) test scores. The Praxis Series is an Educational Testing Service (ETS) program that provides tests and other services for states to use as part of their teacher certification process. Colleges and universities use these assessments to qualify individuals for entry into teacher education programs.
Pay attention to graduate school exam test dates to make sure you don't miss deadlines for sending in your application. You should plan to take these tests in your junior year or first semester of your senior year if you want to go right into graduate school in the fall after your senior year.
GRE Information and Test Dates
The General Record Examination (GRE) contains sections that measure verbal, quantitative, and analytical skills. The General Test and the Writing Assessment are 2 separate tests. Both are given year-round on the computer. Appointments are scheduled on a first-come, first-served basis. Register early to get your preferred test date and to avoid the crowded testing period of November through January.
Subject tests are designed to measure knowledge and understanding of subject matter related to graduate study in specific fields. Subject tests are given in the paper-based format only.
Information and Registration Bulletins (including registration information) are available in the CDO or may be downloaded at www.gre.org.
LSAT Information and Test Dates
The Law School Admission Test (LSAT) is required by all Law School Admission Council-member law schools as a part of their application procedure. The LSAT is intended to give no advantage to test takers from a particular academic background and does not test specific knowledge obtained in college classes or achievements in any given area. The scored sections include one Reading Comprehension section, one Analytical Reasoning section, and two Logical Reasoning sections. There is also an unscored writing sample section which is sent to each law school to which you apply. Application materials are available in the CDO library. Information regarding the LSAT can also be obtained from their website, or Educational Testing Service.
The LSAT: Take the test that is offered in the fall (October) of senior year, if not in the summer between junior and senior year. See below for test taking information.
MCAT Information
The Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) is used by all medical schools. Applications and information can be obtained from Charles H. sullivan in the Biology Department (ext. 3042). Test dates and registration information may also be obtained through the Association of American Mecial Colleges.
GMAT Information and Test Dates
The Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) is helpful when applying to business/management schools. The GMAT measures general verbal and mathematical skills, not specific knowledge obtained in college course work.
The GMAT is delivered exclusively on computer and is offered many days every month at hundreds of sites. Simply select a testing location, pick up the phone, and make a date with GMAT. Testing locations are listed on the GMAT website, from Educational Testing Service, or in the registration booklet available in the Career Development Office. Call in advance. The most popular times book quickly. 1-800-GMAT-NOW
Fellowships, Scholarships and Other Financial Aid
International Education Financial Aid
Great resource for international students wishing to study in a foreign country. Comprehensive listing of grants, scholarships, loan programs, and other information. Search by field of study and/or country of origin. Extensive categories and well-organized.
Gradschools.com
Extensive source of graduate school information that is easy to search by school or subject. Financial aid resources include references to other online resources (e.g. searchable scholarship/fellowship/internship databases). Several fellowship listings with links and short summaries.
Social Science Research Council
Social Science Research Council fellowship and grant programs that are sponsored either independently or with other organizations by the SSRC. Opportunities for those interested in fellowships in the social sciences and humanities, as well as natural science in some programs. Organized by type of fellowship (e.g. pre/post dissertation, post-doc., other).
Cornell University
Organized by Cornell University, this database offers an extensive list of fellowships. You can perform a general search, as well as click on a subject of interest or specific population. Results of search are then listed alphabetically, and each link offers specific information about that fellowship when clicked. This site is organized neatly and offers a great deal of information. Alphabetical results can be slightly overwhelming, but the detailed information is worth the effort. Fabulous site…must see!
Aris
This is not an extensive database, but still offers some good sources for scholarships, fellowships, and monetary awards in general. You can search by subject area, and within each subject there are several resources. Many of the awards have website links, as well as really good contact information (e.g. email or phone number where more information can be obtained).
Michigan State University Libraries
Many topics/categories to search by. Lists results with brief description of scholarship, fellowship, grants, etc., with website links for each one. You also have the option to search databases and books. Feels more like a reference website than an information specific site, but yields good results. Brief descriptions make searching/finding very efficient.
GradAsst
Searching for scholarships made simple with this site. You can search by a number of different categories, but browsing results offer minimal information. Once you have browsed and found the scholarships that interest you, use the advanced search to get more detailed information, making sure to click on the full content display option. Amount listings, as well as deadline, subject (name) and item number are what the browse option returns.
Check out more national and Grinnell College specific fellowships, scholarships and grants through the Office of Social Commitment.
Health Careers and Medical School
The American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC) provides extensive information to applicants to medical school. Their comprehensive Web page provides general information on admissions, a link to the American Medical College Application Service, and help registering for the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT).
The American Psychological Association has a comprehensive web site that lists graduate openings; scholarships, grants, and funding opportunities; accreditation information for graduate and post-graduate students plus much more.
THE TRAVELERS SUMMER RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM FOR PREMEDICAL MINORITY STUDENTS
This program is designed to give participants deeper insights into the wide range of options that exist for minority physicians. The program is especially targeted to students from minority groups underrepresented in medicine. Through the experiences of laboratory or clinical research, classroom lectures, seminars on public health issues, practical discussions by physicians from different specialties, and observations of hospital care, the college students gain a clearer picture of both the demands and the opportunities they will encounter in medicine as a career.
Pre-Law Advising
Kathleen Powell, Associate Dean and Director of Career Development, is the designated pre-law adviser. She holds informational meetings throughout the year and will meet with students individually at any time. No matter what their current level of interest in law school, students can make an appointment to discuss plans by stopping by the CDO or calling x4940.
Business School
Deciding among programs which offer an MBA can be a challenging task. There are many factors to consider and quite a few schools to choose from. Comprehensive information about the Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT), including information about selecting a graduate program and about the admissions process, is available through the MBA Explorer, sponsored by the Graduate Management Admissions Council.
