Pursuing further education is a necessity for some students’ careers. Other students may simply pursue further education out of curiosity. Regardless, it is vital for students to start the process early as they plan for graduate school and beyond.

How do you know that graduate school is the right choice for you?

“Choosing to go to grad school depends a lot on the career aspirations one has,” said Maram Alawi, a student at Fort Lewis College who would like to pursue more school after graduation.

Before even delving into the planning and preparation it takes for entrance into post-bachelor’s education, think about what you would want to do with a Masters Degree. Think about if you will need it and if it will be financially smart to continue with school, Jill Kolodzne, the School of Arts and Sciences Career Services representative on campus, said.

Once you have decided on graduate school, law school or other further education, then begins the process of looking into schools, taking tests, applying and setting up interviews, Kolodzne said. Fort Lewis College has many resources to aid in preparations for grad school.

“Those steps for after college start sooner than people think,” she said.

Entrance Exams

Anyone looking into attending graduate school after they graduate will likely need to take an entrance exam. Several of these entrance exams are offered on campus at the Fort Lewis Testing Center.

The Testing Center, located on the upper floor of Noble Hall, is a contracted site where students can sign up online and go in and take the test. The tests offered through the testing center are the GRE, which covers many liberal studies, humanities and social sciences programs, the LSAT for law programs and the PRAXIS and PLACE exams for education programs, Marci Miller, the Testing Center coordinator, said.

The dates vary for these tests. The LSAT will be offered at Fort Lewis on Dec. 6, and the PLACE will be offered in May 2015. The GRE test date has already passed, Miller said.

“All of these national exams have to be registered online through the testing company,” she said.

Although each test has a different deadline for registration, you typically need to sign up at least a month in advance. You will need your test scores before you send in applications to graduate schools, and usually it takes about four weeks for test results to come out, Miller said.

“Planning is critical, especially if for those who will need to take the test multiple times,”she  said.

Especially with the GRE, which is the most common type of grad school exam, schools can see all of your test scores if you have taken the test multiple times, Kolodzne said. If you don’t study and do poorly on the first test, schools will be able to see that, which makes preparation all the more important.

Because the Testing Center is a proctor for these national tests, they cannot offer any preparation work or study opportunities for students, Miller said. Career Services on campus can offer a preliminary look at the tests as well as offer aid and other resources for getting ready for exams.

Grad School Week and Other Resources

Career Services is an incredible resource for students who are trying to prepare for graduate school and need help getting there.

“We help people where they are at, Kolodzne said. “Resumes, careers, grad school and professional skills development, interviewing, networking, a job fair, choosing a major and workshops.”

This coming week, Nov. 3 through Nov. 6, Career Services will be hosting Graduate School Week, she said. Representatives from three to five graduate school programs will be visiting Fort Lewis to talk with students.

Other than workshops and individual appointments with Career Services advisors, the greatest resource for students is the Career Services website, Kolodzne said. Under the students tab, there is a graduate page with all sorts of useful things including a timeline, information about tests, special tips to help with the application process and writing help.

Because not all schools offer all graduate programs, the Peterson Graduate School Guide is a great tool in finding programs specific to your needs all across the country, she said.

Other than the Testing Center and Career Services, never underestimate the resource of faculty on campus. Go talk to your professors and see if they recommend a specific program or think a specific school would be a good fit, Alawi said.

Tips for Graduate School Preparation

-Get started as early as possible.

- Apply a year in advance.

- Look at the calendar and plan when applications are due and when test deadlines are.

- Speak directly to the schools you are applying to in case they have specific requirements or deadlines.

- Prepare for tests accordingly. At least three months of studying is a good idea!

- Be ready on test day. You will need an access code number of schools you want your transcripts to be sent to. You should receive this number when you purchase the test.

- Keep good grades. Most schools require at least a 3.0 GPA for acceptance into Masters Programs.