By Jeffrey Anderson, Caitlyn Belson & Sabrina Vang
With Fall 2021 graduation looming, there are some students who will be looking toward continuing their education after graduation. The time of year for those who want to continue their education after graduation has come—graduate school.
Graduate school is for those who would like to continue their education and earn a master’s degree and Ph.D. The UW-System Virtual Graduate School Fair was an opportunity for potential graduate students to explore a variety of schools and programs, gathering information about both along the way. The fair was held on November 4th, from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM. Students could schedule appointments with a multitude of schools anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes within the University of Wisconsin System. Universities that attended were UW- Green Bay, UW-Madison, UW-Milwaukee, and some out-of-state. Representatives from each school provided students with information and advice regarding the programs offered at that university, all of which helped students simply learn about admission deadlines and requirements.
Ashley LaPrise, an Intern with UWGB’s Graduate Services Department, gave her thoughts on how she thought the event went overall, saying, “The event went well in an unusual way than we were expecting. For instance, [only a few] students showed up, but we were able to provide a more personalized experience,” LaPrise says. “We were able to answer the specific questions and spend the entire time focused on one person, instead of answering more generalized questions from a large audience… I think we did exactly what we intended to do, share as much information as possible in the short amount of time that was given,” LaPrise adds.
The graduate fair offered students virtual options for meeting with representatives from several schools.
Morgan Theobald, a Graduate Admissions Recruiter for UWGB, gave potential graduate students advice on what to expect from the fair. “It is important that students come with questions they have about the specific school/program they are talking to,” Theobald says. “This will show they are interested and invested in the program and will help them to stand out if they end up applying. They should also prepare to take notes and/or have a spreadsheet with criteria listed to easily compare programs based on the information they receive during the event.”
UW- Green Bay Graduate Studies Rise to the Challenge poster
Joseph Yoo, a Communication Professor at UW-Green Bay, advises students who are thinking about attending graduate school, “Aim your goal clearly. You have to think about what you want to do after graduating from graduate school [and] set your goal clearly based on your preferences.” The preparation that comes from applying to graduate school can be strenuous. To prepare himself for graduate school, Yoo mentioned, “I had to maintain a good GPA [and study to take the GRE test]. It took three months to score well. I could not change my cumulative GPA, so I put a lot of effort into writing a statement of purpose and researched schools [that I wanted to apply to]. I had to care about multiple things simultaneously.” Even though graduate school was demanding, Yoo believes in “no pain, no gain” and that one must have a strong mindset entering graduate school. He was also able to meet many people who were very willing to help him throughout his years in graduate school. When asked if the efforts paid off, Yoo said, “Because I got a job here at UWGB and met a lot of people here, it was worth it. I am able to share my knowledge and insight with my students, so all that demanding work was worth it.”
Graduate school will remain an option for students who wish to continue their journey toward higher education. There are resources all around from professors and even virtual events.
To learn more information on what UWGB offers for potential graduate students, visit https://www.uwgb.edu/graduate/.