Video: The admissions and financial aid process for graduate school (Parts 1 and 2)

This panel discussion was filmed at the Idealist.org Graduate Degree Fair for the Public Good in Washington, DC on 17 June 2009. Similar panels take place at every Idealist graduate degree fair—why not come and ask your own question?

Part 1

Here are the questions (and corresponding timecodes) discussed in Part 1:

• 6:45 How do teaching assistantships work?
• 8:35 Should I get a second masters?
• 10:12 What are some of the issues that prospective students should be thinking about?
• 13:44 How do I transition from one area of study to another, e.g., biochemistry to policy?
• 16:39 Do your programs prefer or require professional work experience in your applicants?
• 18:55 Would volunteer work related to my graduate field of interest count as experience in the application?
• 20:10 What are some practical tools I should be using right now to pay for grad school?

Part 2

Here are the questions (and corresponding timecodes) discussed in Part 2:

• 0:20 If I don't have a 4.0, how does that affect my scholarship eligibility?
• 3:23 Are the different parts of the application weighed consistently across schools?
• 6:00 How much time is spent reviewing each application?
• 7:30 On the personal essay, what should I write about?
• 10:00 How should I decide between full-time and part-time?
• 13:30 What do you expect in regard to recommendations for applicants who have been out of school for more than five years?
• 15:00 What is more important? The name on the recommendation letter or how closely they have worked with you?
• 17:00 What if you are not working in the specific field that you want to study at grad school?
• 17:30 Can you talk about a candidate that stood out for you in positive and negative ways?

Related content

• Watch our videos "When and what to study in graduate school (Parts 1 and 2)"
• Read articles about applying to grad school