With the spring semester wrapping up for seniors, students seeking to continue their education are looking forward to starting graduate school this fall.

Graduating from college can be one of the greatest achievements a student can accomplish. While many decide to join the workforce, there are some that wish to continue their education and earn further degrees. Those looking to pursue higher education may find it difficult when understanding what preparations and tasks are needed to successfully enroll into graduate school. Those looking to pursue higher education may find it difficult when understanding what preparations and tasks are needed to successfully enroll into graduate school.

Communication senior Viviana Del Toro will be graduating on Friday, May 13 and attending graduate school at the New York University School of Engineering in August, to be a part of the integrated design and media program. Del Toro said when she was making preparations to attend graduate school, she tried to keep up her academics. 
“I did a lot of research on schools and the application process, but other than that, just making sure I’m turning everything in and doing good in school so I can apply,” Del Toro said. 
Psychology senior Sofia Medina said after her graduation she plans on taking a gap year to allow herself more time to prepare for winter graduate school applications. She hopes to eventually attend the University of Texas to get her Ph.D. in clinical psychology. 

“I’m planning on getting a job to get more experience [in] the field,” Medina said. “Also studying for the GRE this summer, getting my letters of recommendation, working on my essay, going to workshops with the Career Center and just revisiting and rechecking my CV as well.”

Psychology senior Sydney Weber will be attending graduate school at Sam Houston State University to get her master’s in criminal justice. She said the biggest challenges during the graduate school application process were mental strain and cost. 

“It’s very stressful trying to make sure everything looks perfect and then trying to figure out the cost of it [because] it’s a little more expensive than undergrad,” Weber said.

Del Toro said she initially didn’t plan on attending graduate school, so she found it challenging to not have the guidance and resources during the process. 

“I didn’t know what I needed and it was hard trying to figure out [if] I’m done with the application [and] have everything needed,” Del Toro said. “It was [a] challenge of not having strong recommendations and finding professors who would write those references.”

Weber said to overcome her challenges, she made a list of tasks to do each day.

“I needed to get one thing done at a time, so I just took [it] step by step until I submitted the application,” Weber said.

Medina said she created a spreadsheet with everything she needed to do in order to alleviate the stress and stay organized.

“I have an Excel [sheet] where I have listed everything I need to get there,” Medina said. “It’s been really helpful for me to not stress a lot about the process.”

Del Toro said she took a different approach and decided to reach out to a fellow friend to help her through the process. 

“I actually reached out to one of my friends [that’s] a master’s student and I asked her a lot of questions,” Del Toro said. “She was mainly my most helpful resource and I’m so grateful for her.”

A resource Medina found helpful for pursuing graduate school was visiting the Career Center and seeking resources from Texas A&M’s Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, she said. 

“Honestly, [many] of the workshops that the Career Center does [are] really helpful, and in the psychology department there’s a specific class [for] getting us ready for grad[uate] school,” Medina said. “[I’ve] been getting a lot of advice from the professors, so that has been really helpful as well.”
For individuals interested in continuing their education after undergraduate, Weber said it’s important to pay attention to academics and become well-rounded. 

“Keep your GPA in mind, because for grad school [it’s] important. Also, [get] involved on campus because they want students that are going to be a little more diverse,” Weber said.

Del Toro said she encourages all students thinking about the idea of graduate school to pursue it. 

“Do it and don’t be scared. They look for experience and [if] you’re passionate about what you want to do,” Del Toro said. “Just make sure you’re going to enjoy what you’re studying.”