Getting What You Came For: The Smart Student’s Guide to Earning a Master’s or a Ph.D., Robert L Peters. Noonday Press, 1997.
This book could be known as, “Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Graduate School, but Were Afraid to Ask.” It is the classic guide to choosing and applying to graduate programs, and to making the most of your graduate experience.
OCS Reading Room Stack Location: A4
Graduate Admissions Essays, Donald Asher, Ten Speed Press, 2000.
Advice on and examples of essays for grad school applications. Also, Chapter 1, “Should You Go to Grad School, and How Are You Going to Pay For This?” and Chapter 2, “Choosing a School or Program” are very useful in developing your thought process about applying to grad school.
OCS Reading Room Stack Location: B5
Is a PhD for Me? Life in the Ivory Tower: A Cautionary Guide for Aspiring Doctoral Students, Yuval Bar-Or, TLB Publishing, 2009.
Includes chapters on preliminary doctoral program requirements, the dissertation, financing graduate education, applying to & surviving the PhD program, postdocs, employment, higher education, & life as an academic; includes statistics & resource lists.
OCS Reading Room Stack Location: B5
Money for Graduate Students in the Arts and Humanities, Gail Ann Schlachter and R. David Weber, Reference Service Press, biennial.
Lists specific funding sources for graduate study in the arts and humanities.
OCS Reading Room Stack Location: B4
Money for Graduate Students in the Biological Sciences, Gail Ann Schlachter and R. David Weber, Reference Service Press, biennial.
Lists specific funding sources for graduate study in the biological sciences.
OCS Reading Room Stack Location: B4
Money for Graduate Students in the Health Sciences, Gail Ann Schlachter and R. David Weber, Reference Service Press, biennial.
Lists specific funding sources for graduate study in the health sciences.
OCS Reading Room Stack Location: B4
Money for Graduate Students in the Physical and Earth Sciences, Gail Ann Schlachter and R. David Weber, Reference Service Press, biennial.
Lists specific funding sources for graduate study in the physical and earth sciences.
OCS Reading Room Stack Location: B4
Money for Graduate Students in the Social and Behavioral Sciences, Gail Ann Schlachter and R. David Weber, Reference Service Press, biennial.
Lists specific funding sources for graduate study in the behavioral sciences.
OCS Reading Room Stack Location: B4
Peterson’s Graduate and Professional Programs, Peterson’s, annual.
This comprehensive guide gives thumbnail descriptions of graduate and professional programs in the U.S., including application requirements and dates, contact information, and program descriptions. An on-line version, with less information than the print version, but allowing keyword searches, is available at:
OCS Reading Room Stack Location: B5
Peterson’s Graduate and Professional Programs, Peterson’s, annual.
This comprehensive guide gives thumbnail descriptions of graduate and professional programs in the U.S., including application requirements and dates, contact information, and program descriptions. An on-line version, with less information than the print version, but allowing keyword searches, is available at:
OCS Reading Room Stack Location: B5
GRE-Graduate Record Exam
Explore this site to learn about the GRE, order practice materials, register for the exams, and answer all your GRE questions.
PhD Comics, Jorge Cham
For a disarmingly humorous yet frighteningly accurate look at grad student life, check out the archives of this comic strip.
Getting In: An Applicant’s Guide to Graduate School Admissions, Dave Burrell
This site encourages applicants to go beyond their assumptions that grades, GRE scores, and recommendations are the most important factors in the application process, and gives specific suggestions as to how to make your candidacy stand out in a professional manner. Much of the content here is free.
Questions to Ask When Thinking About Pursuing a PhD, Chris M. Golde
A no-nonsense guide to finding a “good fit” in a PhD program. Provides insightful questions to ask yourself, questions to ask about a specific program and questions to ask a particular faculty member with whom you may want to work.