Graduate and Professional School Fair a Big Success

The University of West Georgia recently displayed several exciting graduate school options for students at the Graduate and Professional School Fair that occurred on Oct. 15.  

Representatives from 50 different schools aided students in their graduate school interests. There were programs for specific majors listed for all colleges attending. Each booth was decorated with pamphlets for the college it represented and had plenty of goodies for students to take home. At every booth, students could sign up for emails from the colleges of their choosing, where they would receive more information about that school.  

Of the colleges there, the degrees that were available to pursue were master’s, doctoral and specialist degrees. They also offered endorsements, post-baccalaureate certifications and post-baccalaureate initial non-degree certifications in certain programs. Most of the colleges at the fair covered programs in the education, health system, business and mathematics departments.  

Each representative at the booth would ask what a student’s major was to see what programs and degrees they could assist them with at their college. They would then elaborate on deadlines for the college and go over the graduate school application process with students.  

To apply for graduate schools, students would have to perform similar tasks that they did when they first applied for college, going online to the college of their choosing and select that they wanted to apply for graduate school. Most colleges require an application fee in order to apply online. The student would then have to request that UWG send out their transcripts to their next college and search for requirements specific to their program, such as a personal statement. Some colleges require students to verify their lawful presence during the application process and want students to provide immunization records.  

Many options for financial aid and scholarships were available for each college in attendance for students that need help paying for their graduate school careers. This includes regular loans and scholarships that are gifted due to outstanding GPAs or at least a 3.0 average GPA. Some colleges offer graduate student assistantships which allow students to get graduate training and pay for their graduate school experience as another option. This helps students to possibly earn an internship or further their career with the people they are working within these programs. 

Graduate school programs do not differ that much from the regular aspects of college. They are only the next step in furthering a student’s education and experience. That is why UWG and many other colleges know that students need a new plan for the future after they graduate. They choose from colleges such as Georgia State University, Georgia Technical College, or Valdosta State University as their destination for a new beginning. Having those choices shown to students while still in college or as an alumnus is a crucial part of a student’s preparedness for life after graduation.