Equipping Undergraduates for the Graduate School Process

The objective of this paper is to document a successful seminar series developed and used at Purdue University which educates undergraduates about graduate school and equips them to successfully move through the application and financial aid processes. The seminars are designed for all engineering disciplines. The series consists of four seminars given during a two-week period every fall and spring semester. The four seminars are “Graduate Study in Engineering: To Go or Not to Go, That is the Question,” “Helping Engineers Prepare for the General Graduate Record Exam (GRE),” “Approach and Helpful Hints on the GRE Engineering Exam,” and “Strategies for Applying to National Fellowship Programs.” The semester attendance for the four seminars collectively ranges from 150 to 250 students per semester. Data from student evaluations indicate that student knowledge about the graduate school process increases between 66%-164% for the four seminars. An alternative format for a single seminar highlighting all four topics has also been implemented.