Below I
highlight the basic information needed for admissions into graduate school in
the United States: This first part covers planning, preparation of transcripts, and examinations, while the second part will cover scholarship and application information.
PLANNING
Application
to graduate schools in the United States is relatively lengthy compared to equivalents
in countries like the United Kingdom. Therefore, I would advise to start
preparation around 12 months before your proposed start date for optima
results. For example, if you are planning to start your program by Fall 2016
(August) it’s very imperative you start
taking examinations around August 2015 and delving for schools much earlier
before that date: this is very essential for doctorate programs.
Planning
essentially involves taking the required examinations, preparation of academic
transcripts, searching for schools and, of course, applications.
PREPARATION
OF ACADEMIC TRANSCRIPTS
The
United States uses the 4.0 scale grade point average system while we use 5.0
scale in Nigeria. Therefore it may be important to convert your C.G.P.A to the
American format i.e 4.0 scale. To know your American G.P.A you have to evaluate
your transcript through World educational services (WES). The synopsis of this
process include: send the transcript for your bachelor’s degree to WES, at a
specified fee, they will convert your G.P.A on a course by course basis to
generate the 4.0 scale American G.P.A. Afterwards, WES would be the institution
to forward transcripts to the recipient schools for application. Visit
www.wes.org for more details. Note that evaluation methods depends on the
school you are applying to; while some schools will require you to do it,
through WES, some universities do it themselves by charging a fee during the
application process.
EXAMINATIONS
The
Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) is one of the most imperative examinations
required by graduate schools in the United States. They are of two types: (i)
the revised general GRE test, this examination basically test your
quantitative, verbal and writing skills. This is required by all graduate
schools (Some graduate school do not require the GRE especially if the
applicant is not applying for financial aids) (ii) The GRE subject test: it’s
an examination on a specific subject relating to the proposed graduate studies;
for example, a person who is applying for a graduate program in molecular
biology might be asked to provide a GRE Biochemistry subject test score,
however, this is rarely required. www.ets.org/gre is the Uniform Resource
Locator for the GRE test. You can get all information needed about these
examinations on the website. Based on personal experience, the revised general
GRE test is an exam that should not be rushed. If you are ill-prepared you will
do a bad job really good. Most people advice to prepare for 6 months.
Another
examination that could be required is Test of English as a Foreign Language
(TOEFL), it is a test for English proficiency. A very good alternative to this
exam is International English Language Test System (IELTS). From my point of
view the best accepted English proficiency test for US graduate school is
TOEFL. (Some schools accept IELTS as an alternative, however, I think IELTS is
more accepted in the UK and other European countries.)
This
will most likely be beneficial if you are applying or some sort of scholarship
for example most prospective international students that seek teaching
assistantships will have to submit an English proficiency score.
TOEFL is
quite an easy exam that essentially test your speaking, reading, listening and
writing in the English Language. Again, www.ets.org/toefl is the Uniform
Resource Locator for TOEFL. You can get all information needed about these
examination on the website.
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