Pre-Graduate Advising

Professional pre-graduate advisors are here to support you as you consider graduate school, explore programs, and apply. To schedule an appointment with us, go to Advisor Link at https://advisor.gatech.edu

GT Communication Center/CommLab

The Georgia Tech Communication Center can support students applying to graduate and fellowship programs. Professional and peer tutors are available to discuss statements of purpose, resumes, and other application materials.

Schedule an appointment with the Communication Center.

The Communication Center often partners with Pre-Graduate Advising to provide writing workshops and boot camps as well. Check our home page for upcoming events.

Writing Resources

Additional Resources

GRE

Preparation for the GRE can include online and in-person courses through various preparation companies, self-guided study, or a hybrid. There is no “right” way to prepare. Your schedule, finances, and preferred learning styles can guide you.

For a free place to start with preparation materials for the Quantitative Reasoning Measure of the GRE, go to Khan Academy.

Speechify – listening to your statements aloud helps you revise them and “hear” them as others will. This free app lets you turn text into audio.

Interviews

Master the Art of the Interviewing Process (from Purdue University)

Negotiating PhD Offers (Note: most master’s do not come with funding offers)

Negotiating for more funding in graduate school isn’t the same as when negotiating for jobs. You applied to a program because of the training you’ll get, not how much you’ll get paid. A higher “salary” isn’t going to change the quality of one program over another. Would you give up the best program for you and the one that will best help you achieve your goals and dreams for a little bit more money? You’re not going to be in graduate school to earn a salary (unlike a job). You picked programs to apply to because of particular researcher(s), resources, connections, and structures that will help you reach your goals. You’ll be a student who happens to have a stipend and a tuition waiver, not a salary. “Bargaining” is more about asking if you can possibly get a little more money or better terms, e.g. university funding instead of a teaching assistantship, to make living a little easier for you. Don’t expect a major change in the offer, if any at all, but you can always ask.

If you do decide to try to get an increase in funding, first find out from the person who signed your acceptance letter and ask if the program has the ability to change financial awards. Also consider the cost of living, health insurance and benefits such as travel awards, etc. that may or may not be part of your financial package.

The below articles may offer you some things to consider and different perspectives before doing so.
Should I Bargain if I Have Multiple Offers?
Negotiating PhD Funding Offers
4 Tips for Getting More Graduate School Funding

What can you do with a PhD Besides Be a Professor?
https://versatilephd.com
http://career.gatech.edu/career-tools

YouTube Channels
Casey Fiesler, PhD, JD, GeekD

GT Undergraduate Research

Georgia Tech has intentionally cultivated research as a part of the undergraduate experience. Students should take full advantage of this aspect of the Georgia Tech culture as they prepare for graduate school. The programs below are coordinated by the Center for Academic Enrichment:

Get Involved in Research: http://urop.gatech.edu/get-involved
President’s Undergraduate Research Awards: http://urop.gatech.edu/pura
Research Option: http://urop.gatech.edu/research-option
Spring Symposium: http://urop.gatech.edu/spring-symposium
Undergraduate Research Ambassadors: http://urop.gatech.edu/content/undergraduate-research-ambassadors

Global Research and Internship Program – Office of International Education

As more employers look for college graduates who can work in diverse settings and approach problems from multiplie perspectives, it is more important than ever for Georgia Tech students to gain global experiences in their fields. Georgia Tech’s Global Research and Internship Program (GLIP) helps students accomplish this by facilitating industry work and research experiecnes in an international context.

Learn more about GLIP here.

Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REUs)

REUs are funded by the National Science Foundation to allow students to have a full-time research experience during the summer break. These appointments are highly competitive and include a research position, usually with related professional development programming, supported by a salary stipend.

Learn more about REUs and search for sites.

Research Fellowships & Summer Programs
Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University
University of Nebraska Summer Research Program