Hi, all.

A few graduate school suggestions, off the top of my head:

Ask the department to which you are applying for some names of students that you can contact with questions.  You may get students who put a positive spin on the program, but they can tell you some of their experiences there.

Think about, specifically, why you are applying to *that* program, *that* school, etc.  What do you want to study, why do you want to study there, what do you want to do with your degree, how have your previous experiences contributed to all this?  Why is this the program that will get you to your future career goal?  Check with your previous school to see if they have examples of good/bad personal essays.

Take practice GRE's.  When I took the test many years ago, they had a free or low-cost booklet with two or three practice tests.  If I recall correctly, being prepared with what kind of questions and answers were possible enabled you to use your limited testing time more efficiently.  Your current/previous school may also offer prep sessions.

Talk to professors, check their publications, exhibitions, etc.  See if you would work well together and if your interests are compatible.

For financial aid, talk to the general financial aid office, the department you are applying to, and the career services offices for possible funding sources.  Also, you can research on the Internet and the library/bookstore for possible funding sources.

Meet with the chairman of the department;  ask about their placement rate and where their graduates work, how financial aid works, what the philosophy of the department is (more theoretical versus more practical, etc.), etc.

Things are a bit different between PhD's and MA's, but the study of foreign language in preparation for research can be useful.

Hmmmmm...what else?  Maybe I will also recommend speaking in detail to the people you will be getting recommendations from.  Give them a copy of your personal statement, your resume or CV, etc. to better tailor your letter.

Well, that's just some thoughts off the top of my head.

Oh, also, I think I would say, in my own view, that the fields that seem to have more job opportunities are development, education, registration....  The field that seems to have more job seekers than jobs might be curatorial work.

Hope all this helps, and good luck to all!

Meryl Zwanger

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