Further Education: Where to go after your undergrad

Have you thought about what you want to do after you graduate? Maybe you have decided to jumpstart your career in a new grad job position. But some of you may have decided you want to continue your educational career by pursuing post-graduate studies.

The post-graduate process can be scary, so here are some handy tips to help you get started.

Lets start with the basics: is grad school right for me? This resource can be found on careerzone.brocku.ca under the Further Education resource tab. This resource outlines the basic elements every graduate program will need and therefore, you must consider before deciding to apply. It's a short, easy read that will help you ask yourself some of the tough questions about your next steps.

If you have checked out this resource and decided it is for you, then you need to start considering what program is best for you and where that program is offered. This will require a lot of research, and it may be smart to start backwards. By that I mean, researching the job you want to end up in on a website such as Career Cruising to discover what the educational requirements. You may find you need a college certificate instead of a Masters, or a PhD instead of a Masters. This will help you not only narrow down your search, but also the timing of your career journey.

Once you figured out what program you want to take you'll want to decide where to apply. To make this decision, you will  once again want to do your research. A great resource that you can find in CareerZone's physical drop-in center is the Graduate School Planning Guide. So stop in and grab one for FREE! It is important when considering where to apply, to not only consider the school but any other lifestyle components such as distance from home, living expenses of the school's city, and overall school culture.

Once you have decided on your program and where you want to apply, your focus will be on the application components. Emphasis will especially be placed on those that should be prepared well in advance. The three biggest ones are entrance exams, your Curriculum Vitae (CV), and your Statement of Intent. To help students, CareerZone has study books for the LSAT, GMAT, MCAT, GRE, and PCAT that can be rented out. Also, our full-time career consultants are trained to look through your application documents to give you beneficial feedback to hopefully increase your chances of getting accepted!

Most important, take your time in this decision. If further education is something your still on the fence about, maybe take a year off. Finding volunteer opportunities or employment opportunities in that break year can really help you solidify what you want to do, boost your application, and give you enough time to feel confident in your application.

Of course if you have any questions about further education, feel free to email us at career@brocku.ca, stop by our physical space off of Market Hall, or chat us to talk with one of our staff about this BIG next step in your career journey!