Pre-Graduate Advising Resources
Choosing a Graduate Program
Selecting a graduate school that is going to be a good fit for your academic interests and career goals is incredibly important - even more so than choosing your undergraduate school. Since your area of study will be more specialized, you want to make sure not just that the school is a good fit, but also that the faculty and focuses of the department you will be working with match your own interests. You will also want to consider the school/program's reputation, cost/availability of funding and financial aid, duration of the program, location, and any other factors important to you.
Feel free to use this tracking sheet to stay on top of it. Stay organized during your search and application process!
As you begin your search for graduate programs, it is a good idea consult your professors in your area of study here at Mercer for suggestions on programs for you to look into. You can also use the resources below to research programs based on your discipline or field of study.
Princeton Review's Graduate School Search
Peterson's Guides
US News 2019 Best Graduate Schools
GradSchools.com
Association of Professional Schools of International Affairs
For Graduate Study in Europe: Study EU
Funding Graduate School
Many graduate programs offer funding in the form of graduate assistantships, fellowships, and scholarships. Availability of funding will vary from program to program, and is often more available at the PhD level than the Master's level. To find out more, reach out to the admissions staff and the individual departments at your programs of interest and ask for more information. If funding is not available or is limited, do your research on outside fellowships and scholarships that may be available. Determine if you will need to consider student loans, and what amount you are comfortable with. Below are some resources for graduate school funding:
College Board Scholarship Search
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program
Jacob K. Javits Fellowship Program
Careeronestop.org Scholarship Search
Truman Scholarship for Careers in Public Service
Harvard's Resources for MBA Funding
Financial Aid for Graduate or Professional Students (pdf)
Other Offices on Campus
Office of Fellowships and Scholarships
Center for Career and Professional Development
