Tag Archives: Assistantship

How to choose the right Graduate School

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After a year of graduate school, I decided to look back and share my experience of choosing James Madison University and the process I will use to narrow down my choices of PhD programs.

When choosing a grad school, there are many things to consider.  The school, surrounding community, and cost are just a few.  Here is a more comprehensive list in no particular order.

COST

When choosing a grad school one of the first questions asked is how much will it cost.  There are many aspects to grad school that we often do not think of.  Moving expenses, security deposits, utilities and bills.  The most important, of course, is the cost of the university itself.  How much is the tuition?  Is it by credit hour?  Are you eligible for in-state tuition?  Most schools will include a breakdown of your cost per year including room and board, tuition, books, and fees.

FINANCIAL AID

Most schools will offer some form of financial aid to assist students.  Unfortunately, federal grants are not available to grad students, only federal loans.  Many schools offer different types of scholarships and you should apply to any scholarships you are eligible for.  The most common form of aid offered to grad students comes in the form of assistantships.  There are three types of assistantships.  Research assistants assist professors with varying types of research.  This type is often used for the sciences.  Graduate assistants hold various types of positions including office positions and study groups.  Teaching assistants work with a professor with a large survey class.  TAs may or may not having teaching responsibilities, but will have grading responsibilities and are usually required to hold regular office hours.  The best thing about having an assistantship, however, is that most schools will offer a tuition waiver (for some or all your tuition) as well as a stipend.  This can greatly reduce the amount of loans necessary.  Not all schools or departments offer assistantships and it is important to check with all schools you are considering.

SIZE OF PROGRAM

When talking with graduate coordinators for your specific majors, you should find out how many students are in the program and how many professors are in the department.  If the department only has 10 professors and 50 grad students, it may be difficult to get one-on-one assistance with your thesis/dissertation.  At JMU, the ratio is approximately 1/1, but even a 2/1 ratio is fairly common.

FACULTY

In addition to finding out how many professors are in the department, you should also look at each professors biography provided on the department’s website.  This will provide a lot of information.  Where they went to school, publications, and their concentrations.  It is important to find a school that has a professor with a concentration similar to yours.  That person will likely be the director of your thesis/dissertation and be able to direct you to the correct sources.  You can also look up professors on ranking websites such as ratemyprofessors.com.  Knowing whom you want to work with can help you when you are writing a statement of purpose.

ACCREDITATION

Most students assume that all universities and all programs within a university are accredited, but they are sadly mistaken.  There are stories of students going through a programing and getting their degree only to be told that their degree is unaccredited.  It is important to know, medical programs and other programs are accredited separately from the university since there are different standards.  Luckily, there is an easy way to check accreditation of the schools you are interested in by visiting the Department of Education.

SCHOOL RANKINGS

There are several different ways to check the schools rankings.  The most common is US News & World Report, but there are many other online sources as well as print sources.  Be careful, however, because there are separate ranking systems for undergrad and graduate programs.

LOCATION

We often get excited about a school that we forget to look at several key factors of the schools location.  Is it in a large city?  Rural setting?  What types of stores are in the city?  All this can be discovered by looking at the city’s website or the local Chamber of Commerce.  Often either source will list what is available within the city.

COST OF LIVING

If you are looking at a school in New York City, you are going to pay a lot more for an apartment than someone living in Harrisonburg, Virginia.  There are several websites that list apartments available for rent within a city and you should look into this before considering the school.  This will give you an idea of what types of apartments are available and their cost per month.  Also be sure to find out what utilities, if any, are included in the rent.  Including in cost of living is the cost of movies, groceries, etc. in the city.  This should all be a part of your decision.

CAMPUS

The other thing to consider is the campus itself.  Is it large? Small?  In the middle of a large city?  What building is your department in?  What dining options do you have?  Is there a recreation center?  A campus should be a self contained city.  If you live on campus, you really should not have to leave to do simple tasks.

CAREER ASSISTANCE

Eventually you will get your degree and want a job.  Does the school help you with job placement?  Resume building?  All this professional development should be included within the price of your tuition.  Most universities have a career development center to help with these tasks and also provide job listings.

Graduate school is a serious decision and there are many factors that should look into choosing the right program.  The program is only a part of the full experience of the graduate school experience.  As I mentioned last week, your work load will increase and it is often easy to forget all that is offered to you by the university.  Next week I will look closely at the process for applying to graduate school.  Until then…

Wrapping up the First Semester of Grad School

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It has been awhile since I have posted, but I wanted to wrap up my first semester of grad school in a single post.  So many things have happened to me this past year, but the highlight has been moving to Virginia.

First off, I finished my first semester of grad school on December 13.  I returned my graded portion of the finals for my GHIST 102 course to Dr. Davis and, at that point, my semester was over.  This semester has been incredible.  Grad school has brought many opportunities.  Having a Teaching Assistantship has been the most beneficial to me.  Despite a few bumps in the road, I was able to create and deliver a lecture to a class of 40 students and my TA class of 110.  Of all the things I did this past semester, this is the most important.  The first real teaching experience and I look forward to more as grad school pushes on.

My assistantship was only a fraction of my semester, however.  The bulk of my time was devoted to reading, writing, and researching (the real “3 R’s”!) for my three courses.  The courses I took this semester have prepared me for the next three semesters.  The first semester is always the most difficult when moving to a new institution.  The process of getting to know the professors and the expectations of the department really takes most of the first semester.  That is not to say the courses I have enrolled in for next semester are going to be easy, but this semester was really a test.  I had to feel out grad school.  I had to learn to manage my time between reading, writing, researching, grading, and office hours.  I also learned, very early, it is VERY important to include relaxation and fun to that list!  I can honestly say that I did have fun this past semester.

My readings from the semester – articles and books!

Perhaps the most important part of grad school has been the people I have come in contact with.  First, the professors at JMU have been willing to assist me when I ask for help or advise.  That includes professors within the department I have never had any form of contact with.  The three I had this semester, Dr. Lanier, Dr. Owusu-Ansah, and Dr. Seth, have all been helpful and contributed greatly to my understanding of grad school and history as a discipline.  There is so much to be learned from each of them and I look forward to having more courses with them if the opportunity presents itself.

The most important people I have met at JMU are my fellow graduate students.  There are….well….I guess around 30 of us, and we are all serious about what we are doing.  The great thing about students at this level is that we all come from different backgrounds and it is possible to bounce ideas off each other.  Whether we are discussing thesis topics, grading methods, or debating the merits of various NFL teams, we have a good time doing it!  There is never a dull moment in the graduate office.  It is hard to believe that only seventeen shorts weeks ago, we had never met.  You would not think that now!

Overall, the Fall 2010 semester was successful, and I am looking forward to Spring 2011 and beyond.  I am back in Missouri (first time since August 10) for Christmas break, but look forward to returning to Harrisonburg after the new year.  In the coming weeks, I will wrap up 2010 with a year in review post and introduce my courses for Spring 2011.

Until then….

Eric

One week down…

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When I decided to attend grad school, I was told it would be completely different from undergraduate coursework.  While this is true, I have discovered that I am more prepared for grad school than I thought.

This week I experienced what it is like to be a TA.  Truth be told, it can be pretty boring.  I am an extra set of eyes in the classroom for Dr. Davis, but do not get to lecture.  I will have the opportunity in the future, but, having done the readings for the course, I have the urge to answer his questions.  I realize the students must answer these questions, but I still have that urge as a student.  I look forward to lecturing to a class of 110 (although only about 98 show up on a given day!) because it will be a new challenge and that is the purpose of graduate school, to further challenge the student.  Several times this week, we have been told the beginning of grad school is the entry into the profession as a historian.  While it is true, JMU views me as faculty, I do not feel like a professional historian yet.  Perhaps writing a thesis will change that.  Nevertheless, I still feel like a student, albeit and student with more responsibility!

My first week as a grad student went smoothly and without a hitch.  I am going to have a good time in the seminar discussions with my fellow historians as well as my one course with undergrads.  HIST 592 (American Material Culture) is a mix of grad and undergrad students.  There are three grad students enrolled in the course and we have to attend class with the undergrads, but we have completely separate assignments, reading list, and meet with the professor for an extra hour a week.

My other two courses are in the evening.  That is a new experience, but the seminar discussions are not.  I feel I have had an advantage by attending a smaller university for my undergrad degree.  The smaller class sizes at MSSU enable seminar discussions at the undergrad level.  This goes against the German model of eduction in which undergraduates are lectured and graduate students attend seminars.  I consider myself fortunate to have experienced seminar discussion in many of my upper division undergraduate courses.

The one major difference between undergrad and grad courses is the amount of reading and writing.  For example, for my class on Monday, I have a week to read a 496 page book.  I have finished the book, but only because I used a reading technique designed to help students find the main points quickly and move on.  In order to find the author’s thesis, it is not necessary to read the book word for word and there is just not the time.  That 496 page book would not be bad if it were the only assigned reading, but I do have other courses.  Remember HIST 592?  I do have to read a few journal articles for the undergraduate portion of that course in addition to the six assigned journal articles for the graduate portion.  I consider HIST 592 to be two courses, the undergrad and the grad portions.  I also have to keep up with the reading for my TA course.  They had to read a book for Monday as well, which I have completed.  And I have HIST 653 and HIST 671.  I am enrolled in three courses, but theoretically have five.  This is typical for a graduate student, however.  The TA is necessary to pay the bills and the course work is necessary to complete the degree in the desired two years.

That being said, graduate school is not a bad place, in fact, is a great place to expand the mind, meet others with similar interests, and work with professionals in their fields.  I am going to make the best of the short two years I will have at JMU and use this experience to prepare me for achieving my Ph.D. much like MSSU has prepared me for my Master’s.  I had a great first week and am looking forward to the next thirteen (yes, JMU only has a fourteen week semester!!).

I will try to update my blog weekly and I think I will start to describe my courses individually next week.  Until then…

Eric

World History Since 1500 & Me

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Most graduate students have a Graduate Assistantship (GA) (working in an office, computer lab, Chemistry lab, ect.) or a Teaching Assistantship (TA).  Some TAs (like myself) have little control over the class and are simply assisting the professor while others have their own section of a course to instruct.  I should have that opportunity in the future, but this semester is simply a chance to gain experience.

I have met with Dr. Chris Davis three times to discuss the course in which I will be assisting and I got a copy of the syllabus yesterday.  One of the most surprising things I have learned is that classes at JMU only run fourteen weeks plus a finals week.  Therefore, there is little time to waste.

The course in which I am TA is GHIST 102 World History Since 1500.  It meets MWF from 12:20 – 1:10 PM.  There are 110 students in the course and my primary duty will be to police the class from the back of the room.  In addition, the students will 12 quizzes that I will grade (that is 12 X 110!).  Students will also be assigned three papers (2-4 pages) and two exams (mid-term and final).  Students will be graded on their attendance and participation in the six discussions spread throughout the semester.  Dr. Davis has assured me that I will get to grade some papers and exams based on his guidelines.  This will be great experience for when I teach my own section of a history course and into the future.  Most of my tasks with the course will be grading, but I was given the option to give a lecture of my choice.  I jumped at the opportunity!  After looking over the outline of the course, I have decided to lecture over “Culture and Society in the Cold War Era.”  I feel comfortable teaching this topic because of the Cold War course I took at MSSU.  I will pull out the books and my notes from that course to improve the quality of my lecture.  I may even contact Dr. Wagner for a refresher on the movie clips he used in class!  I will be in front of 110 students discussing the culture of the Cold War on November 10.

One requirement for TAs is having one office hour per week for student access, but I suspect most students will contact Dr. Davis. Most likely students will only contact me if they have questions with the content of the readings.  The students have been assigned five books (I will read them as well, and was given free copies by the department).  The books assigned for the course include (I will talk about all my books in greater detail as the semester progresses):

-Ways of the World: A Brief Global History with Sources: Volume 2, Death of the King’s Horseman, Robinson Crusoe, A Discourse by Three Drunkards on Government, The Complete Persepolis

Well, now you have the complete picture of my semester.  Coming up…  I have History Orientation on Friday and I will write about that this weekend, and I will update again after my first week of courses (next weekend).  Until then…

-Eric

Orientation Day

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Yesterday (Monday, August 23) I got my first taste of grad school and what it is going to be like being a Teaching Assistant (TA).  I attended the Grad School Orientation which was held in the Health and Human Services building on East Campus (east side of I-81).    After finding the auditorium (HHS is actually three buildings in one!), I listed for three hours about the policies of the grad school ranging from the Honor Code to Financial Aid.  Assistantships were discussed, but we primarily listened to the Dean of the Grad School tell stories from his life!  The most useful part of the orientation came in the final 45 minutes when a panel of ten second year graduate students discussed life in grad school.  It make me realize just how different grad school will be.  Students have on campus jobs and, in most cases, are considered colleagues by the faculty.  This is what separates undergrads from grad students.  The group of students talked about everything from what to expect as a TA to the best places to get a beer in Harrisonburg.  It was a very open conversation.  That being said, I was surprised by the low turnout.  JMU has approximately 1,800 grad students and I would assume about half are new while the other half are finishing up.  There should have been 900 students at orientation, but in reality there were less than 100. In all honesty, I could have found everything that was discussed online, but the last 45 minutes were the most important.

After chowing down on a lunch provided by JMU, TAs were allowed to attend several workshops designed to help with various topics.  I attended the three (50 minutes each) that I thought would be most helpful.  First, I attended “‘There are so many of you’: Effective Teaching Strategies for Large Classes.”  As many of you know, the class I am TA for a World History course with 110 students.  The workshop offered various solutions and methods to make such a large class feel smaller.  The professor who instructed the workshop suggested small group activities to breakup the monotony of lectures.  I gained several great ideas for this workshop and have discussed a few with my TA professor.  The second workshop I attended was “Grading Using Rubrics.”  This course was strait forward and let us know that JMU has a “standard” rubric that can be used and/or modified for our courses.  Rubrics simply ensure that every essay is graded equally.  It also informs students as to what the professor is expecting.  Finally, I attended “How can JMU Libraries Make your Life Easier?”  I only attended this because I missed the tour of the Library they were going to give at 1 PM because of these workshops.  I did learn how to use the online search for books, articles, etc. and also a new service called RefWorks.  This enables users to export listings for books and articles from JMU’s catalog right to the program.  You can organize these resources by topic or paper and then have the program build a Bibliography for you.  I have played with it and it works great with Turabian and will save A LOT of time!

After I left JMU, I picked up my new iPhone 4, but that is for another post!!!  On Friday I will attend Orientation for the History Department and will write about that this weekend.  I also intend to write in more detail about the course for which I will be TA.  I met with Dr. Davis today and we discussed the syllabus and know what to expect!

-Eric