By Heidi Taylor

The end of college is always a scary and fulfilling time of your life; it is that moment where you have almost endless choices in front of you, yet at the same time are still cautious about making a significant life choice.  College is part of growing up and discovering/determining who you are, but at the same time, you are thrown out into the world upon graduation.  Most students opt for some type of graduate school in order to further their education, which lately, has been proven to be one of the better choices to take.

Further education of any type, whether it be law school, med school, or grad school, requires a great amount of planning and concentration.  All further degrees require an entrance exam upon enrollment in a specific program, which can be intimidating to think about while still in college because of the extensive amount of studying which is required in order to do well.  The entrance exams alone are one of the main reasons you should have a plan already forming in your mind about your next steps in life.  These exams (mostly the LSAT, GRE, GMAT, and MCAT) require at least a few months of preparation, in addition to different testing fees and later application fees.  Then there is also the decision as to whether you want to take a prep course for the exams, or if you wish to study on your own.  Studying on your own opens up a new deliberation as to which study book is the best to use.  Every study book claims it is the best, but more research needs to be delved into in order to make an informed decision.

You also need to make sure to schedule your test ahead of time in order to plan for application deadlines.  Some schools have their application deadlines set as early as November, and many have early decision deadlines in October.  Most schools encourage early applications as well in order to make sure the student gets all the materials turned is, an additionally increase their chances of getting in.  If you turn your applications in on the day of the deadline, the risk of getting waitlisted by the university increases greatly.  This is yet another reason to plan early on, in order to determine which schools you want to apply to, and therefore determine when you need to schedule your tests and set aside time to complete your applications.  Most med schools require interviews, while law schools base much of their decision on a candidate’s personal statement.

This preparation for the future is necessary if you decide that what you really want to do is further your education.  Lately, with the economy the way it is, higher specializations in specific fields are in high demand, which has increased the number of applicants to different schools, and thereby increasing the competitiveness. Getting a jump start on the process will allow you to gain that much of an advantage towards having your pick of schools.