Friday, November 16, 2018

Graduate School Preparation


Graduate School Preparation 

In the midst of midterms and assignments, deadlines for graduate schools are approaching and it can be easy to forget the little things. To ensure you're completing your application,here are a few tips to help you keep track:

Review/Preparation: Double check that you meet the admission requirements (GPA, courses, non-academic requirements, etc.) for your program. In addition, review application deadlines and the required documents (resume, personal statement, etc.). Attend information sessions hosted by the institutions to get an idea of what the atmosphere is like. Contact the institution's Admissions Office to clarify any questions. 

The following will provide you with additional information about supporting documents and admission tests that may be required: 

Curriculum Vitae: A curriculum vitae is a profile of relevant experiences that highlight your academic accomplishments. Possible experiences to list are research, scholarly publications and work experiences.

To view more information about the Curriculum Vitae, please visit the following links:

Personal Statement: A personal statement is a supplementary essay that answers an open-ended question: Why you should be the chosen applicant for this program. When writing your statement, talk about your relevant experiences such as research or extra curriculars related to the chosen program. Additionally, provide justification about how your intended program will help your career goals. Personalize your essay by providing specific examples about your relevant experiences and demonstrate how they relate to the qualifications. Be concise and proof read your essay (Streufert,2012)

To get your personal statement reviewed, book an appointment or drop-in with: Career staff or Graduate peer (self-booking through CLN):

To learn more about our drop-in services, please visit: Academic Advising and Career Centre Drop-in services

To book an appointment with a Graduate Peer: CLNx > Appointments > Book UTSC Peer Appointments Type > AA&CC Peers - Grad School 

To view more information about Personal statements, please visit the following links:

Letters of Recommendation: A letter of recommendation is written by a supervisor, professor, or previous employer regarding your work/academic performance or skill sets. Most graduate schools ask for a minimum of 2-3 references, so make sure to ask well in advance and choose potential referees that can speak to your abilities (Doyle, 2018).

Admission Tests: An assessment tool used to measure the necessary competencies for a particular field (medicine,business, law) (GoGrad, 2018). These tests are used towards your admission evaluation. Here are a list of common admission tests: 
  • Law School Admission Test (LSAT): A test designed to measure the skills necessary to get through law school. The test consists of 5 sections that will evaluate your critical reading, verbal reasoning and analytical thinking(Lauryn,2017).
To view more information about the LSAT, please visit the following links: 
  • LSAT
  • Registration Information 
  • Graduate Management Admission Test(GMAT): To assess the candidate's necessary skills for business school. The test consists of assessing verbal, written and mathematical skills (Bridgestock, 2018). 
To view more information about the GMAT, please visit the following links:
  • GMAT
  • Registration Information
  • Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT): To assess the candidate's necessary skills for medical school. The test consists of five sections including Physical and Biological Sciences, Math,Verbal reasoning and Psychological foundations (PrincetonReview, N/A). 
To view more information about the MCAT, please visit the following links:
Submissioncomplete and submit your applications. Use this time to research financial aid options for graduate schools via OSAP, grants and bursaries.

To view more information about scholarships, grants,and bursaries, please visit the following links:

Additional Notes:

Degree Explorer: Before you request your official transcript, use tools such as Degree Explorer to ensure that you're on the right path to graduate. Note: deadline to confirm your intent of graduation is Nov 16,2018 - Feb 18, 2019 for June 2019 convocation. 

TranscriptsRequest an official copy of your transcript through the Registrar's Office. Login to ACORN and click "order transcripts" under the Academics tab. Pick up your transcript from the Registrar's Office (pick-up days are Tuesdays and Thursdays after 3 pm). There is a $12 service fee to order a transcript.

If you find yourself in a situation where you're not sure what career/program path to pursue: self-assessment tools such as the Online Self Assessment or Myers-Briggs Type Indicator are great starting tools to help you understand your personal skills, interests and values. You can sit one-one with a Career- Counsellor and discuss your options.

For more information on assessments, please visit the following link: 
Assesments

Events

Exploring Grad School: Chat with peers - Got graduate/professional school questions? Meet up with fellow students for an informal chat with one of the AA&CC's new Professional and Graduate School Peer Coaches and a Career Staff to ask questions and share your thoughts/feelings about the grad school selection (or not) and application processes. 
DATES: NOV 06,08, 13, 15,22,27,29

More information regarding Chat with Peers can be found on: Career Learning Network

It's understandable that applying for graduate school on top of finishing school can get over-whelming and stressful, so in order to reduce the stressful process, start your application in advance! Make sure you're clear with all the expectations. Complete your supporting documents (resume, curriculum vitae, etc.) in advance and have them looked over. Get other documents such as transcripts and letters of recommendation.Finally, take advantage of on campus 
resources such as tipsheets, drop-ins/ appointments (staff/peers) with the Academic Advising and Career Centre.

For further clarification, don't hesitate to contact our office either by phone:416-287-7561 or by visiting us in person in AC213.


Best of luck,


Nivetha Pandi
Career Assistant 




References: 

Bridgestock,L. (2018, August 07). Graduate Tests at a Glance: GMAT, GRE, LSAT, TOFEL & IELTS. Retrieved from: https://www.topuniversities.com/student-info/admissions-advice/graduate-admissions-tests-glance-gmat-gre-lsat-toefl-ielts 

Doyle,A. (2018, Oct 30). Reference Letter Sample for Graduate School From A Manager. Retrieved from: https://www.thebalancecareers.com/reference-letter-sample-for-graduate-school-2062936

Kuther,T. (2017, August 04). Applying to Graduate School: What you need to know. Retrieved from: https://www.thoughtco.com/parts-of-the-grad-school-application-1685868

N/A, Lauryn. (2017,November 29). An overview of the LSAT Test Structure and Content. Retrieved from: https://www.petersons.com/blog/an-overview-of-the-lsat-test-structure-and-content/

Struefert,B (2012, Oct 12). 10 Tips for writing a grad school personal statement. Retrieved from: https://www.usatoday.com/story/college/2012/10/12/10-tips-for-writing-a-grad-school-personal-statement/37398231/
 
Theprincetonreview. (n/a). MCAT Section: What's on the MCAT?. Retrieved from: https://www.princetonreview.com/medical/mcat-sections

Monday, November 5, 2018

Mastering Midterms


By Troyee

Midterms are undoubtedly stressful for many of us! The cramming of information while attending to other assignments and lectures is tough. In order to better prepare for your midterms, here are some suggestions:

Monday, August 13, 2018

We GOTCHA: Ace Finals with AA&CC



By Serena, Academic Assistant (Work Study student)

Hello my fellow students:
Final exam schedules are up!
https://www.utsc.utoronto.ca/registrar/examination-schedule
Are you ready for exams?
Are you concerned about your exam preparation?
Are you worried about your academic performance?
Here comes AA&CC to help you ace your finals:
https://www.utsc.utoronto.ca/aacc/test-preparation

In this blog, I will provide 3 big steps that you can take to succeed.

Wednesday, August 1, 2018

What’s New with LinkedIn



By Hilary Sehring, Search Marketing Specialist - Careers | LinkedIn Talent Solutions


LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional networking site, with over 530 million members. Dive into some of the biggest tools you may have missed from this platform.

LinkedIn 101: Get a Job Before You Graduate

LinkedIn vs. résumé from Learning LinkedIn for Students by Oliver Schinkten

By Hilary Sehring, Search Marketing Specialist - Careers | LinkedIn Talent Solutions

LinkedIn connects qualified candidates with companies and organizations that crave top talent. With 546+ million professionals in the LinkedIn community, there’s no other place where you can access such a wide range of knowledge, skills and resources to help you reach your goals.

Tuesday, July 10, 2018

Tips to Excel at work


By Gowrika Sithamparanathan, Career Assistant 

It's the time of year where most of us as undergraduate students have secured summer job(s) with hopes of paying back tuition, gaining valuable work experience, developing transferable skills, and building good networks. 

Thursday, July 5, 2018

Preparing for Midterm Madness


By Feroza, Academic Assistant (Work Study student)

Many of you are probably thinking to yourself right now, “I have midterms in a week, I haven’t even started studying! What am I going to do?!” It is a very stressful time of the semester for a lot of students as midterms approach. Every student has their own way of preparing for their midterms. Here are just a few things you can do to prepare for any upcoming exams:

Monday, June 25, 2018

Preparing for Graduate School and/or Landing that Dream Job!


By Christine Park, Career Assistant (Work Study student)

Congratulations to our graduating class of 2018! Graduating can be a wonderful feeling. Whether you are planning on furthering your studies, or finding a job in your career (or doing both!), figuring out what you want to do after graduation can be an exciting, but sometimes challenging as well. Here are some useful guidelines to help you along:


Wednesday, May 23, 2018

Roadblock in Your Job Search? Use the New Jobs Feature on LinkedIn

 

By Hilary Sehring, LinkedIn Guest Blogger

Have you spent hours, days, or even weeks scrolling through hundreds of job listings trying to identify the "perfect job title" that fits your interests? You're not alone. One of the biggest challenges job seekers have is knowing what types of jobs to search for in their job search, or even which jobs exist.


How Well Do You Match Up with Your Dream Job?



By Hilary Sehring, LinkedIn Guest Blogger

With its newly unveiled feature, “How You Match”, LinkedIn analyzes if you’re a good fit for a job position. Utilizing your education level, skills, years of experience, and current job title, you can see where you align, and where you may fall short. No matter the job function (e.g. finance jobs, consulting jobs, or information technology jobs), LinkedIn provides you with real-time results.


Thursday, April 12, 2018

Managing Exam Stress: Staying Healthy (Mentally) during Exam Period


By James Rebello, Academic Assistant

School can be a stressful time, especially if you are feeling overwhelmed from your professional and personal circumstances. You may overextend to the point where you want commit to everything. A national study found that of 30,000 students across Canadian Universities, 90 percent felt overwhelmed by commitments they had this past year, while more than 50 percent said they felt hopeless, with 63 percent feeling very lonely.1 It is important that you are maintaining your physical and mental health.


Thursday, March 29, 2018

Interview Tips for the Best of the Best!


Business situation, job interview concept. Job seeker present resume to managers. Free Photo


By Marissa McCrae, Career Assistant (Work Study student)

It’s about that time of year again, where graduate schools and summer jobs start calling candidates for interviews. I have compiled my best tips and tricks for you to help you out.



Study Skills: Your Life Line for University


By Vallari, Academic Assistant (Work Study student)

Every student entering university quickly realizes how vital it is to have strong study skills. Looking back at my own experiences as a first-year student, I can say without a doubt, that obtaining study skills does not happen overnight. Here are some general pointers to help you move in the right direction. In my blog, I will talk about basic distractions, note taking, your health, and overall expectations.

Wednesday, March 28, 2018

Choosing Your Program and Summer Courses


By Amy Wang, Academic Assistant

With April soon approaching, I want to make sure that all students expecting to complete 4.0 credits declare a program of study on ACORN soon. This may sound daunting, but don't worry, we'll be with you step by step to figure it out.

Wednesday, January 31, 2018

Tips for Landing that Summer Job


By James Rebello, Academic Assistant (Work Study student)

Searching for a summer job can be overwhelming. However, starting early and preparing materials can make this process easier. Outlined below are some steps I personally use when job seeking.

Wednesday, January 3, 2018

A Fellow Student's Guide to Career Exploration & Job Search


By Vallari Patel, Career Assistant (Work Study student)

Welcome back and Happy New Year! There is a common theme of fresh starts and goal setting. As university students, we want to make sure we prepare ourselves for post-graduation.