Every fall, the Career Center hosts more than 30 universities representing more than 50 individual graduate programs on-campus who are seeking to recruit currently enrolled students at Luther College. During this one-day event, you have the opportunity to speak with representatives from graduate programs around the area and from across the country.

Furthermore, even if the specific program that interests you is not present, Graduate and Professional School Day provides you with the opportunity to speak one-on-one with graduate admissions counselors about the process of going and applying to graduate school. They can be an excellent resource of information. For the date, time, and location on the most recent event, check the Career Center's Calendar of Events.

Making the most of Graduate and Professional School Day

• Obtain a copy of the university and program participants at the Career Center (typically available the Monday prior to the actual event).
• Visit the individual program web sites to learn more about the program and identify any questions you may have about the curriculum, faculty, or admissions process.
• Prepare a list of questions to ask the program representatives.

Possible questions to ask the school representatives

• How many students typically apply to your program? How many do you admit? And, how many students are in a typical entering class?
• What is the faculty to student ratio?
• How much influence will my GPA and test scores (e.g., GRE) have on my overall application?
• What is the single most influential factor in determining who gets accepted into your program and who gets denied?
• What type of financial aid is available? What percentage of your current students are receiving some type of financial assistance (e.g., scholarship, fellowship, or assistantship)?
• Does your department/school offer any teaching, research, or administrative assistantships? If so, how many?
• What mistakes to applicants commonly make in applying to your program?
• What opportunities do students have to...engage in collaborative research with a faculty member? participate in an internship? study abroad?
• (For doctoral program) What percentage of doctoral students complete their dissertation, and in what timeframe?
• For what organizations have your graduates gone to work?
• What percentage of students are employed at graduation from your program? What about six months after graduation?
• Will your program host interested applicants during a campus visit? If yes, what types of activities could I observe (e.g., attend one or more classes, meet with current students, meet with faculty of interest, go on a campus tour)?