Attend Graduate School Fairs
Purpose: Scholars will learn about various strategies to successfully navigate graduate school.
Why Attend a Graduate School Fair
Attending a graduate school fair is a great opportunity to meet in person with admissions representatives. You can speak with them about your credentials to stand out of the crowd of applicants. You can get answers to your questions about admissions requirements and curricular structures.
It is always a great idea to dress to impress; for tips visit Build Your Network Through Conferences and Professional Organizations. Being a college student can be a time of little income and large expenses; buying professional clothes is one. Knights Pantry at UCF is here to help you out with their blazer loaning service for students. Students enrolled in classes can rent one of 30 blazers for up to five business days.
Multiple virtual fairs are offered throughout the year. Academic Advancement Programs offer virtual graduate school and summer research programs fairs throughout the academic year. For more information and schedules, click here.
Virtual fairs and in person fairs are a great way to advertise your skills so make sure you have your elevator speech ready. For a refresher on elevator speeches visit Build Your Educational Elevator Speech.
Preparing for a Graduate School Fair
In this podcast, Chance Brewer, an AAP Grad Prep Advisor, interviews Priscilla Louis, a Psychology and Biomedical Sciences major at UCF, about how to prepare for a graduate school fair.
Questions to Ask Graduate School Recruiters
Below, we’ve listed suggested questions to discuss with graduate school staff at graduate school fairs or visits. Make sure to edit each question to reflect your personal interests for individual programs.
Admissions
- What is the admissions selection process?
- In what areas are your program strongest?
- What tests are required for admission?
- How do you assess an applicant’s character, special skills or interests that align with faculty research interests?
Financial Aid
- How do most of your graduate students pay for the program?
- How much scholarship money is available?
- What types of teaching assistantships are available?
- What will it cost over five to eight years to attend this program?
Career Development
- Where do students typically go geographically?
- Where do students find employment?
- What resources do you provide to assist students in finding jobs?
Housing
- What is the average cost of off-campus housing?
- Is graduate housing available?
- Does the school help graduate students find housing?
Important Resources
- Graduate School Fair Tips from Wesley College
- AAP Virtual Fair
Suggested Assignment
Assignment #20
Finding Graduate School Fairs
Purpose : Scholars will plan to attend at lease one upcoming graduate school fair. For assistance schedule a visit with AAP Peer Advisors.
Download Assignment: Finding Graduate School Fairs
Instructions: Research upcoming graduate school fairs and plan to attend at least one event. Investigate which academic institutions are attending and create a list of schools whose graduate school recruiters you want to meet in person and ask questions. Submit the assignment under the tab titled.
Save Your Work: Complete the assignment by typing in the boxes in the PDF below and downloading the document for your records.
Suggested Assignment
Assignment #21
Preparing for a (Virtual) Graduate School Fair
Purpose: Which schools attending the Grad Fair are you interested in? Organize the schools that are your top priority on the list so you can compare the data and decide which program you want to focus on the most. For assistance schedule a visit with AAP Peer Advisors.
Download Assignment: Preparing for a (Virtual) Graduate School Fair
Instructions: Choose 3 priority schools and programs and search for more information about them online. Then, follow the Grad School Fair Checklist to prepare for a graduate school fair.
Save Your Work: Complete the assignment by typing in the boxes in the PDF below and downloading the document for your records.
Instructions for navigation
Prepare for graduate school now by marking this topic complete: click the “Mark Complete” button below in the bottom left hand corner to keep track of the topics you’ve completed. Then, click the “Next Topic” button below in the bottom right hand corner to move onto the next topic within the lesson.
If you are following the application elements curriculum, follow the Quick Learn icon to the right to the next topic in Graduate Programs or Campus Visits.
Note: To review information on Graduate Programs, navigate to Identify Graduate Programs and Schools.
