Advice on applying Graduate School: What are the characteristics of a successful graduate student?
Advice on applying Graduate School: Graduate School Step 1. Think, Think, and Think Again
A good graduate student is usually well focused on his/her lab work while, at the same time, taking classes, participating in seminars, journal clubs and fulfilling all other grad students requirements. (S)he also needs to be able to manage to find time to relax, since the program is intensive. I think that to be able to carry on well enough throughout the 4-5 years, one needs to also adequately equilibrate work with personal life.
A grad student needs to be goal-oriented. she or he must organize these goals as short- or long-term and REALLY work towards their completion. A great deal of independence is an asset. Previous research experience is becoming more a necessity than an optional activity (at least in the sciences).
a nose for free food, and the ability to grovel for money enthusiastic, SELF-motivated, hard-working, attention to detail, organized Independent but capable of working in a team; self-motivated; enthusiastic; well-rounded; good communicator A successful graduate student is self-motivated, efficient, and logical.
Faculty Answers
Characteristics of a good graduate student are a passion for scholarship, originality and the ability to make creative decisions. The student must start with a professional goal, not appear in a graduate program to "look around" for something interesting, i.e. to go shopping. There is some shopping necessary in finding the right people for his/her program and graduate committee, but not to see if a subject turns up! It is assumed that an undergraduate has already some exposure to the discipline prior to coming to a graduate program.
Someone with a lot of self-motivation and a driving curiosity to understand how nature works. This person should have a good critical mind; that is, they should not accept everything they are told but also think before they question anything. A good graduate student feels personal responsibility for learning, for understanding the science behind the research, for making and recording careful observations in the laboratory.
Intellectual curiosity; Ability to work independently; High level of personal motivation Intelligence; self-motivation; creativity; enjoyment of the scientific process; ability and willingness to see both on the fine-detail scale and The Big Picture, passionate about a particular field or set of questions, self-starter, independent, dedicated, and a personality that can withstand the emotional roller-coaster of grad school
The prime index of success is motivation. Test scores and grades are secondary, although C and D students will have trouble getting into graduate school without personal interviews and demonstration of major offsetting factors. Consistency of effort and self-motivation is key; willingness to work through repetitive protocols and difficulties. thinks about his/her project both from technical viewpoint and in context of field.
For most of you who are planning on applying to American universities, if we could offer you only one recommendation, it would be a simple one-word suggestion: Think. In fact, we think it is so important to your success in getting into an American school and obtaining an America visa, we want to emphasize its importance by saying: Think, think, and think again!
"Wow! Really?" You are probably a little surprised at our suggestion, wondering why "thinking" is so important to applying to American universities and what is there for you to really think about.
Before we answer your question, let's examine the following situations and ask ourselves a few questions based on them.
Situation A: If you are a great test score taker, don't you wish that American universities would be just like the Chinese universities, which set clear standards for admissions and awarding scholarships? (For example, "600 in TOEFL and 2,000 in GRE will secure you an admission and 620 in TOEFL and 2,200 in GRE will get you a full scholarship.") Wouldn't life be much simpler if the Americans could simply adopt the Chinese approach? Think: Why don't they?
Situation B: If you always have had some problems with English or perhaps simply any kind of exams, don't you wish that you would only need a minimal TOEFL score -- say, 550 -- to get an admission and a visa? In fact, American schools do admit low score students! For example, Stanford University's Business School has taken students with GMAT scores below 500 and University of Chicago, possibly the most academically demanding school, takes many students with B or C averages. Think: Why not you? How can you do it?
Situation C: If you have ever been refused by the US visa officers, don't you feel annoyed every time they ask you why you want to go to America and why that specific university? Aren't the answers so obvious? ("We go to the States because it is the most advanced country and I choose that university because it is the one that admits me or the only one that gives me financial aid.") Believe it or not, they might actually have refused your visa based on your answers to those dumb questions! Think: Why do the visa officers keep asking similar questions? Why do they often refuse you, saying that you have immigration tendencies, even though you have partial or even full financial aid?
Believe it or not, all the above situations illustrate the key difference between the American and Chinese educational systems. You'd better know the difference, or you will have hard time with your applications. And the word "think" conveniently summarizes this key difference.
In China, you don't have to think when it comes to education because there is only one route to your higher education. The route is the test scores. How good a university you can get in depends on and only on how high scores you can get in exams. Your major in college is also determined by your test scores, especially when it comes to the "hot" majors. In China, it is generally the case that your scores determine your choices of college and college major and in turn, they determine your job and career. There is really nothing to "think" about except getting as good scores as you can.
Generally, the ways Americans decide their education choices are completely the opposite. For Americans, what determines your choice of school and major is (1) what you like to do, (2) what you want to do in the future, and/or (3) what kind of job you want after graduation. First you think about that. Then, and only then, you think about how you can get in your chosen schools.
In other words, you have a "dream" first. You have figured out (by thinking) why you want to pursue that dream, why you will be good at what you will be doing, why this specific university will help you realize your dream, and so on and so forth.
Because Americans have to do a lot of thinking in selecting their schools -- and because in general, how well students think about their future helps determine how successful they will be in their future endeavors -- American universities want to hear about your thinking process. Thus test scores are no longer the sole factor in determining one's admission and scholarship. It is within this kind of educational system that one student with low scores can convince the admissions officer to get into a university, sometimes even the best ones. Basically, American universities are looking for individuals with thinking abilities while the Chinese system looks for scoring machines.
