How do I help my students prepare for graduate education?

Clearly, undergraduate faculty can do a great deal to help their students prepare themselves academically for graduate school. These measures include:

• Encouraging students to take rigorous and challenging courses and to maintain a high grade point average. This will prepare them well for the rigors of graduate education, if they choose that path.
 
• Providing ample opportunities for student consultation and support. The goal is to help all students succeed in getting the most from their undergraduate education.
 
• Helping students obtain research experience. Undergraduates who are considering graduate school need to find faculty members who are willing to let them participate in their research and to serve as research mentors. Increasingly, graduate school applicants are expected to have some undergraduate research experience. Participation in a research project is not only a good predictor of future academic success; it is also a valuable way for students to get to know a faculty member outside the classroom and to develop career contacts and insights. Whenever possible, involve students in your research work-or put them in contact with colleagues who can.
 
• Encouraging your students to participage in R.E.U. program
 
• Preparing for the Graduate Record Exam (GRE). Because most graduate programs place strong emphasis on GRE scores in evaluating applicants for admission and for fellowships, undergraduates must obtain the highest scores possible. Encourage students to practice extensively for the GRE. They must take the general test and, if required by the program to which they are applying, a GRE advanced or subject exam.