Students need to spend at least 150 hours studying for a single test in order to get into graduate school, according to standardized-test preparation professionals.
The Student Government cabinets of Academic Affairs and Graduate/Professional Affairs hosted a workshop Tuesday night in Little Hall to help give students the skills and knowledge to prepare for graduate school.
Ashley Johnson, director of the Graduate/Professional Affairs cabinet, said the purpose of the event was to provide students with advice on how to prepare for graduate school.
A crowd of about 30 people came to the event.
Mike Heckmann, a Kaplan LSAT prep instructor, spoke about the graduate admissions process and the four steps to get into graduate school. Heckmann said students should know the factors when applying.
“You need more than a high GPA because you are competing against others with and without graduate degrees,” Heckmann said.
He said students must have the GPA and test scores as well as the experience to make them unique for that graduate program.
They should also be clear about their motivations, he said, and ask themselves why they want to go to graduate school and why they want to go to their chosen school.
“You should be spending three to six months researching graduate programs before you apply,” Heckmann said. “Treat your application as a long-term process.”
He also said students should make their experiences work for them and be able to explain why they are important.
“Connect your experiences to an overhauling picture of you,” he said. “It’s a story about you and not just your random experiences.”
