BY COLLEEN SHANAHAN
Lions’ Pride Online Assistant Editor

Graduate school is looming for both graduating and soon-to-be seniors. But have no fear, there are people out there to help along the way.

On Friday, October 10, Laura Runge, director of the graduate English program at USF, and Heather Meakin, an assistant professor of English at USF, came to the boardrooms to talk about graduate school. Before the talk, Runge handed out flyers that pertained to either a masters of English degree or a masters of Fine Arts degree (for Creative Writing.)

While students were hesitant to ask questions, Dr. Kathryn Stasio was there to ask the questions on behalf of the students. Those in attendance were reminded that while professors and PhDs have many abilities, mind reading is not one of them.

For graduate school, students learned that the scholarships can tend to be different than our University. Most of the scholarships come in the form of graduate assistantships, where graduate students teach an introductory writing class under the watch of a mentor. Students can also apply for research assistantships in which graduate students help research certain topics that faculty may be working on in certain fields.

The two graduate programs Runge talked about varied from two to three years, but others depended on the program. There are institutions that offer accelerated programs, but again, it depends on the institution and program a student wants to study.

GREs, or Graduate Record Examinations, may or may not be required for admittance to a student’s school of choice. Students should be advised they may have to take subject tests along with the general portion of the GRE. Students should also remember that the higher the score on each section of the test, the more opportunities for scholarships and assistantships. While the task may seem daunting at first, there are many people and outlets around to assist students on their path to higher learning.

Graduate school may not be for everyone. Those in attendance were reminded that just because someone likes, for example, reading, that doesn’t mean he or she should go to graduate school. Graduate school, especially in English, is there for those who want to go on to research or further their learning and possibly transition into teaching at a post secondary level. The intended reason, though, will change from field to field.

So, depending on what a student plans to do with his or her future, graduate school can be a wonderful option.