At the annual Graduate School Information Day, 19 schools will discuss their programs, along with the graduate school programs at Eastern.

The Graduate School Information Day will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. today in the Grand Ballroom of the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union.

“People can find out about admissions and make face-to-face contacts,” said career adviser Roberta Kingery.

Kingery also said students should come even if they are sophomores and juniors so they can be prepared their senior year when application deadlines sneak up.

“A lot of students believe that seniors should only go through, but sophomores and juniors should learn about the different programs and attend as well,” she said.

Some things discussed at the information day will be tuition and fees such as the average cost of living and expenses along with the opportunities on campus, the availability of graduate assistantships, application deadlines and other forms of financial aid.

Kingery said students who obtain graduate assistantships typically have a strong academic record with past research, internships and other experience in their field.

Graduate schools in attendance will also discuss whether students need to take the Graduate Record Examination or another standardized test in order to attend the school.

“I think with the availability of information on the Internet, students can find things easily without leaving their dorm room or apartment, but to speak directly with representatives and not just be an application is an advantage students need to take,’ Kingery said. “The process confuses a lot of people and speaking in person is easier than trying to catch the representatives over the phone.”

Robert Augustine, dean of the graduate program at Eastern, said his goal is to promote graduate education so Eastern students can connect with other schools and find out the other opportunities available at Eastern.

“Today, a lot of employers expect you to have studies in master’s and PhD degree programs,” he said. “The information day is cost-effective because students do not have to visit all the schools. Students drop in between classes or lunch to visit and talk with faculty from schools in the field of research that interests them.”

The reason this event takes place in the fall is because now is the time to start applying.

“Decisions about whether or not a person has been admitted are made in the spring,” Augustine said.

Bill Elliot, assistant dean of graduate and international admissions, said the graduate program helps students get the information needed for the application process and sends this information out to individual schools.

He believes students should attend the information day because going to graduate school can help with career advancement when a person is looking for a job.

“It also helps a student to be a better communicator and better at information gathering,” Elliot said.

“I think it is also important to remember that the time for graduate school can come at any time in a person’s life.”

Heather Holm can be reached at 581-7942 or at haholm@eiu.edu.

???