If you are thinking about applying to graduate school and have done some preliminary research, you know that the process is not a simple task at all. Looking for graduate schools and programs that fit your interests and desired program of study in areas that you want to move to and live in is a full-time job, one that many undergraduate students go at alone with no guidance. It doesn’t have to be so difficult, though. Flash drives could be created and sold either at school fairs, through particular school stores, or even online that offer a student the information they are searching for.
For example, you can create custom USB flash drives that are specific to particular programs, like creative writing MFA programs, on the east coast. You would conduct all of the research on say the top five creative writing MFA programs in each state on the east coast. You would create an east coast folder. Then, within that, you would separate them further by state. Within each state folder, you would list your top five schools. Each school’s folder would have everything a student would want to know about the program, its faculty, financial aid, unique features or programs the student might be interested in, statistics of the school, etc. Within that school’s folder, you could also include information on the surrounding area, local hotspots, places that rent to students, typical weather conditions, or any other information a student would want to know if considering moving.
You’ll also want to include in each school’s folder the application requirements. Often times, the hardest task in applying to graduate schools is finding all of the information and documents needed to apply not only to the program but also the school. Here would also be a good area to provide a checklist of each application item that way the student can easily check off what is completed. Including deadlines and the addresses specific documents should be sent to is also crucial here.
Adding a folder of tips or advice that students should follow, like guidelines on writing a personal statement, and examples or a how-to on curriculum vitae writing would be an added bonus to the flash drive as most students have no idea what to include and how to write these documents.
This might seem like a daunting task in and of itself, compiling so much information, but students will certainly thank you for making the process much easier and less confusing for them.
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