After performing well as undergraduate students, graduate program applicants face a tough process deciding which programs to enter and finding schools that offer those programs.

Dana Schumacher, political science adviser, said potential applicants for graduate school should start planning ahead. She emphasized that, when selecting undergraduate courses, students must consider not only the difficulty of the class, but how it prepares them for graduate school.

“If their degree program is flexible and open-ended enough, I would suggest that students take the most difficult classes,” she said. “It’s like training yourself to run a marathon — you need to have done well in order to be invited to more prestigious events and need to train hard in order to finish strong.”

Eric Faurote, senior in psychology, is preparing to submit his applications to graduate school.

“It’s tough putting the next four years of your life in the hands of admissions officers,” he said.

Faurote said that, although senior year is characterized as a time when students lose their concentration on academics, applicants to graduate school need to remain focused during the lengthy process.

“It’s absolutely essential that applicants find time to study for the GRE, do well in classes and apply before the deadline. It’s hard to keep track of everything, so there ought to be a seminar for those applying to graduate school,” he said.

“For me, it’s like Finals Week, because the reward’s coming at the end of it. I’ll be accepted somewhere, and I’ll be more in control of my life.”

All of Iowa State’s graduate programs require a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution, and most require the Graduate Record Exam and English proficiency for applicants who don’t speak English as their native language. Programs like Veterinary Medicine, where students are competing for approximately 100 available spots, have other requirements, like a core set of math and science classes and a minimum GPA.

“Last year, we had 691 applicants for 105 openings,” said Kathryn Kuehl, coordinator of admissions for the College of Veterinary Medicine. “We have 105 open positions, 60 of which are for Iowa residents.”

Kuehl said the college’s applications process also favors applicants with background in the work world.

“Without some sort of prior experience in vet med, it’d be difficult for the committee to give someone that opening,” she said.

Some masters programs do not require the same undergraduate major.

“Applicants to our [Masters of Business Administration] program are not necessarily students with an undergraduate degree in business,” said Ronald Ackerman, coordinator of the business graduate program. “Sometimes, they come back to the MBA program for a career change — the students at Iowa State have around three years of full-time experience before they apply.”

Ackerman said that some students will enroll in other schools, despite making it through the process and being accepted.

“In terms of applications to people that actually enroll, we’re around 25 percent. As far as criteria, we’re obviously going to look at an applicant’s prior academic achievements, work experience, resume and communication skills,” Ackerman said.