Getting What You Came For: The Smart Student's Guide to Earning an M.A. or a Ph.D.

Getting What You Came For: The Smart Student's Guide to Earning an M.A. or a Ph.D. | Robert Peters | A star to every wand'ring bark

books:

Getting What You C...

	Getting What You Came For: The Smart Student's Guide to Earning an M.A. or a Ph.D. Robert Peters Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1997 - 400 pages average customer review:based on 86 reviews view larger image
	for more information click here

highly recommended

Honest Book

I have a bachelor's of science degree in Psychology, and I had every intention of going to graduate school for a Ph.D.

Until I read this book.

This book made me face some serious questions and real issues I wouldn't or couldn't face on my own. It makes some straight-forward points and tells the reader what to expect from Grad school.

The book also challenges the reader to ask him- or herself why he/she wants to go to grad school, and what he/she expects out of the experience. It also states what Grad school can give a student, but also what it cannot.

It tells you how to get in, how to stay in, the time it takes to complete a degree program, your odds of staying in, and your odds of finding a job in your field after you (finally) graduate.

"Getting What You Came For" is also certain to bring up the questions, "Is this what you really, really, truly want to do for the next X years?" and "Do you just like the look of 'Ph.D.' after your name?"

This book kept me from getting in and then dropping out of grad school. After reading it, I discovered I didn't want to go necessarily to become uber-educated, but because I wanted to be the authoritative source for ANY knowledge--and I liked the letters Ph.D.

for more information click here

A star to every wand'ring bark

I found the transition from college to graduate school to be more difficult than the transition from high school to college. Though I excelled at the carefully ordered world of my undergraduate days, I felt rudderless and alone in the much less structured world of grad school. This book was invaluable: tips on navigating the swamp of classes, research, and "real life", surviving grad student penury, and, most of all, a constant exhortation to keep one's eyes on the prize.

This book helped. It really did.

Good for traditional students

This book would be very helpful for a traditional student who is looking for a grad program right out of undergrad. There are helpful hints about choosing a program, graduating on time, networking and professionalism. It was less helpful for me, a non-traditional student.

We read it in my COM 501 class and it scared a lot of the students because the statistics it relates are grim. According to the book, a lot of graduate students don't finish, and even if they do, the job market for Ph.D.'s is lousy. If you take it all with a grain of salt it is quite helpful and practical.

for more information click here

Some useful information, but otherwise frustrating

I'm a current master's applicant, and I purchased this book due to recommendations and some of the reviews I've read on this site, and I must say, it's somewhat disappointing. Ostensibly, it's a "one size fits all" masters/PhD book, but (as others have mentioned) it's a little biased towards PhDs, and seems rather Ivy League-oriented. Oftentimes, Peters focuses on the ideal response (mitigating factors be damned) to the cold realities of academia, and it just leaves me with more questions than answers.

I graduated from a US News top tier state university in the top 10% of my class and an above average GRE, and published an honors thesis and along with other research. But since graduation, I've had to work full-time to stay financially afloat (primarily due to medical expenses). Thus, I don't have all of the time in the world to stay abreast of all of the current research in my field (try as I may), nor to be in close contact with all of the potential advisers at all of the schools in which I'm interested, both of which are heavily emphasized by Peters. I kept thinking, "Well, that's not my situation, so what can I do about it?" (e.g., he offers pointers for a high GRE and so-so GPA, but not for the inverse aside save retaking and so on) and didn't find many answers. This, along with many "shoulda-dones" in regards to undergrad activities, left me feeling a bit frustrated.

Although, Peters does address some of the underlying personal issues that confound the application process/graduate experience (which seemed cursory at times). There are also a few useful pointers and bits of information, as well as helpful ancedotes from professors. Overall, it is helpful, but I wish the author had a higher appreciation of the myriad backgrounds of grad school applicants, as I know I'm not alone on many of my concerns.

for more information click here