A Combination of Rankings and Research Can Lead to the Right Graduate School Choice

Graduate school rankings provide a useful guide for finding the program that is right for you. In addition to overall ranking, these lists present information on average grades and test scores, thereby making it easier to determine where you will be competitive.

Even the most detailed rankings, however, are no substitute for your own research. It's a combination of rankings and research that will lead to the right choice.

In disciplines like business, law and medicine, graduate school rankings can be quite helpful in guiding the application process. These rankings are determined based on rigorous scientific methods and are widely accepted within the field.

Graduate School Rankings Help with the Application Process

When used appropriately, graduate school rankings can guide students in how to structure their application by helping them to see where they will be competitive. This in turn allows students to apply to a judicious balance of safety schools and "reaches."

In other graduate fields such as sociology or psychology, rankings can be a little harder to interpret. In some disciplines, the methodology that produces them is based on a limited number of survey respondents and therefore may be biased. Moreover, these rankings do not account for specific areas of expertise such as specialty tracks in immigrant studies (sociology) or forensics (psychology). Thus, the rankings provide general guideposts, but require you to delve deeper for specifics.

At graduateguide.com, we're here to help you do just that! Our site is designed to offer everything you need to find the school that's right for you, from grad school rankings and important graduate test dates to detailed information on programs and the application process.

Search our site for graduate programs today and see what it can do for you!