As the academic calendar draws closer to the end of another semester, some students are focused on graduation and the subsequent steps of their lives. For some, those steps will include post-graduate studying.

For students interested in attending graduate school, Grand Valley State University will be hosting a graduate school fair Wednesday, Oct. 25, from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the Henry Hall Atrium. Representatives from schools in Michigan and country-wide will be set up for tabling. Students can visit the fair in between classes to learn about certain graduate school programs. 

“Students get the opportunity to get involved in exploring graduate school ideas,” said Meghan Veltri, career development specialist at the Career Center. “We connect students to resources as well as meeting with advisers.”

The Graduate School Fair will serve to introduce students to opportunities to help them further their education. Veltri said there would be a diverse range of programs, from law to education. Some of the schools that will be present include Michigan State University, The Ohio State University and Miami University. GVSU also has four programs that will be featured, including graduate studies programs for the GVSU College of Education.  

“I think that sometimes students don’t know about graduate opportunities,” Veltri said. “Students think they need to be on a specific track, which isn’t true. They can use transferable skills to advance their career opportunities.” 

This means that undergraduate students don’t always have to have a specific major to get into a graduate field. For example, a student going to law school could have taken one of multiple undergraduate paths since a wide range of majors can get accepted. However, Veltri encourages students to access as many resources at GVSU as they can to make sure they make an educated decision for their future.

Veltri said students can explore ideas for graduate school through internships, undergraduate research, informational interviews and job shadowing. The GVSU Career Center works to connect students to resources available at the university to help them take the next step. 

Alyssa Gunn, another coordinator for the Graduate School Fair and a graduate assistant at the Career Center, said students can learn many things from the fair, such as how to get into different graduate school programs and what it takes to prepare. She suggested that students go online and research different schools to learn about the professors, retention rates and/or what type of programs they offer. 

Gunn said graduate schools often close admission by December or January, meaning that students should begin looking for graduate schools they are interested in earlier in the summer. Gunn encouraged students to contact her or the Career Center if they are interested in going to a graduate school.

The Career Center generally hosts a graduate school fair once a year. Veltri said a lot of other events are being held to help students either go to graduate school or to obtain jobs. On Thursday, Oct. 26, there will be a “Careers in Computing” event at the Cook-DeWitt Center, and another job fair will take place Tuesday, Oct. 31, at the Calvin College Prince Conference Center. 

For more information about graduate school programs or careers, visit www.gvsu.edu/careers.