The Review

Issue date: 10/30/07 Section: Mosaic

Media Credit: Dave Mumby

Dave Mumby, an associate professor at Concordia University, will readily admit he has no idea how he came to be where he is today. Mumby has recently written a book about getting into graduate school; however, he personally admits good fortune was a key factor in his academic success.

"I fluked my way into graduate school," Mumby says. "I look back on it now and it's a miracle I got in at all. I know for a fact that I had no idea what I was doing."

It is due to this revelation that Mumby felt it was his duty to inform undergraduate students applying to graduate programs of what they should be doing.

In his book, "Graduate School: Winning Strategies for Getting In With or Without Excellent Grades," Mumby aims to dispel some of the common misconceptions that undergraduates have about applying to graduate school. He is quick to explain the reasoning behind the book's title.

"This is not a book for students who have poor grades, to tell them how they can cheat or trick their way into a program," he says. "This is for students who do have good grades and are relying on them to gain admission into a school, when their other areas may be lacking."

The "other areas" that Mumby instructs students to consider are what he calls the objective and non-objective factors of an application. The objective category includes grade point average, standardized test scores and application paperwork. The non-objective factors are the personal statement, letters of recommendation and personal interviews.

Mumby says students need to focus more of their effort on the personal, non-objective parts of their application.

"Students often don't realize that how they come across as a person has a huge impact on if they will be accepted or not," he says.

The best way for students to improve the more personalized parts of their application, he says, is to become involved in activities outside of the classroom.

"It is not enough for a student to show up to class on time, be polite, do well on exams [and] write good papers," Mumby says. "They need to get involved in activities through their departments."

He says that way professors get to know their students on a more personal level and can better guide them toward appropriate graduate programs, connect them with other professionals in the field and write convincing letters of recommendation.

Continued...

Page 1 of 4 next >

Article Tools