Applying for master?

Hi,

I am a freshmen in college right now. I am wondering if I want to pursue Master degree, normally would I need to have work experiences in order to apply? Any graduate student dreamies? Thank you!

I am getting my Masters in Education. No previous work experience required. However, I do not know if other fields expect it... what are you interested in?

I didn't need any experience either for a MS in Stats (it doesn't hurt though), but I know if you want to get into a MBA program, they want you to have work experience.

As the previous posters have stated, you don't need any work experience to get a Masters. I'm currently working on two masters, one in economics and the other in pure mathematics. Moreover, I will be applying to a top 20 PhD program in economics this coming year. I'm telling you this so that you can see that you can go as far as you'd like (education wise) without any papers. Just make sure you keep up the good grades and try to get involved with research, in case you want to pursuit a PhD down the line. Once again, the most important thing is to keep your grades up and to get to know a few professors extensively so that you can get valuable letters of recommendation. Wish you the best...

Dr. Venom, I will be applying for the master's program in civil engineering at a couple of schools in Fall '10. They include USC, UCLA, Stanford and Berkeley. I just want your opinion on what my plans are, and if you could tell me what approach I could take when talking to my professors, and any other advice you could offer.

I'm stacking my classes like a mad man (21 units this semester and the next) in hope that I can apply with 90% of my senior classes fulfilled by the time I send in my application. I'll be enrolled in two master courses both semesters of my fourth year in college along with the remaining 3 senior classes, and the rest of my GEs.

I've been thinking of getting involved with the concrete canoe and steel bridge design team at my school. The only issue is transportation issues on the weekends and me not able to participate in the actual events, as they are done cross-country during the spring semester. What is your knowledge/opinion on extracurriculars as it applies to graduate applications, especially for people in our situation that cannot take on internships?

Believe it or not, most masters programs are easy to get into because they are money generators for most schools, whereas PhD programs are not. You should be able to get into most masters programs if you meet their requirements; make sure that you have the grades for all of the core requirements of the programs that you are applying to. You should also check that the schools of your choice offer a masters degree. I know that many top schools only offer a PhD, or a masters in passing for students that mess up on their prelim exams.

Now to answer your questions…

How should you talk to your professors?

Just go talk to them and show them that you are enthusiastic about learning this stuff. You can read some of their research and shit they’ve done and ask them about it. Most professors like to talk about their work, and love it when people show interest in the things that they have done. This will also give them time to get to know you, and for you to show them what it is that you are interested in. All in all, just talk to them and enjoy the

Your choice of stacking classes…

BE CAREFULL.
Grades and GRE scores are perhaps the most important things when it comes to getting into a masters program (this is not true for a PhD program). Hence, I would be careful if I were you. Make sure you only take enough classes so that you can get straight A’s. You should also be careful about taking graduate classes. There is a huge jump in the level of difficulty between undergrad classes and grad classes, so be careful that you don’t mess up your GPA. Also, if you don’t get A’s in those courses you are sending schools a signal that you can’t handle graduate studies. Once again, be careful.

There might be other factors specific to your field that will influence the probability of you being excepted to a program. You will have to ask your professors about such factors. Good luck with everything.