The Black Student's Guide to Graduate and Professional School Success

Book excerpt: This guide is designed to help black students prepare for standardized tests, negotiate admissions, find a faculty mentor, choose a field of study, select the best curriculum, adjust to the campus, master technology, engage in research and publishing, secure graduate assistantships, develop a global identity, maintain black pride and self esteem, and interact with other cultural groups. What are the models of success for black students in graduate and professional school careers? What should be expected and prepared for? What struggles lie ahead, and how have others overcome the obstacles? This guide is designed to help black students prepare for standardized tests, negotiate admissions, find a faculty mentor, choose a field of study, select the best curriculum, adjust to the campus, master technology, engage in research and publishing, secure graduate assistantships, develop a global identity, maintain black pride and self esteem, and interact with other cultural groups. In the first section of this guide, 21 scholars offer sound, nuts-and-bolts advice on preparing for-and excelling in-graduate and professional school. In the second section, 40 scholars from varied professions share the personal experiences that led to their successes. In the third section, current students recount their problems, solutions, and overall achievements. Their essays embody the advice and information provided in previous chapters, humanizing and reinforcing the themes of the entire book. Their success may begin in theory, but their stories and accomplishments are real. The primary audience for this guide consists of black undergraduates, black graduate students both prospective and current, deans of graduate and professional schools, graduate admissions counselors and recruiters, faculty advisors, and collegiate coaches in both predominantly black and white higher education institutions. The secondary audience includes high school students, parents, teachers, coaches, guidance counselors, and civic, community, and religious organizations.