- In Archive
- 2013-10-12 18:35:06
- 221 Views
Kazakhstan, Russia, Ukraine, Romania - all these countries were visited by Brittany G. Wright, who works for the Office of Graduate Admissions of the George Washington University and is now on her recruitment trip around Eastern Europe. This Friday, Oct. 11, she came to AUBG to promote GW graduate schools and tell students about the details of the application process. 
GW has 10 different schools and colleges and is offering more than 200 graduate programs, Wright said. She is working for the School of Engineering and Applied Science, but was ready to answer any questions regarding graduate programs the other schools offer to international students.
"At the graduate level it's all about fit," Wright said, "you already got a degree, you need to specialize more, in one area, one topic, so you need to make sure that the institution that you are looking at has not only the academics that you need, but also the facilities that you need." Two years of a graduate school is not a long time, she added, so students won't have too many opportunities to transfer, and it is very important that they pick a right school from the start.
Though the application includes all kinds of documents, Wright advised students to work hard on the statement of purpose and recommendation letters,"Don't just google 'statement of purpose' and copy and paste." This is students' opportunity to make a human connection, she said, so it is important that they take time and write a thoughtful statement of purpose. 
According to Wright, at the graduate level most scholarships are associated with research. Typically at GW a scholarship will cover all of a student's tuition, plus a monthly stipend to pay for living costs. There are also possibilities to become a research assistant, which will help one fund their education as well. However, as Wright said, students have to plan in advance how they will finance their education so that the university can provide them with the necessary visa documents.
GW has 10 different schools and colleges and is offering more than 200 graduate programs, Wright said. She is working for the School of Engineering and Applied Science, but was ready to answer any questions regarding graduate programs the other schools offer to international students.
"At the graduate level it's all about fit," Wright said, "you already got a degree, you need to specialize more, in one area, one topic, so you need to make sure that the institution that you are looking at has not only the academics that you need, but also the facilities that you need." Two years of a graduate school is not a long time, she added, so students won't have too many opportunities to transfer, and it is very important that they pick a right school from the start.
Though the application includes all kinds of documents, Wright advised students to work hard on the statement of purpose and recommendation letters,"Don't just google 'statement of purpose' and copy and paste." This is students' opportunity to make a human connection, she said, so it is important that they take time and write a thoughtful statement of purpose.
According to Wright, at the graduate level most scholarships are associated with research. Typically at GW a scholarship will cover all of a student's tuition, plus a monthly stipend to pay for living costs. There are also possibilities to become a research assistant, which will help one fund their education as well. However, as Wright said, students have to plan in advance how they will finance their education so that the university can provide them with the necessary visa documents.