The thesis or dissertation is the culmination of your career as a graduate student. As with all other aspects of the graduate school process, your success is influenced by your relationships with faculty. Your thesis or dissertation committee supervises and evaluates your work -- and determines if your work qualifies you to receive your master's or doctoral degree. Take care in choosing your committee. Follow these guidelines.

You're application is complete. Its huge! Forms, essays, financial aid, etc. How do you organize and present this material? Do you just stuff it into an envelope and hope for the best?

Recently I received an email from a prospective applicant: "I'm doing very well in school - all A's and I would like to go to graduate school to obtain a doctorate in psychology. The problem is that I recently took the GRE and scored poorly. What are my options? Is there another way into grad school other than doing well on this test?"

Simply put: If you want to pursue graduate study at the doctoral level, you will have to take the GRE. Nearly all graduate programs - especially doctoral programs - in all fields require it of all applicants. If you search long and hard you might find a program that doesn't require the GRE but such a finding is highly unusual - so unusual that I would take a very close look at the program.

So - the GRE is a necessary evil. What can you do to improve? Follow some basic steps to prepare for the GRE, including learning about the test, taking practice tests, and considering a course. Get a GRE prep book. It may be boring and hard work, but plowing through a test prep book - and doing all of the exercises - will improve your score. When it comes time to take the test remember to guess strategically. Finally, as a last resort, know that you can cancel your score before submitting your test.

Applying to graduate school entails a series of tough decisions -- decisions about who to ask for letters of recommendation, what to include in your admissions essay, when to take the GRE, and how to prepare for a graduate school interview. The very first decision, however, is where to apply. Your choices of where to submit applications will determine your graduate school career -- and your entire professional career. Take time to ensure that you choose programs that are appropriate to your needs and goals.