The LSU Graduate School hosted a fair Thursday showcasing the 120-plus graduate programs offered at the University and teaching seniors about requirements, financial aid options and the benefits of attending a graduate school.
Representatives from different fields of study set up booths in the Royal Cotillion Ballroom with pamphlets and brochures about opportunities offered by each school. The schools ranged from Graduate Certificate Programs, which may require only 12 hours of credit, to doctoral programs.
The fair consisted of multiple sessions, a new addition not seen in past fairs. Representatives from Campus Federal spoke to prospective graduate students about financing graduate school, and current graduate students talked about their personal experiences at graduate school. Associate Dean of the Graduate School Sean Lane spoke about the importance of firsthand accounts when considering graduate school.
“You can get things like the [Graduate Record Examination score] you need, or the GPA you need to have,” Lane said. “It’s sometimes hard to get that other kind of information like what’s it like to be a graduate student.”
One of the fair’s major selling points was having in-person graduate students who could provide insights not found online. Every graduate school has online resources, but each school made sure to have people present to clear up confusion and misconceptions.
One of the University’s largest graduate schools is the Paul M. Hebert Law Center. The Law program is different from law programs at other flagship universities because Louisiana is the only U.S. state under Civil Law, also known as Napoleonic Code. LSU Law Seasonal Recruiter Andrew Whall said the school practices mixed jurisdiction so graduates can practice law in other states.
“A lot of students feel that they are not able to go outside of Louisiana when that could not be farther from the truth,” Whall said. “Just because you go to school in Louisiana doesn’t mean you can’t practice law somewhere else in the country.”
Representatives at the fair emphasized that students do not have to attend a program related to the field in which they graduated. Biochemistry senior Alysse Wiggins is skeptical about attending graduate school but noticed how many options were available for her.
“Whatever you have your undergraduate degree in doesn’t mean you have to go to a certain program,” Wiggins said. “You have all these options, and you’re not limited by your undergraduate degree.”
The Graduate School website has many resources and contact information for students unable to attend the event. Lane encouraged all seniors to at least consider the prospect of graduate school.
“Even if they aren’t sure if they want to go to graduate school, they should still ask questions,” Lane said. “Whether they come here or whether they go elsewhere, we’re there to help students understand what’s involved, what they should be thinking about and help them through the process of figuring out if they want to go to graduate school.”