Student Support Services

Thinking About Attending Graduate School?

Preparing for graduate school early is essential! Please talk with your SSS academic counselor about any potential graduate school plans, as they are likely to have valuable insight about the process (all of our counselors have completed graduate school themselves!). In addition to doing well in your coursework (most graduate programs require a 3.0 cumulative gpa for regular admission, some are more competitive and require much higher), you'll want to try to gain experience in your field of interest (volunteer, paid, internship, or even job shadowing), develop leadership and other relevant skills, focus on professional development, cultivate close relationships with faculty and staff on campus, and learn about graduate programs well ahead of time (keep an eye out for SSS workshops on this!). 

Additionally, many graduate schools and programs (although not all) require some sort of entrance exam. Please see the information below to figure out which (if any) exam you might need to take, and to learn more about it.

Brief Descriptions and Other Test Prep Links:

Princeton review test prep. - The Princeton review graduate school test prep page will lead you to information on GRE, GMAT, LSAT, and MCAT testing and application timelines. There is also information about writing a statement of purpose as part of your grad school application.

GRE - General entrance exam that measures and reflects knowledge of analytical writing, verbal reasoning, and quantitative reasoning. The GRE test costs $205 to complete, but there are fee waivers that will cover 50% of that fee. If you are an OSU TRIO participant, you can request a fee waiver by contacting your SSS academic counselor.

GRE Study Guide - Study guides that are broken down by section with specific GRE advice and other study strategies.

GRE Test Prep Site - Test preparation and free resources for students taking the GRE exam. 

GRE Practice Site - Provides students with practice tests along with study guides for the GRE exam.

GMAT - Entrance exam for business graduate programs. You might notice that the GMAT is similar to the GRE in that it is also measures knowledge of analytical writing, verbal, and qualitative reasoning. You can find free test prep here. Including free MCAT practice test and free summaries for the sciences (Biochemistry, Physics, Chemistry, Organic Chemistry).

LSAT - Law school entrance exam measuring the ability to read with accuracy, understanding, and insight in order to structure relationships and draw logical conclusions to complete arguments as they occur in ordinary language. These skills are essential for success in law school.

MCAT -  Medical school entrance exam measuring the ability to problem solve and think critically while also assessing comprehension of scientific principles necessary to study medicine successfully in medical school.

DAT - The DAT is a dental education admission test for those interested in attending a dental education program. This dentistry test is designed to provide dental education programs with a means to assess program applicants’ potential for success.

OAT -  The OAT is an optometry admission test designed to provide optometry education programs with a means to assess program applicants’ potential for success. Sample tests of this exam can be found here. You can find additional help and resources on https://crackoat.com as well as possible scholarships based on scholar merit, community service and financial need for students in pre-optometry.

Disability Accommodation and Information:
To learn more about graduate school and/or testing accommodations for individuals with disabilities, contact Oregon State University Disability Accesss Services and/or click on these exam links: GRE; GMAT; LSAT; MCAT; DAT; OAT.

Resources for MBA Students

Why get an MBA?

Which MBA program is right for you?

OSU Graduate School

Scholar Incentive Program - This program waives application fees for students who are applying for a graduate program at OSU and are in the TRIO SSS program (or many other programs). They also provide other resources such as funding, preparation, virtual tours, and many more. 

Promising Scholar Fellowship - This fellowship awards graduate students from historically underrepresented backgrounds who demonstrate scholarly promise at OSU.