Graduate School Consultations

You have many options when it comes to graduate or professional school. Don't know where to start looking? We can help you determine which advanced degree best fits your needs and guide you through the application process. Our Academic Coaches can assist you with:

  • Choosing the right program
  • Graduate application process
  • Funding a graduate education
  • Studying for admissions exams
  • Writing a personal statement
  • Undergraduate preparation for graduate admissions

Schedule an appointment

Preparation Materials

TRIO Student Support Services has a collection of graduate school preparation books and resources that are available for check-out. To check out a book, please contact our front desk sssp.front.desk@wsu.edu to coordinate a pickup or delivery of a book. If you would like to have access to a book that is not listed below, please contact us and we will do our best to coordinate with you!

Helpful Terms

We know the road to graduate and professional school is often linked with many different acronyms and terms. Check out a collection of terms that Scholars may find helpful in navigating the application and admissions process. 

  • School Tests and Exams

    GRE: The Graduate Record Examination, or GRE, is a multiple-choice, computer-based, standardized exam that is often required for admission to graduate programs and graduate business programs (MBA) globally.

    GMAT: The Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT) is an admissions requirement for most graduate business programs; it measures prospective students' verbal, mathematical, integrated reasoning and analytical writing skills.

    LSAT: The Law School Admission Test (LSAT) is a standardized test required for admission into law schools approved by the American Bar Association. The LSAT test uses three types of questions to measure your skills in critical reading, verbal reasoning, and analytical thinking.

    MCAT: The Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) is a standardized test that is required for admission into most medical schools in the United States.

    PCAT: The Pharmacy College Admission Test (PCAT) is a specialized, standardized test, it measures general academic ability and scientific knowledge necessary for the commencement of pharmaceutical education.

  • Funding Terms

    Assistantship: An assistantship is a form of financial assistance provided to graduate students

    Fellowship: Fellowships Can Reduce Graduate School Expenses. Fellowships are prizes that graduate students or postgraduate scholars typically compete for, and fellows are selected based on their potential to make a positive, long-lasting contribution to their academic discipline.

    GA: A graduate assistantship (GA) is a salaried student employment opportunity for graduate students. Graduate assistants work a set number of hours per week and in return receive a tuition waiver and, oftentimes, a monthly living stipend.

    TA: A graduate teaching assistant is a graduate student enrolled in a university who also teaches undergraduate students at that university. As students, graduate teaching assistants take courses and pursue their studies in a specialized academic field. They also help professors teach undergraduate courses.

  • Admissions Terms

    CV: Curriculum vitae (CV) is basically a longer academic version of a resume, offering a summary of your academic history, research interests, relevant work experience, honors, accomplishments, etc. For grad schools, the CV is a quick indicator of how extensive your background is in the field and how much academic potential you have.

    Dissertation: Dissertation is another fancy synonym for your thesis on your graduate school research paper.

  • Graduate and Professional

    MA: Master of Arts (M.A.) the basic graduate-level degree granted to grad students in fields in the humanities, social sciences, or fine arts.

    MFA: Masters of Fine Arts, also called MFA degrees, offer graduate students the opportunity to study diverse subjects, from film-making and theater to creative writing and graphic design.

    MLA: The Master of Arts in Liberal Studies (MLA) is a graduate degree that aims to provide both depth and breadth of study in the liberal arts.

Testing Vouchers

We are fortunate enough to have received 15 vouchers available for our TRIO Scholars who are interested or pursuing graduate school. These vouchers will either cover 50% or 100% of the entry level grad school exams. Please see below for information on our vouchers. If you are interested in one or more of our graduate school testing vouchers please contact our sssp.front.desk@wsu.edu to assist you. 

ScoreItNow, POWERPREP Plus 1, POWERPREP Plus 2: Online Writing Practice service is a web-based tool that can help you sharpen your analytical writing skills and prepare for the Analytical Writing section of the GRE® General Test. 

GRE General Test: The GRE® General Test measures your verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning, critical thinking and analytical writing skills.