New graduate students quickly discover that grad school is entirely different than college. Grad school is a whole different beast.

One reader writes: I'm applying to master's programs. I see national rankings for doctoral programs, but not master's. What do I do?"

One thing you could do is to compare the doctoral rankings with your list -- graduate programs are graduate programs -- same faculty and so on for masters and doctoral. However, rankings don't necessarily give much advice about the quality of programs for particular individuals. Even programs that rank highly may not be for you. It's fit that matters.

Look carefully at each program without worrying too much about rankings. First, is the institution a "real" college or university? Does it have accredited undergraduate programs? Second, look at the program itself -- the courses required. Will those courses provide the education you desire? What applied experiences are offered, if desired? Will they fit your needs? How many students are admitted each year and enrolled? What do graduates do after graduation (this is important) -- do they go to graduate school, get jobs in industry? Does this fit with your own desire? Who are the faculty? What are their research interests? Do your own interests match? Do faculty incorporate students into their research?

While rankings are useful -- it's the answers to these questions that really matter. It's a question of whether the program is right for you -- your needs and your aspirations.

Also see: Selecting a Graduate Program

On the first day of class nearly every professor distributes a syllabus, an outline of the course, assignments, and policies. Want to know anything about the course? It's in there -- the syllabus is your guide to the course. As an instructor, I've noticed that students either panic upon receiving it, frantically scanning and turning pages way ahead of my overview and explanation of each item. These students often ask questions about items well before we cover them and, in their attempts to address their own critical questions, miss out on important information. Other students simply zone out, their eyes glaze over and they barely look at the pages, don't turn them, and don't take in much of the discussion. These students often ask questions on items that have already been discussed in detail and sometime repeat questions. Don't be either of these students. Be calm. Listen. Read. Then ask questions. The syllabus is your guide to the course -- everything you need to know to get through and succeed this semester is in there. Learn more about the syllabus and its parts.

You already know that applying to graduate school is an arduous process. Now that you're in, guess what? Getting through graduate school and succeeding is also a challenge. And you thought last year was stressful! Check out these tips for making the transition to graduate school smoothly.