Edit: Problem Section and Solution for Expert Audience Document:
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While there is certainly some information available to undergraduates concerning the history graduate program here at Clemson, information specifically related to the program does not go beyond being a reference. Effectively it states requirements and procedures for entering, continuing, and graduating the program. But given that at best it would be a seven to nine page document if presented in that format, there is a great deal of the process that it does not elaborate on.
To obtain more information on the matter, the Clemson University Graduate School page is probably the first place one will go. However, this is by no means an exhaustive resource either. More importantly, neither are one concise, complete resource that a prospective student can consult.
Moreover, neither are more than references. While the prospective student's advisor may be equipped to answer questions not covered by one of these sources, this is still contingent on the advisor having the time to either meet with the student or respond to their queries through other channels. And if the prospective student is coming from another university, then this may pose even more of a problem, as their face to face time with an advisor is going to be limited by the distance they have to travel. In either case, the students do not have a tool in hand that they themselves can make use of to ease their application process.
That these issues exist can potentially lead to frustration on the part of applicants, which can lead to possibly fewer applicants. At the very least, it is a source of distraction and frustration during their senior year at college, and they and the program both may suffer for it.
It is necessary then, that prospective graduate students have access to a document that will function as more than just a reference, but as a tool to help guide them through the process of application. Such a document would incorporate not just the program guidelines laid out on the history website, but would also explain general requirements for graduate school at Clemson, the application process itself in detail (including the GRE), and would include a series of useful aids for the student, such as a timeline for the process and relevant contact information.
EDIT: Thursday Oct 4th
I had sat down to try to revise this earlier this morning, but I decided that it would be best to wait till I hear some more comments about it. I certainly know it's not done yet,by any stretch of the imagination. I just thought it would be better to wait for more comments before reinventing the horse and accidentally turning it into a rabbit. So I would like to hear what sorts of things would be more relevant for the problem section and beginning of the solution.
2 comments:
I like your idea for a timeline for potential graduate students. The other information is available but it may be nice for your program to have it all together in one document. Have you looked at the programs brochure? I can bring one to class tomorrow for you.
ps- thanks for the advice on games!
I think you're off to a good start on this. Is there any way that you might be able to incorporate some sort of research? I was thinking that maybe you could give an example of another grad program at Clemson that does have similar resources available for their potential students. You could talk about how this has aided their enrollment numbers or possibly interview a student in that program and ask about the ease with which they had when applying to the program. Another idea is to interview potential history grad students who are frustrated with the lack of information given to them by the University. You make a good, logical argument now, but I think your ideas might be even stronger if you can bring in outside evidence.
In the last paragraph of your problem section, I would avoid talking about your solution. Dr. Holmevik was talking about how we should keep our sections separate, and it seems like the end of this paragraph overlaps with what your solution section will discuss.
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