Departments and Programs Books

You can't imagine how it works in my application process.

This book contains a wealth of information and can be overwhelming if trying to read from start to finish. However, it has some incredible insight and is best used in conjunction with other materials in order to develop your strategy. That being said, if you can only purchase one resource, this is the one.

This book is good if you are just starting to think on your MBA application. It is less helpful if you are on a rush to get it done.
By the way I have mine almost new to sell.

This book gave a lot of details on how to organize your application. Very useful with great recommendations.

I used the previous edition of the book in 2006 (green cover) and it helped me get into a top 5 business school. In fact I got into both the top 5 schools that I had applied to.

My advice to applicants is to pay special attention to essays and recommendation letters. If the writers are too busy, write one up for them (call it a template) and let them edit it. That way you can get them to say what you want them to say more or less.

Spend a LOT of time on the essays, they can make or break you more than the GMAT. Read them over and over again, read them aloud, have someone read them to you and have them reviewed by someone who got into the school you want to get into. The sample essays in the book were great to know what kind of information the admissions committee would look for. I took as much as 30 days of every day work to get my essays in the form that I was happy with.

Montauk's book guides you through this process and that was the only book I used.

This is a huge book, worthwhile and seems complete. I also have the Your MBA Game Plan: Proven Strategies for Getting into the Top Business Schools, and this book is ten times the size. I have yet to read the whole thing and probably will never; however it is easy to find the data I need for my search. I also like the discussions about why and where to go, not just the how like in other books.

This book is brilliant. A must have for the entire application and interview process!

This book made the applying to grad school process far less painful. It allowed me to compare different programs so that I could narrow my choices down substantially. It was also an easy read, so it wasn't exhausting reading it.

This book has a lot of helpful information for looking for and applying to graduate schools for clinical or counseling psychology, Ph.Ds or Psy.Ds. It provides different perspectives on the degrees and careers so that readers have a better understanding of what they may be going into.

I bought this in the beginning of my hunt for graduate school and it was a pretty good reality check. They don't tell you, "if you do what we tell you, you'll get into the school of your dreams". Instead they're pretty raw, as in, graduate school is very competitive and you might not get in when you first try.
On the other hand, I would have appreciated a little more of "you can do it" morale boosting.
Also, I'm not so sure how reliable their scales in the appendix are of just how "research oriented" or "practice oriented" each school's program is, but it is a nice feature.

As a university lecturer at three universities, I get plenty of questions about these things. I hear plenty of horror stories from students about faulty or non-existent mentoring in these areas. There is plenty of advice out there to be had from ignorant, indifferent, or hostile sources. A big problem is that many professors and staff in psychology departments at major universities don't have knowledge or interest in clinical and counseling psychology. They may be openly hostile to the entire field, or toward areas and programs they perceive as being too unscientific. Even among supportive mentors, there isn't enough time to mentor students on all these issues. For many professors, finding quality time with students sucks time from writing papers and chasing grants. Your best bet is to use this book to master the basics. Find a great mentor and use that person's time to fine tune your thinking and turbo-charge your applications.

My advice is to start here if you are serious about getting into grad school. Or, take a look at the APA's book, "Getting In", which is on the same topic. I haven't seen it, but I hear it is good, too.

And if you want your life as a grad student to go well at at the Big U, then make sure to consult the following classics: (Do this even if you aren't considering an academic career)

David Sternberg's "How to Complete and Survive a Dissertation."
Robert Sternberg's "Psychology 101 1/2: The Unspoken Rules for Success in Academia"

Another must read, for future academics:
Darley et al's "The Compleat Academic: A Career Guide"

And for future clinical and counseling psychologists:
Yalom's "The Gift of Therapy: An Open Letter to a New Generation of Therapists and Their Patients"

Get these other books. Do it. This stuff is worth its weight in gold.

I was in a dilemma when I went out to buy this book. The dilemma was whether to buy this one or the Kaplan premier 2009 but I finally decided to buy this book after some hours of time spend at the near by book store reviewing their indexes and content.

All topics of premier program of Kaplan are covered in this book except the math review which they had touch based in the appendix section . So I can easily conclude that this book is just a similar book as Kaplan premier program book just without a CD-Rom at half price.

As you all know ,Kaplan is a must for GMATtest prep along with the Official Guides so no doubt that one should get this for effective preparation.

I had ordered the book and selected free shipping. I wish the free shipping had faster delivery. The delivery date was set for about two weeks. I was surprised to receive the book in 10 days. Great service and product.

Besides the fact that this book keeps on recommending that you should GUESS the answer and confirming the stupidity of the GRE exam (honestly, what's the point? it doesn't *really* test anything), it's a good source to prepare for the paper..

This is a great book that covers all subject areas with both a review of the material tested and the introduction of useful strategies. I use this book when I tutor my GRE students.

I bought this book and used it along with the Princeton Review's GRE book. This book's high points would have to be it's math review section and the strategies offered for each question type in the math, writing, and verbal sections. The math review was by no means in depth, but it was a very good starting point because it listed pretty much every possible math topic that could come up on the GRE which allowed me to go online and get math practice worksheets for each area. The writing section was excellent in this book: it went so far as to even help you brush up on writing (but not grammar) skills, gave examples of essays that received the highest scores, and gave strategies for answering the essay questions. It is important to note that the ETS website actually lists every possible GRE writing prompt for you to look at before the test; take advantage of it. Kaplan's book also was good in terms of finding out what the test would look like. The CD-ROM included was superior for practicing for the real test. The program LOOKS like the real GRE program you'll test on and has similar questions. You'll get your score back as a percentage correct rather than scaled with this CD-ROM and it will help you know which question types you need to work on. It also provides detailed answers for each question so you can understand why you got things wrong. I recommend this book, particularly for its CD-ROM, but I also suggest using it with another book, such as Princeton Review.

This book will give you an accurate look at the GRE. It will challenge you on your reading analysis skills and vocabulary.

I bought the Kaplan GRE Premier Program 2008 edition that comes with the CD-Rom. Note: the CD is only compatible with Windows version 1.0. Though I personally found the book to be less effective than Barron's GRE prep book [for one, I thought Barron's was better organised and had more content in it], the CD-Rom by Kaplan was very useful.

The CD-rom provides access to practice tests for the verbal and quantitative components of the GRE [three tests each]. In addition, we get three CATs with the full exam on each [i.e. the written, verbal and quantitative components]. Once one takes the CATs, a score is provided scaled from 200-800 [except for the essays]. It also provides a detailed answer list with explanations. On the whole, this is a good buy for those preparing to take the GRE.

THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN A GOOD BOOK BUT I ONLY NEEDED THE WRITTEN PORTION OF THE GRE AND THIS INCLUDED EVERYTHIMG, WRITING BOOK MUCH BETTER

It was delivered on time, book is in excellent condition. I haven't had time to use every aspect of the book yet but I'm looking forward to taking the online practice tests and using the handy CD that comes with it. I've been reading the book, and I have already picked up a few things!

The GRE Premier Program 2009 Edition is a fantastic study guide for the GRE tests. Having the groups of words and math examples in the back of the book make it a lot easier to study.

I would suggest that those word groups and math examples be pages that can be torn out so that they can be used as notecards!

I purchased this book because I wanted to be well-prepared for the GRE. This book is easy-to-understand and very thorough. I especially appreciate their test tips. Kaplan gives explicit information about how the GRE is written and points out pitfalls to avoid. They train students how to easily eliminate certain answer choices to increase their odds of choosing the correct answer. There are practice tests both in the book and on the disk and there is a wealth of additional information on their web site. I highly recommend this book.

The strategies and practice are good. The CD-ROM is a disaster. I was doing one of the 3 CAT included in the CD-ROM and my time expired after 10 minutes of the issue essay. The same thing happened with the quantitative section. It's worthless. Also, I found more productive and interesting the analytical writing tips in Princeton review.
I don't recommend it.

This GRE review is great. I highly recommend the Vocabulary cards. I had no idea that my vocabulary was so limited! Shipped fast, a little worn as described, but still in great condition to study with. No marks no tears.

I bought this book to get an overview on the GRE (which I could have got on ETS page) and to increase my Verbal and AW scores.

After three week of learning words, the Verbal scores didn't improve and the AW skill is simply unmeasurable.

Their verbal CD tests are pretty limited, after making them twice I get maximum score because of learning the answers by heart, not because any improvement actually occurs. The Math was no challenge except the probabilities, whose I had to review once again. Sadly, no probabilities problems occurred in the test, but statistics (distributions, percentile, standard deviation), which I had barely remembered (I have a 10 year old CS/Math undergraduate degree).

I scored 800 Quantitative (with very less preparation) 480 on Verbal and 3.5 on AW. Same score, (at least after my appreciation, I had the official test only once) as when I have acquired the book.

The book may be good to give an image about what GRE is, this is the reason I gave two stars, but if you wish to improve your score, you may look elsewhere.

This is definitely the only reliable MFA Guide out there. Although it may not be perfect, at least it's based on thorough research and accurate information. Anyone who knows anything about MFA Programs always recommends this one over the MFA Handbook.

Could somebody please tell me how to use this CD? I thought the problem was the CD itself, but contacted the seller, who then sent me another copy which has the same problem. The only thing that comes up is the search screen. When I enter the type of program to search for, I get the same thing.

If someone could please tell me what to do I'd greatly appreciate it. I am trying to choose programs to which I can apply RIGHT NOW.

Thank you.

This is the best book I've found on the subject but it's far from great. It gives one short page narratives of about 60 programs and general advice on the application process. It has some good points: it's fairly objective, stresses the strengths (or "perks" as she calls them) of each school and program as well as some of the weaknesses, discusses funding and gives approximate tuition and concentrations on each program. However, there is little here that could not be gleaned from the websites of the schools or the now decade old U.S. News & World Report listing.
The book contains some surprising omissions, such as George Mason University and most well regarded smaller programs. An accompanying CD allegedly gives further reviews but I could not get it to run on my computer and picking through its index files it seems to only give hyperlinks anyway.

I would recommend this book simply because it is still better than its competition, but the definitive book on MFA programs has yet to be written.

I would like to take this opportunity as the author of this book to say that I was contracted with the publisher to write a book on three kinds of opportunities for writers that give them time, money, and places to write: 1. grad programs 2. colonies & residencies and 3. grants & fellowships. Then it was given a title that made it seem skewed towards graduate programs, when that was only one section. I wrote it to present a horn of plenty to writers. The CD-ROM has problems, and no one is more disappointed than I, but the publisher will only fix it with the next print run. I am working on a way to remedy this through my web site. I believe I have a great book that opens readers up to the possibilities, but still leaves it to them to pursue the ones they deem worthy. I think that Tom Kealey's Creative Writing MFA Handbook has been criticized for being too much about money, when he's offering his specific and helpful viewpoint on what should matter when you apply. I come from a background of information services, where a few books on a subject is the best way to research anything. The definitive book will likely not be written unless you can find someone who has attended all the programs and still has the motor ability and thought processes to write a book. The secret elixir is on Mount Olympus. You need to know that finding a program that will educate you about an artistic endeavor is going to be a personal journey, and those of us who have knowledge about the market can only give you our perspectives. You need always to judge which perspectives are pertinent.

The book is a very decent reference but it is very limited. The book description even states there are only 80 reviews total in the book and that includes universities, colonies and international programs. What sold me on the book was the CD that expanded the reviews to include over 300 programs. Well, the CD doesn't work. Amazon has replaced my original book/cd and the second one doesn't work either. There are three other reviews of this book that say the same thing. THE CD DOESN'T WORK. It is false advertising and the book/cd should be recalled by the publisher. If you have also bought this defective product send an email to Amazon to put pressure on the publisher to fix the problem. If you haven't bought it, DON'T until the publisher fixes the problem.

This book was very helpful for me. The best section is toward the end, which tells a little bit about many specific schools. Most importantly, it lists the percentage of applicants accepted into each school. This was SO helpful for me because I had less than impressive undergraduate grades. Thus, I am able to narrow down which schools I want to apply to based on how likely I am to be accepted. I would buy the book simply for that quality alone, since I think it is very difficult to find schools acceptance rates. On the flip side, if you had really good grades, you could be selective in applying to schools that are highly competitive based on the acceptance rates. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is up in the air about where to apply, it helped me narrow down my selections and THEN go research the best schools FOR ME online.

The book is not really the best book to use. And, to be quite frank, no book on MSW programs is a good book to use.

I say this mostly becuase programs change their requirements and their expectations year after year.

Your best bet is to use the book as a guide to help you narrow down your search, and to help you understand what the MSW program amy generally look like. But, really, any MSW progrma book can help you do it. And, you can get the information for free online.

The book may help some, but for many the best bet is to find the program you are interested in and research what that program expects and is interested in.

Also, the section about personal statements is a bit pretentious and biased. A personal statement should come from the student's perspective, and there isn't too much you can do wrong. The "Do's and Don'ts" are pretty common sense, and what you probably learned when writing your essay for undergrad.

Overall, keep your money and do your research online and through the school you're thinking about applying to.

Best of luck to all!!


p.s.--I got into my first choice MSW program without muchhelp from this book!!!

This Book did not help me do anything but get worried about writing my personal statement for Graduate School. I wound up buying another book that made me feel much better and really helped me write my essay.

This book helped me get accepted to a graduate school of clinical social work in the Northeast. (I only applied to one.). I highly recommend it to anyone applying to graduate schools of social work!

I used this book to apply to graduate programs in New York. I followed the guide and got into every school! I am so glad I bought this book!

Princeton Review: Gourman Report of Graduate Programs, 8th Edition: A Rating of Graduate and Professional Programs in American and International Uni versities ... in American and International Universities)Princeton Review: Gourman Report of Undergraduate Programs, 10th Edition: A Rating of Undergraduate Programs in American and International Universities ... in American and International Universities) As an educational professional for over thirty-years, I have used Dr. Jack Gourman's guides to select my graduate schools, to help my children select their undergraduate and graduate schools, and to help my students choose their colleges and universities. As consumers of collegiate products, most parents just accept what a school says about how good they are. Dr. Gourman (Univ of MI) furnishes us accurate information to measure school quality vs. price. Given the impact of these decisions on a child's education, Gourman has done a great public service by publishing his evaluation. It shows how far from accurate are the evaluations contained in popular "news" magazines which many depend on to make this momentous decision. Gourman's guidea are easy to use but they also contain a discussion of the methodology he uses in his analysis. This is key information for parents concerned about getting what they pay for.

I've used several major ranking references. I have found the Gourman Report to be the most accurate in rating educational institutions in terms of faculty quality and library - an often over-looked yet the MOST important resource for research in graduate schools and professional schools such as med schools, business schools and law schools.

By contrast, other ranking reports tend to put too much emphasis on subjective opinions (mostly gathered via opinion polls) in their ranking calculations. Some put almost no emphasis on the size of the library; and some calculate a "library size to student population ratio", making a lousy library of a small school seems better than a good library of a big school.

I have encountered many disenchanted students at small private universities who are disappointed at the lack of library resources and the small selection of classes in their particular programs. Their research is slowed down or made impossible because of the inadequacy of these resources. They would have avoided such disenchantment if they had used the Gourman Report.

Jack Gourman is a former professor from the University of Michigan who compiles his rankings by calling professors in various departments at different schools and asking them which programs they think are the best in their field. Not a bad way to rank schools and programs if your sampling is statistically valid, but since Jack is vague about his methodology, we'll never know that. What we do know is that his rankings are noticeably skewed in favor of large state universities and especially the University of Michigan. For instance, most observers rank Harvard Stanford and Yale among the top three law schools, with Michigan between fifth and ninth, but Jack consistently ranks the Wolverines in the top three. (Hey! They've got a great football program, haven't they?)

This approach produces ludicrous results in his rankings of undergraduate institutions (a separate book), but is less of a problem with graduate programs which are (1) the province of larger universities, and (2) subject to fewer constraints in their acceptance of out-of-state residents.

The book is especially useful as a checklist of all of the major players in a particular discipline. Just remember to move all Big Ten schools down one to two notches, and the University of Michigan down three to four, and you'll end up with some pretty decent rankings.

Jack, you really should make your ranking available online. Otherwise, many people will not refer to it and they will miss the opportunity to access the most objective and accurate college ranking!

As an educational professional myself, I can assure that the rating provided by Dr. Gourman is certainly the most objective and well prepared of its kind. Of course, there is no equal to the National Research Council study conducted every 10 years, but the Gourman Report certainly fills the gap.