Graduate School Success Book Reviews

Welcome to the AdmissionsConsultants graduate school success book review page, brought to you in association with Amazon.com. We use this space to summarize and review what we think are the most useful available books on test preparation and school selection. Countless books have been written on these topics. While our review is not 100% comprehensive, we have identified several outstanding publications, based on our collective experience with graduate school selection and test prep and on feedback from our clients. We hope you find these reviews useful.

We have reviewed books related to the following subjects:

Getting What You Came For: The Smart Student’s Guide to Earning an M.A. or a Ph.D. by Robert L. Peters

While this book does contain some advice on selecting a graduate school program and financial aid, it really excels at guiding students on finishing their graduate school programs as efficiently and quickly as possible. Don’t let the 1997 publication date bias you, this book has good advice for students on how to manage academic politics and write and defend your thesis. Most of this book’s readers are current grad students who wish they had read this book earlier. We advise you to read it BEFORE you matriculate into grad school as it will allow you to get up that next learning curve in much less time.

The Craft of Research, Fourth Edition (Chicago Guides to Writing, Editing, and Publishing) .by Wayne C Booth et al

This guide can help both undergraduate and graduate students produce more meaningful research and produce it more efficiently. But it’s not simply targeted to “beginners.” This is truly the ‘bible’ of research and is frequently consulted by senior researchers in the corporate and government sectors as well.

The Craft of Scientific Writing, Fourth Edition by Michael Alley

There are many fine books that cover presentation skills. However, there are far fewer books that cover this topic as it specifically relates to scientific writing at the graduate level. This book has received rave reviews from many of our former clients and current graduate school students

The Craft of Scientific Presentations: Critical Steps to Succeed and Critical Errors to Avoid, 2nd edition by Michael Alley

Chances are you will have to present your findings and, for better or worse, your delivery will impact the audience’s reactions. We’ve heard repeated raves about this book from clients and hope you find it as helpful as they did.

How to Write a Master’s Thesis 3rd Edition by Yvonne N. Bui

Most masters candidates didn’t shy away from GRE test prep books. And they likely didn’t shy away from SAT and/or ACT test books either. So why do so few candidates seek out advice on the thesis? Well, now that you have found this page, you can no longer claim ignorance as an excuse. (You’re welcome!) This third edition book is our personal favorite and we encourage you to strongly consider this guide prior to embarking on your master’s journey.

The Ph.D Process: A Student’s Guide to Graduate School in the Sciences by Dale Bloom

A Ph.D. is a 4 to 7-year commitment. Sometimes it ends as an unsuccessful endeavor. This book contains good insight into such wide-ranging topics as selecting an advisor and lab etiquette. It can keep your transition to Ph.D. student a relatively stress free experience.

All the Mathematics You Missed: But Need to Know for Graduate School by Thomas A. Garrity

This book offers a broad outline to the math graduate students will need to know (linear algebra, vector calculus, point-set topology, probability, algorithms, and more). It is ideal for non traditional students who may have forgotten much of the math they covered in undergraduate. Despite a few typos, this is still the best book of its type we have found, and we have had many clients ask us for advice regarding math preparation. Please note that this book is a good review of the math topics you have hopefully covered previously. It also includes a good bibliography should you find you need additional material.

The Professor Is In: The Essential Guide To Turning Your Ph.D. Into a Job by Karen Kelsky

This book is a source of great stress for most prospective Ph.Ds. Are they going to be able to secure a tenured position after they earn their doctoral degree? This is a must read in this increasingly competitive job market.