While at MountUnionCollege, your student should take advantage of the exceptional liberal arts education available to become abroadly educated person with a sophisticated understanding of our complex, global society. She or he will also develop intellectual abilities as well as analytical and communication skills during his or her tenure at Mount.

In addition to developing general knowledge, another significant goal during these years is to choose a major, or more focused area of study, and explore a field that he or she finds interesting. By so doing, he or she will learn about his or her own intellectual talents, and ultimately develop confidence in ability to succeed. This confidence is a key component of success in any graduate program. Parents who are supportive of their college students’ undergraduate experience are assisting their students in preparation for future academic achievement.

Parents question whether any particular major best prepares a student for graduate school. The answer to this relies upon the type of degree pursued. For law, business and medical school, no single major provides an edge over another. Faculty in these professional degree programs like students to have a solid liberal arts education and good general knowledge. Of course, medical schools do require students to take a series of required courses before admittance. Ph.D. programs in particular fields of the Arts and Sciences usually require applicants to have extensive preparation in the area of study, along with recommendations and mentoring from faculty in that field.

Other ways to encourage your student to prepare for graduate study are to remind your student to cultivate relationships with faculty, and to encourage him or her to visit Career Services and his or her Academic Advisor to learn about prerequisite courses and practical or volunteer experiences necessary or useful for application for graduate study in particular fields, as well as to get assistance with applications.