What do you think?
Rate this book
Is Grad School for Me?: Demystifying the Application Process for First-Gen BIPOC Students
The first book to provide first-generation, low-income, and nontraditional students of color with insider knowledge on how to consider and navigate graduate school.
Is Grad School for Me? is a calling card and a corrective to the lack of clear guidance for historically excluded students navigating the onerous undertaking of graduate school—starting with asking if grad school is even a good fit. Approachable and empowering, this essential resource offers step-by-step instructions on how to maneuver the admissions process before, during, and after applying.
Unlike other guides, Is Grad School for Me? pays attention to what matters to these students, with an approach that is both culturally relevant and community-based. The book is packed with relatable scenarios, memorable tips, common myths and mistakes, sample essays, and templates to engage a variety of learners. With a strong focus on demystifying higher education and revealing the hidden curriculum, Is Grad School for Me? aims to diversify a wide range of professions in academia, nonprofits, government, industry, entrepreneurship, and beyond.
Is Grad School for Me? is a calling card and a corrective to the lack of clear guidance for historically excluded students navigating the onerous undertaking of graduate school—starting with asking if grad school is even a good fit. Approachable and empowering, this essential resource offers step-by-step instructions on how to maneuver the admissions process before, during, and after applying.
Unlike other guides, Is Grad School for Me? pays attention to what matters to these students, with an approach that is both culturally relevant and community-based. The book is packed with relatable scenarios, memorable tips, common myths and mistakes, sample essays, and templates to engage a variety of learners. With a strong focus on demystifying higher education and revealing the hidden curriculum, Is Grad School for Me? aims to diversify a wide range of professions in academia, nonprofits, government, industry, entrepreneurship, and beyond.
367 pages, Paperback
Published April 16, 2024
6 people are currently reading
19 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
June 17, 2024
Martínez-Vu and Chávez-Garcia’s Is Grad School for Me? is a phenomenal book, and a must-read for all students who are considering applying to graduate school.
Much of academia is intentionally obscured from the broader public. This holds true when one reads through professionalized academic articles, the terminologies in which are only readable by those who write them. But it is also pervasively true, applying to all facets of academia, including the admissions process.
This is where the authors intervene on behalf of especially first-gen and BIPOC students, who have been historically excluded and even now continue to be marginalized from graduate school programs across the US. They offer an overview of the application process, including samples of potential timetables, personal statements, diversity statements, and other application materials. They bring up essential questions to ask grad students and faculty in the programs that an aspiring scholar is intending to apply to. And they also make visible the so-called “hidden curriculum” or implicit cultures that have holds on admissions committees, faculty, and academic institutions as a whole.
Though this book is written primarily for first-gen and BIPOC students, even these populations do not exhaust the real lives of those who do not have access to information on graduate school. Thus, Is Grad School for Me? is also a relevant and essential book for all who academia may be designed to exclude or deter.
Much of academia is intentionally obscured from the broader public. This holds true when one reads through professionalized academic articles, the terminologies in which are only readable by those who write them. But it is also pervasively true, applying to all facets of academia, including the admissions process.
This is where the authors intervene on behalf of especially first-gen and BIPOC students, who have been historically excluded and even now continue to be marginalized from graduate school programs across the US. They offer an overview of the application process, including samples of potential timetables, personal statements, diversity statements, and other application materials. They bring up essential questions to ask grad students and faculty in the programs that an aspiring scholar is intending to apply to. And they also make visible the so-called “hidden curriculum” or implicit cultures that have holds on admissions committees, faculty, and academic institutions as a whole.
Though this book is written primarily for first-gen and BIPOC students, even these populations do not exhaust the real lives of those who do not have access to information on graduate school. Thus, Is Grad School for Me? is also a relevant and essential book for all who academia may be designed to exclude or deter.
September 19, 2025
I will admit that I skimmed this book - the majority of it was for humanities grad school tips (I was looking for MBA tips). Still, I found a lot of great pointers that I will borrow from. I think it’s important to share knowledge amongst our communities to those who may not know it.
August 4, 2024
Focuses very heavily on PhD and the sciences, while there are some legitimately helpful sections, this focus neglects those interested in pre-professional programs
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews