Students preparing themselves for graduate school have a lot to consider when applying to the schools.

On Wednesday, the University’s Golden Key International Honors Society invited Hally Pinaud, marketing manager with the Princeton Review, to speak students who are interested in applying to graduate school inside the Ferguson Center Theater.

Pinaud led a presentation about the decision making process for prospective students, how to find the right school for themselves, how to finance the costs of graduate school and what schools look for when reading over applications.

“A lot of people have two reasons when applying for grad school,” Pinaud said. “They figure that a master’s degree will help them make more money, or because everyone else is going to grad school and they don’t know what to do. I would not recommend this.”

Instead, she recommended students ensure they are fully invested in the causes of graduate school. In order to do this, Pinaud advised making a list of pros and cons.

“Some pros would include wanting to compete on a level playing field, maximizing your learning potential and that maybe you’re not quite ready for a 9 to 5,” she said. “Some cons may be that you have a killer job or job offer, that you would be giving up a couple of years of salary and that you may be putting your career on hold.”

Pinaud said once a student has decided to commit to graduate school, to begin researching each school – the school’s mission statement and the biographies of the professors that will be teaching you, to name a few.

“One of the most important things to do is to be nice to the gatekeepers, which often includes graduate students answering the phones,” she said. “They’ll grease the wheels for you. We often overlook the underlings, but everyone you encounter on your search could become a fan of yours and help get you into school.”

She also advised looking into each school’s rating and not falling victim to big-name school hype.

“You need to go where you’ll be happy,” Pinaud said. “Don’t just pick a school based solely on its name and reputation.”

When applying to graduate school, Pinaud said to make sure students pay close attention to detail, as that can make a huge difference. She also stressed rereading for typos and applying early.

Candace Hamner, who is in charge of Golden Key’s alumni relations, said the group brought Pinaud to the University so that students could hear what is necessary to get into graduate school.

“Students really need to be aware of their academic potential,” Hamner said. “They need to know about the opportunities of online classes so that they can complete GRE and LSAT practice tests.”

Pinaud said the Princeton Review will begin running classes in the Spring to help students prepare for the MCAT and LSAT and in the Fall to help with the GRE.

The Golden Key International Honor Society recognizes scholastic achievement and excellence among juniors and seniors in all undergraduate fields of study who rank in the top 15 percent of their classes.