Graduate Record Examination tests have reached a record number of participants, with more than 800,000 GRE tests administered in 2011, according to an article in The Chronicle of Higher Education.

The GRE is a standardized test that is required for many graduate schools in the United States. In 2011, the number of test-takers increased 13 percent from the previous year, with a 28 percent increase in Chinese test-takers and a 43 percent increase in Indian test-takers.

Only certain programs within the MU Graduate School require the GRE, so data on MU students taking the GRE is unavailable.

MU had 60 more Chinese applicants and 10 fewer Indian applicants in 2011, according to Terrence Grus, director of graduate admissions and records.

“As you can see, we have had a slight increase in Chinese applicants and a slight decrease in Indian applicants,” Grus said in an email. “MU has seen a huge increase in Chinese undergraduate applicants, as MU has several special coordinated BS completion and BS to MS programs with Chinese universities.”

Political science professor Marvin Overby said he thinks post-baccalaureate education is necessary for some professions, but not for others.

“That depends on what you want to do with your life,” Overby said in an email. “For a number of jobs, in areas like the law, medicine and college teaching, post-baccalaureate education is necessary. For many other occupations, it’s not. I would say that in a quickly changing world, I would advise students to get a good liberal arts education, one that is broadly focused rather than narrowly focused.”

Overby said he generally advises students to go into the workforce, which includes organizations such as the Peace Corps or Teach for America.

Geology professor Miriam Barquero-Molina said graduate school is important for certain majors.

“I always ask (students) when they come in as undergrad students what they want to do, and throughout their degree, many of them change their ideas of what they want to get done,” Barquero-Molina said. “Many of them who don’t think of grad school do now, some want to take a break. But some who weren’t thinking about grad school do think about it. Grad school is just very vital for geologists, and it’s a great learning experience.”

Julie Dimas, a sophomore double majoring in journalism and psychology, wants to go to graduate school but is not sure if she will attend one.

“I’m not sure about whether that’s going to be a possibility at this point because of the financial burden,” Dimas said. “However, I’d really like to further my expertise in the psychology field.”

Dimas also said she thinks employers are looking for people with experience.

In regard to students continuing studies at MU, Barquero-Molina said she thinks it’s beneficial to experience a new school, but it comes down to a student’s preference.

“It depends,” Barquero-Molina said. “I don’t think it’s detrimental. I know many students who stay and do a master’s or Ph.D. in the same school. Some students want to move out and see different things.”

Barquero-Molina said it’s good to have a variety in your graduate career and she would not advise getting a bachelor’s, master’s and Ph.D. in the same place.

“At least get degrees at two different places,” Barguero-Molina said. “I got three in three different places. I think diversity is good, but two degrees in the same place is fine.”

Overby said he thinks students need to expand their horizons regardless, because a good student would have already learned what the instructors have to teach at the student’s undergraduate institution.

“As a general rule, I encourage students to pursue graduate education at another institution,” Overby said. “That’s not always a realistic option, but it has many advantages. Primary among them is the opportunity to learn from a different set of faculty mentors. If you’re a serious undergraduate student, you will have already learned much of what your undergraduate instructors have to teach you. Going to another institution will expose you to a different set of instructors and mentors, with different perspectives and expertise, from whom you can generally learn much more.”