St. John’s GAAP (Graduate Admission Assistance Program) was
instituted in 2004 under the leadership of Vice President of
Support Services Dr. Andre McKenzie and Special Assistant to the
Provost Erin Biviano to serve as a resource for juniors and seniors
who are preparing to apply to graduate schools. Whether they
need help in filling out applications, selecting the appropriate
graduate entrance exam, finding the right financial aid package or
looking for opportunities to enhance their academic profile, they
can get guidance and assistance from a mentor involved in the
program. Recently, Dr. Konrad T. Tuchscherer, System Assistant
Provost for External Scholarships and Fellowships and Assistant
Professor of History at St. John’s, was appointed as director of
the program.
Students appreciate what GAAP offers. “The GAAP program was a
huge help for me,” Tammera Jacobs explains. “I wasn't sure when I
had to take the GRE's, when applications had to be in, the format
of a personal statement…Any questions I had were answered by Dr.
McKenzie or someone he knew [who] had a better answer…[H]e helped
me organize my thoughts and goals [and] prepare a timeline of due
dates that each school required. I liked the fact that he
helped me revise my personal statement and resume...He gave me
insight on what schools like to hear; what is appropriate/not
appropriate to include. Overall the GAAP was a great help for
me and kept me from becoming totally overwhelmed with the process.”
Tammera focused all her energy and efforts on one school only --
John Jay College in Manhattan – and will begin her studies there
shortly.
Senior Ja Bou McCoy took advantage of GAAP and was
recently accepted into graduate programs at both St. John’s and
George Washington University. He has chosen to attend the
University of Miami, which offered him tuition remission and a
yearly stipend of $14,500 which, he says, will allow him to receive
his Ph.D. “for free.”