Getting what you came for : the smart student's guide to earning a Master's or a Ph. D / Robert L. Peters ; illustrations by the author.

Includes bibliographical references (p. [383]-386) and index.

This book can help (and you probably need it!)--What is graduate school like? -- Do you need to go? -- Should you work first? -- Choosing a school: the thesis adviser -- Choosing a school: secondary aspects -- Application and admission -- Improving your credentials for admission -- Financial aid -- The master's degree: history and hurdles -- The doctorate: history and hurdles -- Managing yourself -- Playing politics: building a reputation -- Master's comprehensive and Ph. D. qualifying examinations -- Choosing and managing your thesis committee -- The thesis topic: finding it -- The thesis proposal -- The thesis: writing it -- The thesis defense -- Oral presentations: the key to being a star -- Dealing with stress and depression -- The social milieu -- Swimming with the mainstream: returning students, women, minorities, and foreign students -- Bringing it all together: the job -- Appendix A: Buying your computer and software -- Appendix B: Useful internet addresses.